As RWE’s UK Country Chair, and Chair of the RWE UK Renewables Boards, Tom is the most
senior representative of RWE in the UK responsible for representing the company at the
national level (UK, Wales and Scotland) and managing senior stakeholder engagement.
Tom’s earlier roles as Executive Board member in each of RWE’s main operating companies
provides him with the ability and insight to ensure that the company has a co-ordinated
strategy and that RWE’s UK portfolio is well-positioned for net zero.
Tom has worked at RWE since 2003 and held a variety of senior commercial, trading and
business development positions including Chief Commercial Officer of RWE Renewables,
RWE Generation and RWE Supply & Trading. In his most recent role, Tom had responsibility
for the commercial management and optimisation of RWE’s 10GW global renewable
portfolio together with having responsibility for all power purchase agreements, M&A
transactions, partnerships and the development of new markets. Prior to that, Tom was
commercially responsible for RWE’s European conventional generation fleet, a 40GW
portfolio of coal, biomass, gas, hydro, nuclear and other conventional power stations which
produced around 200TWh per annum.
Prior to RWE, Tom worked at Barclays Capital, Enron and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
ESG professional focused on driving the waste sector towards net zero through a systemic culture change and targeted alignment between policy, investment and infrastructure.
Pierre Girard has extensive experience in CCS, with first-hand experience of developing CCS opportunities in the UK, Norway and the Netherlands. This portfolio was on track to allow Neptune Energy to meet its ambitious target to store more carbon than is emitted from its operations and the use of its sold products by 2030.
Under his leadership, the organisation has built an enviable portfolio of storage opportunities and of prospective customers. Pierre is keen to explore opportunities to develop storage sites on a merchant basis across the North Sea to enable cost competitive and resilient options to emitters.
Prior to his current role, he has held a number of positions with Neptune, including Director of Commercial & Joint Ventures for Neptune’s UK business and GM Technical in Egypt. Pierre also held senior roles in Commercial and Development with Chevron and worked with TotalEnergies in economic and technical capacities in Europe and Africa.
Ruth is responsible for strategy and business development across the EET portfolio. She was previously CEO of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, working closely with government on funding and policy frameworks to accelerate the deployment of CCUS. Prior to that, Ruth spent over 15 years in the public sector developing and delivering climate and energy policy. This included leading UK negotiations on the EU Directive on CO2 Storage and overseeing policy coordination and programme delivery for GB Electricity Market Reform to enable investment in large scale renewable generation such as offshore wind farms. Ruth played a key role in establishing the government-owned Low Carbon Contracts Company, where she subsequently became Director of Strategy & Development, growing it into a trusted advisor, insights provider and delivery partner of choice for government. Ruth served as a member of the UK’s CCUS Council and its Industrial Decarbonisation Challenge Advisory Council, as well on the UKCCSRC Advisory Council. She is an honorary Fellow of the Energy Institute and a Master of Physics from the University of Oxford, with professional qualifications in Programme Management and Sustainable Energy.
As a Senior Leader in the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) sector, I am really excited by the opportunity to serve on the CCSA’s board of directors. With a long-standing involvement with the CCSA from both government and the private sector perspectives, I recognize both its critical importance and the current challenges to the industry. My current role as Head of UK LCS Region/Business Development in Equinor, a company deeply invested in CCS, provides me with a well-rounded perspective, across Blue Hydrogen, Thermal Power, Transport & Storage sectors. I look forward to working with the CCSA Board, promoting sustainable industry practices as it looks to grow CCS in the UK, Europe and beyond.
Amy leads Willis Lease Finance Corporation’s Sustainable Fuels business unit, developing its first SAF facility in Teesside. She was previously VP EMEA at Carbon Engineering (later 1PointFive upon acquisition), the leading Direct Air Capture company where she led regional business development, government affairs and project development. Prior to that she was VP Corporate Development and Sustainability at Virgin Atlantic and spent 10 years at BCG in the Aviation practice. She holds a PhD and MSci from the University of Cambridge in Physical Chemistry and Natural Sciences.
Chris is global CCUS lead at Baringa, where he advises policy makers, investors and developers on commercialising CCUS projects and clusters. This involves economic, policy and commercial advisory in Baringa’s markets across the UK, Europe, North America and APAC.
Chris was previously in the leadership team of the UK government’s CCUS programme, where he developed policy and led negotiations for some of the first CCUS projects. He also engaged with governments around the world on best practice policy frameworks to incentivise investment in CCUS.
George Whittaker is the General Manager of Energy Transition business line within the Energy GBU. George is responsible for delivering Bechtel’s growing portfolio of front-end work in this new sector, developing relationships with new customers who are active in the Energy Transition space, and staying abreast of governmental policy and regulatory frameworks in our target markets to position Bechtel for future EPC opportunities in this new market.
George previously led the business development team for Energy Transition where he was responsible for developing Bechtel’s strategy for the new business line. Prior to this role in Energy Transition, George was posted to Kazakhstan where he expanded Bechtel’s market position by developing opportunities with new customers, formed strategic partnerships, and stood up a business development team and operations in Atyrau.
George is a chartered engineer with 20 years of experience within the oil and gas industry. George joined Bechtel in 2004 as a process engineer and has subsequently held positions in engineering, commissioning, project management, and business development, including previous postings in London, Italy, Thailand, UAE, and Kazakhstan.
George earned a master of engineering degree from Imperial College London and an MBA degree from the University of Oxford.
Peter is Chairman of Progressive Energy and was CEO from its formation in 1998 until recently. Progressive is a low carbon project development company originating and developing clean energy projects which can make a material contribution to achieving net zero emissions. Progressive has a particular focus on CCUS and hydrogen, and conceived and has led the development of, HyNet, one of the CCUS Clusters selected by Government for support in the CCUS Sequencing Programme.
In the early 2000s Peter chaired ACCAT, the Advisory Committee for Low Carbon Technologies, which recommended to Government that CCS should be part of the UK emissions reduction programme. In 2005 Progressive Energy was one of the 11 founding members of the CCSA and Peter was Vice Chairman of the founding Board. He has played an active part in the Association since then, included chairing numerous working committees and as Chairman of the Board.
Ralph is the Group Head of Business Development at Associated British Ports. He joined ABP in 2006 as a graduate management trainee and has held a range of commercial and operational roles within the business, most recently Port Manager for the ports of Newport, Port Talbot and Swansea. In his current role he is responsible for driving strategic business development activities, including a specific focus on “Alternative Energy” opportunities including CCUS, CO2 shipping as well as the production and distribution of hydrogen.
Olivia leads the CCSA, overseeing its London and Brussels offices. Olivia is focused on ensuring that the CCSA’s 100+ members from carbon capture, transport, utilisation, storage, carbon removals and hydrogen production segments, as well as pioneering end-users from power and industrial sectors, are represented effectively and are able to engage constructively with UK and EU level decision-makers, whilst building their collective knowledge base to establish a successful industry.
Olivia joined the CCSA in February 2021 as UK Director following a public sector and trade association career in energy and infrastructure spanning two decades. Before joining the CCSA, Olivia worked as a Senior Policy Manager at the National Infrastructure Commission where she led on a number of projects including; a review of UK Economic Regulation and The Role of infrastructure in Housing. Prior to this, Olivia worked at Ofgem leading workstreams on Strategic Investment, Connections and running a procurement project for a new energy solution in Shetland.
Mark joined the CCSA in December 2024 as UK Director. He leads efforts to advocate for a robust policy and regulatory framework to advance the UK’s carbon capture and storage (CCS) sector. Mark and the UK team are dedicated to supporting the growth of CCSA member businesses and fostering a sustainable industry that delivers economic, environmental, and social benefits for the transition to net zero. This includes also working to strengthen connections between UK and EU markets.
With over a decade of experience in the energy and environmental sectors, Mark has worked closely with renewable energy developers, government ministers, civil servants, energy suppliers, grid operators, financiers, and traders. Before joining the CCSA, he served as Deputy Director of Policy at the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), where he championed renewable and clean technologies across power, heat, and transport. Notably this included leading policy initiatives for BECCS development in the biomass power, waste-to-energy, and anaerobic digestion sectors.
Mark holds degrees from Cambridge University and the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Abby Wright-Parkes is Head of Membership at the CCSA leading on membership engagement working to ensure our members are benefiting from their membership. She is also responsible for membership recruitment, working closely with Stefano Miriello in our Brussels office to grow our membership in the UK and across Europe. She also oversees the Membership and Events team.
Prior to joining the CCSA Abby has worked for a variety of membership organisations over the past two decades, as both an employee and when she ran her own consultancy.
Rebecca Bell joined the CCSA in May 2023 as Research and Projects Manager, harnessing research information to inform policy development and provide thought leadership to drive forward the acceleration of commercial deployment of CCUS.
Prior to joining the CCSA, Rebecca was the Policy and Research Officer for the Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage research partnership, working with academics, government, industry and civil society to progress CCS in Scotland. She has a background in climate change and sustainability policy, having previously worked in the NGO and public sectors.
Beth Hebditch is Head of UK Policy, focusing on the development of CCUS policy. She is also responsible for the co-ordination of the CCSA’s Regulation and Policy Working Group.
Beth has 4 years of experience in the energy industry where she worked as a consultant covering UK and European power, gas, LNG, carbon and oil markets. She holds a First-Class MSci Geology degree from the Royal School of Mines, Imperial College London.
Judith Shapiro is the Member Communications and Events Manager at the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, where she covers a wide range of topics; in particular ensuring that the varying views of the Association are appropriately represented in the political environment, the media, social media and the wider stakeholder community.
Prior to joining CCSA, Judith worked for both the UK Business Council for Sustainable Energy and the Combined Heat and Power Association as a Researcher.
Maximilian Musing is a Senior UK Policy Officer focusing on developing the CCUS policy spaces, as well as coordinating the CCSA’s Supply Chain Working Group. Prior to joining the CCSA, Maximilian worked in the wellness sector and accrued over three years’ experience working on international supply chain dynamics and logistics.
He holds a First-Class MSc degree in Climate Change Studies, from the University of East Anglia, and specialised in energy transitions, offshore wind, and carbon capture technologies.
Despoina Tsimprikidou is a Senior UK Policy Officer, focusing on the development of CCUS policy and assisting with the coordination of the Technical Working Group. Prior to joining the CCSA, Despoina worked in the academic sector, coordinating the UNESCO BRIDGES Hub for Sustainability Science at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. She also has experience on both UK and EU climate and environmental policy.
She holds an MSc degree in Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics and Political Science where she focused on climate target ambition in relation with EU growth and decarbonisation policies.
Yanxi (Zoe) Zhou joined the CCSA in November 2024 as a Policy Officer.She will be focusing on the development of UK CCUS policy and supporting working group activities. Prior to joining the CCSA, Yanxi worked in academics and finance, assisting the Grantham Research Institute with climate policy development and quantitative analysis for climate equity. She also worked at the World Resource Institute, coordinating worldwide sustainable finance, and researching green finance-related topics. Besides, she worked in Sequoia Capital as an intern analyst to promote the early-stage investment of clean technologies. She has experience in both UK and developing countries’ climate and environmental policy, as well as sustainable finance development.
She holds a dual MSc degree in Environmental Economics and Climate Change from the London School of Economics and Political Science and in Environmental Science, Management, and Health from Peking University. She specialized in embodied carbon, climate change justice, and the health effects caused by climate change there.
Olivia Trimborn is the UK Senior External Affairs Officer at the CCSA, where she focuses on external affairs initiatives, driving stakeholder engagement, and shaping communications and media relations. Olivia also manages the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on CCUS, – a forum to discuss the deployment and development of CCUS – ensuring effective collaboration between Members of Parliament, industry leaders, and stakeholders.
Olivia holds a First-Class BSc in Liberal Arts with a major in Politics from the University of Nottingham. She further developed her expertise during her post-graduate work as an intern at ChangeMaker Media, where she researched and contributed stories on global climate change politics and policy developments.
Harry McWilliams is the Senior UK External Affairs Officer at the CCSA, where he supports the Association’s communications strategy, external affairs, and political stakeholder engagement.
Prior to joining the CCSA, Harry spent several years in Parliament where he worked in the office of a Member of Parliament. During his tenure, he was responsible for the MP’s communication efforts through written work such as press releases and newsletters, managed the MP’s stakeholder engagement and constituency campaigns, and led on policy matters – including providing briefings and drafting correspondence on key issues relating to energy security and climate change policy. He holds a BA (Hons) degree in American Studies and History from the University of Winchester.
Kristina Antoniou is the Membership Communications and Events Officer at the Carbon Capture and Storage Association, assisting with communications, the planning of events, and membership organisation across the CCSA team.
She graduated from the University of Warwick with a First-Class BASc degree in Politics, International Studies and Global Sustainable Development. She has previously worked on a sustainability data scoring project, and volunteered with food and farming charity Sustain, supporting their social media, communications and events.
Stefano is Head of EU External Affairs for the CCSA in Brussels. He has several previous experiences in EU climate and energy policies, having worked for companies and trade associations such as GSE (Gestore Servizi Energetici), the European Heat Pump Association and FederlegnoArredo. In his previous role, Stefano was the Policy and Business Development Advisor for the RE-Source Platform, working with SolarPower Europe and WindEurope. Since February 2024, Stefano is also the Vice-Chair of the Brussels Sustainability Club.
Alberto is a geologist with 10 years of experience in the energy and environmental sectors. With a strong academic foundation, including an MSc in Oil & Gas Engineering and multiple postgraduate courses, Alberto has developed expertise in exploration, rock mechanics, geological storage, and geotechnics.
His professional journey includes roles at Spain’s national Natural Gas company (ENAGAS) and leading consultancies, including a challenging tenure in Saudi Arabia. These experiences have provided a deep understanding of the geological and regulatory landscapes shaping the industry.
Currently based in Brussels, Alberto has been actively managing R&D and innovation projects under Horizon 2020, Horizon Europe, and EIT Raw Materials at the European Federation of Geologists. Recently, he joined the Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) as a Regulation Affairs Manager, focusing on advancing policies and frameworks that support implementing CO2 management strategies.”
Francesco D’Apolito is the EU Senior Communications and Events Officer at the Carbon Capture and Storage Association. Before joining the CCSA, he worked as Senior Communications and Policy Officer at the Smoke Free Partnership, an NGO in the field of tobacco control and cancer prevention. Prior, he gained experience on CCS technologies in the Energy & Climate team at Rud Pedersen Public Affairs in Brussels. He holds a BA in Social Sciences from the University of Milan, a pre-Master’s in European Studies from Maastricht University and an MSc in Public Policy from the United Nations University-MERIT.
William Druet is an EU Policy Officer at CCSA in Brussels. Before joining the CCSA, William worked in the forest sector, having gained experience working with environmental agencies, wood-biomass industries and researchers. He holds a master’s degree in Public and International Law from the Free University of Brussels (ULB), as well as a master’s degree in Environmental Policy from the University of Sussex.
Sophie is the CCSA’s EU/UK Policy Affairs Officer, focusing on the development of CCUS policy and advocacy with an emphasis on low-carbon products, e-fuels and hydrogen, NECPs, and national CCUS strategies. She holds a BA in Journalism from London Metropolitan University as well as a pre-MA in European Studies and a MSc in Sustainability Science, Policy, and Society from Maastricht University. Before making the switch to climate policy she worked in the food and beverage industry for six years across the UK, New Zealand, and Australia and spent two years in programme management in the Netherlands.
Ariadna Lungulescu is the EU Policy and Advocacy Officer. Before joining the team, she worked as public affairs consultant focusing on circular economy, CCUS, gender equality and healthcare. She also acquired experience in post-Brexit EU-UK relations at the European Commission.
Ariadna holds a bachelor’s degree in Politics, Philosophy and Law from King’s College London, and an Erasmus Mundus Master’s Degree in European Politics and Society.
Denis Janampa Ramos is the EU Membership Officer at CCSA in Brussels. Before joining the CCSA, Denis worked for an international association for public transport in Brussels, supporting the membership team. Denis holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Economics, specialised in Marine Conservation, from the University of York in the UK.