Meet The Team

Executive Team and Board Members

Karl Wills

Executive Chair

Karl is a serial inventor and entrepreneur who has built and sold a number of highly innovative businesses including Pelipod (sold to BT), MetaPack (sold to Stamps.com), and Abacus (sold to MindCTI) and has invented and brought to market a number of products and information systems.

Simon Gretton-Watson

Chief Executive Officer

Simon has worked in various engineering and commercial roles over the last 20 years. Most recently, he was Group Sales Director for Safetykleen International (£275m turnover with 1,800 employees across Europe). Before this, he worked at Centrica Plc as a Business Director in their downstream business and managed their operated North Sea oil assets. Simon has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College and is a Chartered Accountant (FCA).

Stephen Burt

Finance Director

Stephen is a Chartered Accountant and Governance professional with 25+ years in business. Having qualified with PriceWaterhouse he has worked across a variety of South Wales’ blue-chip manufacturing businesses. Most recently leading the Clinical Solutions business of Berendsen plc (£60m turnover, 600 employees, 4 UK locations) as Managing Director. He has been involved in a number of SME start-ups and lead the turnaround of Rocialle Ltd. Stephen currently serves as a business coach with the Welsh government’s Accelerated Growth Programme.

Staff and Management Team

The Executive Management team is supported by a team of highly skilled and experienced workforce which blends scientific knowledge and water industry experience.

Sales and Marketing

Matt Baldry

Commercial Director

Matt has over 25 years’ experience in the construction and water industries. He brings a diverse range of experience from sales and account management to operational and commercial management gained across both multinational companies and SMEs alike.

Kevin Mooney

Business Development Manager

Kevin has a BSc in Chemistry and has worked in the water industry supply chain for over 22 years, delivering treatment solutions for both drinking water and wastewater. His experience covers wastewater treatment from screening and grit removal, through primary, secondary and tertiary treatment, to sludge processing, including biological, chemical and mechanical solutions. He has broad experience in business development and account management, and has helped successfully develop and market several new products to the wastewater industry.

Paul Barter

Principal Process Engineer

Paul is a Chartered Chemical Engineer with over 25 years’ experience in the Water Industry, he has worked for consultants, contractors, and product supply companies, and has been involved in every aspect of water and wastewater treatment, with specialist in-depth knowledge of tertiary treatment process and P removal. As a process engineer he has implemented projects to improve water quality and help identify and rectify issues with existing installations. Paul in a member of IChemE and CIWEM.

Justine Buxton

Marketing Manager

CIM qualified marketer, with a varied and extensive career in Marketing for SME’s and new businesses.

Engineering

Bob Cooper

Engineering Manager

Bob has worked in the water and wastewater pumping industry for over 20 years and has been involved in all aspects of design, commissioning and installation of various systems. With key skills in project and engineering management has seen him specialising in improving efficiency, serviceability and value to work with and transfer his knowledge onto a team of engineers and sub-contractors.

Oliver Taylor

Field Service & Commissioning Engineer

Oli has had a varied career before joining I-Phyc, having been a chef for 7 years before becoming an engineer. He is now determined to use his engineering skills in a way that is not only ethical and sustainable, but beneficial to the environment. He enjoys scuba diving and has volunteered on a coral reef project in Belize

Dan Boardman

Project Delivery Manager

Dan is a specialist in technological development and delivery of nature-based solutions. A trained civil engineer with a PhD in environmental engineering, Dan has worked on developing bio-reactors and biological filtration, both in R&D and product delivery. Alongside this, Dan has gained 5 years of experience in construction project management.

Science Department

Dr Thea Ekins-Coward

Chief Scientific Officer

Dr Thea Ekins-Coward is one of the world’s leading applied algal scientists. Her career is diverse ranging from bio-remediation, process intensification of the UK water industry, utilising new technologies for carbon capture, production of bioplastics from renewables, investigating aquaculture waste as a biocoal feedstock, producing high-value products from marine resources, and production of biodiesel from microalgae. Thea’s background has developed her ability to adjust effectively, think innovatively, is why she is the best fit for us here at I-Phyc, leading the Scientific team from strength to strength.