Founder

Highly respected within the renewable energy, waste, resources, and environment sector, Stephen brings more than 20 years of experience at a senior level.

Education and early career

Stephen started his career with a degree in Environment Management and an Engineering Doctorate from Cranfield University. After completing his studies, he worked at a senior level in the private sector for several waste management companies and global environmental infrastructure consultancies. Having been involved with their design or operation, Stephen is familiar with most waste treatment technologies. He’s held senior roles in operations, business development, engineering, and general management and has supported projects within the UK and globally.

Founding Ceres

Stephen founded Ceres to provide independent, knowledge-based services to developers, investors, and operators in the UK, Ireland, and Europe. He supported the success of many businesses while reducing their impact on the environment.

Stephen remains active within the sector, promoting its development. He is a board member and industrial advisor to the IBioIC, a Director of Cré (The Irish Composting and Anaerobic Digestion Association), and an industrial advisor to Cranfield University. He’s the Chief Strategic Development Officer for Advetec which provides biotechnology treatment solutions to the waste sector. Stephen is also an active member of CIWM and regularly contributes articles and opinion pieces to various publications.

Director

Claudia is a highly experienced waste professional. Supporting resource efficiency, circular material flows and energy transition projects, she delivers practical advice and tailor-made support with a passion for making real steps towards a fairer and better world.

Experience

Claudia has 25 years of senior-level consultancy and project management experience in the waste, circular product and renewable markets. Her international experience covers the UK and Europe, the US and selected countries in South East Asia.

She has provided director-level project management and advisory support to deliver circular supply chains to international public bodies, equity investors and debt providers, project and technology developers as well as brands and waste producers.

Her expertise has been applied to global market analysis, value chain evaluations and feasibility studies, project and business plan development support as well as creating investor-ready business case presentations and commercial due diligence services for new projects, re-financing opportunities and acquisitions.

Increasing circular flows

At the forefront of evaluating new material and waste technology options to increase circular material flows, Claudia understands how financial viability, regulatory compliance and sustainability need to work in unison to create more sustainable and fairer solutions across the world.

Director

Simone is a Chartered Waste Manager and a recognised expert in waste data. With more than 25 years of experience in waste and resource management, she has a deep technical understanding of waste treatment and recycling technologies, products and the offtake market. She also has an in-depth understanding of waste legislation and its application by the regulator, including end-of-waste.

Experience

Simone worked in the waste industry as an Environmental Scientist and Landfill Manager, and as a regulator and waste strategy lead for the Environment Agency before spending 15 years in consultancy.

She led the high-profile project for Defra that designed and developed a fully working prototype of the UK digital waste tracking service which is currently being implemented by Defra and will become the mandatory method of reporting waste movements and collecting data. Simone also held a Certificate of Technical Competence (CoTC) for hazardous waste landfills.

Simone also advises a wide range of public and private sector clients on regulation and compliance, including the States of Jersey for which she designed and implemented waste acceptance criteria for the island’s landfill, a system similar to the Duty of Care for Jersey, and delivered projects improving the management of batteries, WEEE, lightbulbs and residual waste.

A trusted advisor for waste market and regulatory due diligence, Simone supports new project developers, investors and funders on commercial due diligence, feedstock procurement and contracting and contract renegotiations.

Expert witness

During her time with the Environment Agency, Simone managed many projects relating to waste and waste crime. This, combined with her experience as a regulating officer, gives her great insight into compliance and enforcement. Simone acts as an expert witness to UK courts in criminal and civil disputes. She prepares expert evidence and gives verbal evidence in court in cases involving waste offences and their impacts on the environment.

Director

Jamie is a waste and resource management specialist. Combining his in-depth knowledge of the waste sector with a background in economics, Jamie delivers insightful projects that apply waste and other data across systems and value chains.

Experience

Jamie has more than 12 years of experience in the waste sector. He’s held senior roles and two of the largest market-leading consultancies. Jamie is a recognised market analyst in the waste sector. Combining his understanding of policy, data and operations to provide clients with robust feedstock assessments, re-contracting advice and due diligence, Jamie supports both vendors and potential buyers in M&A transactions. A recognised waste expert, Jamie is an active member of Defra’s Industry waste data group.

Jamie is known for his modelling expertise. He continues to work extensively with all forms of waste and material flow data on behalf of clients – this includes infrastructure investors and developers, regulators, local authorities and the waste management sector. In all his work, Jamie’s focus is on leading data collation, innovative analysis, and structured model development, using pragmatic and robust evidence to make decisions. Wherever possible, this framework of evidence will include multiple metrics that include financial, technical and environmental factors.

He's utilised this approach with local authorities looking to assess best value and environmentally beneficial waste collection and treatment routes, as well as with banks and equity investors looking to appraise risks involved in infrastructure investments.

Carbon policy specialist

Jamie specialises in carbon policies for Ceres. Applying his commercial and modelling expertise, he helps clients understand the carbon footprint of their operations and recycled products/fuels. This includes support to maximise the value of low-carbon and recycled carbon products along with reducing the commercial and regulatory risks associated with fiscal instruments such as the Emissions Trading Scheme and Net Zero.