Independent advice grounded in engineering, consulting and project delivery.
Ian Sutherland
Ian Sutherland, BSc, MBA, is the Founder and Principal Consultant of SystemZero Consulting Ltd. He is a civil engineer, management consultant and project leader specialising in hydrogen systems, industrial decarbonisation, energy infrastructure and the development of complex projects.
His work combines engineering understanding with program management, commercial analysis and organisational advice. This enables him to examine not only whether a technology can work, but whether it can be integrated, financed, governed and implemented credibly.
Before establishing SystemZero, Ian worked at Jacobs Engineering from 2013 to 2025 as a project/program manager and hydrogen subject-matter expert. His earlier career included structural engineering design, construction management, program and portfolio management and management consulting in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and the Middle East.
This combination allows Ian to work between executive objectives, technical specialists and project-delivery teams. His role is often to define the problem, connect the disciplines and ensure the resulting recommendation is practical, evidence-based and implementable.
Why this experience matters
Qualifications
BSc Civil Engineering
University of Bristol
MBA, Project Management
Imperial College London
Chartered Member
Institution of Civil Engineers, UK
Selected Experience
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Major infrastructure program leadership
Held senior program and consulting roles on major transport infrastructure programs, including metro and airport-development assignments involving commercial management, risk planning, stakeholder reporting and program interdependency management.
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Industrial methane-pyrolysis integration
Directed a techno-economic assessment of integrating a methane-pyrolysis system into an existing industrial facility. The work also considered a hydrogen-as-a-service business model and an implementation roadmap.
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Hydrogen infrastructure for future aviation
Led and contributed to feasibility studies, infrastructure assessments and transition roadmaps examining the production, storage, distribution and airport integration of gaseous and liquid hydrogen, including work undertaken through the FlyZero program.
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![A modern, minimalist lounge with wooden-paneled walls, a beige textured wall with an abstract art piece, a green sofa, and various chairs around a coffee table, with a steamy cup on the table.]()
Hydrogen rail feasibility
Led two techno-economic studies of the adoption of hydrogen fuel-cell trains, one for the GO commuter network in Toronto and the other for the intercity rail network in California. The work addressed vehicle design concepts, railway operations planning, supporting hydrogen infrastructure, safety and regulation and future fleet transition planning.
Selected speaking and thought leadership
Methane pyrolysis and sustainable steel manufacturing
Methane pyrolysis from a project-development perspective
Hydrogen infrastructure for airports
Speaking
Airports as Catalysts for Decarbonisation
Methane Pyrolysis: An Emerging Clean Hydrogen Production Alternative
Hydrogen Infrastructure and Operations: Airports, Airlines and Airspace
Additional publications, webinars and conference contributions can be provided on request.