Ian Preston
Operations Manager
Ian is the operations manager at Urban Earth. Ian has a Master’s Degree in Commerce (Management) from Rhodes University and a Bachelor of Commerce Degree (Management Sciences) from Stellenbosch University. For his master’s thesis, Ian focused on water supply development decision-making and the impact of invasive alien plants on selected water supplies in South Africa. Ian has over seven years of experience consulting in the sustainability, climate change, and energy fields.
Ian’s role at Urban Earth involves working on the organisation’s business compliance and systems as well as assisting with the management of projects and staff at Urban Earth. He also conducts research, analyses information and data, writes easy-to-understand reports and other documents, and reviews and edits documents for the various projects that he is involved in.
Some of the key sustainability projects he has worked on include: developing an online small-scale embedded generation application platform for municipalities, supporting the establishment of municipal energy management systems in six municipalities in South Africa, drafting climate change strategies of six provinces in South Africa, drafting climate change response plans for every district municipality in South Africa, developing the content for a climate emergency masterclass, supporting the implementation of Durban’s 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) Programme, and developing Sustainable Energy Opportunities Booklets for South African municipalities.
In addition to his interests in sustainability and the projected and occurring effects of climate change, Ian is intrigued by the management of natural resources, especially water resource management, as well as water conservation and demand-side management, energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions. He is also interested in nature conservation, invasive alien plant management, and severe weather events.
Outside of work, Ian is a keen outdoor and sports enthusiast, who enjoys hiking, trail running, mountain biking, rock climbing, tennis, birding, and generally exploring outdoor spaces. Ian is also an avid reader and enjoys listening to a wide variety of music.