Best Foot Forward

NAME: Paul Cooper

JOB TITLE: Managing Director

Paul recently joined the company as Managing Director, previously having been Unilever’s Treasurer in Africa. Paul has taken over the role of MD from Nicky with the objective of developing the expanding business. Paul leads much of BFF’s partnership work and also does some project management. He has an MBA, MSc Environmental Decision Making and is a Chartered Management Accountant. 

NAME: Craig Simmons

JOB TITLE: Technical Director & Co-founder

Craig is a co-founder of Best Foot Forward who entered the sector to pursue his interest in eco-psychology – the behavioural, educational and communication issues and barriers relating to the adoption of more environmentally sustainable business practices and lifestyles. He has authored several books including Sharing Nature’s Interest on ecological footprinting and The ZEDBook, a definitive guide to creating low carbon communities. Craig is a founding member of the Global Footprint Network and member of the International Footprint Standards Committee. Craig leads technical accounting, methodology development, and directs BFF’s software team in the evolution of Footprinter.

NAME: Nicky Chambers

JOB TITLE: Strategy Director & Co-founder

Nicky co-founded Best Foot Forward with Craig in 1997 having previously worked for the CBI, the World Travel and Tourism Council and built a successful environmental management and training consultancy. In 2008 she took a step back to her roots in corporate strategy and communications and swapped her role as MD for Strategy Director.  She is now responsible for directing a number of projects, particularly those with direct input to corporate strategy and change management. She has a BSc Environmental Science and MSc Environmental Technology. She is threatening to do a degree in Economics.

NAME: Simon Miller

JOB TITLE: Principal Consultant

Simon joined the company in 2006 and now leads much of the business development and project management. He has been closely involved with a number of high profile projects for clients including Radiohead, Ecover and product labelling for The Carbon Trust. Simon previously spent over two years at AEA where he mainly worked on the government’s Envirowise programme where he specialised in ecodesign and water efficiency. Simon has a BSc Biology, MSc Environmental Sustainability and is a qualified PRINCE2 project manager.

NAME: Richard Sheane

JOB TITLE: Consultant

Richard joined the company in 2008 in a combined consultant and analyst role. He has worked on regional, corporate and product footprinting projects for large public sector and corporate clients including The Carbon Trust, Ecover and Luton Borough Council. Richard previously worked as an environmental consultant in the UK agricultural sector and before that as a sub-editor for The Press Association. Richard has a BSc in Biochemistry & Microbiology, an MSc in Environmental Technology and a postgraduate diploma in Journalism.

NAME: Kevin Lewis

JOB TITLE: Senior Researcher

Kevin joined the company in 1999 and is a principal specialist in ecological footprint methodology, and has applied the concept in a wide variety of applications. He is on the Global Footprint Network’s National Accounts Review Committee and contributed towards the first global Footprint Standards in 2006. Recent projects, including for DG Environment, involved critical review of the National Footprint Accounts. He comes from an ecological background and his BSc Ecology dissertation focused on human interactions with the environment, using life cycle and Ecological Footprint analyses.

NAME: Danny Chivers

JOB TITLE: Analyst/ Consultant

Danny joined the company in 2006 and has worked as lead analyst on a wide range of footprinting projects, including electrical product manufacture, agriculture, food processing, local authority carbon monitoring, retailers, offices, and our report for Communities and Local Government into potential carbon savings from the use of online Council services. He holds a BSc Environmental Biology, an MSc in Nature, Science and Environmental Policy and an MProf in Leadership for Sustainable Development.

NAME: Gregor Pecnik

JOB TITLE: Researcher

Gregor works as an analyst with particular expertise in accounting transport impacts, including calculations for the National Express’ advertising campaign. Gregor is also an experienced developer of online carbon and ecological footprint calculators. Before joining Best Foot Forward, Gregor worked for two years in a consultancy in Slovenia preparing development strategies and financial and economic appraisals. Gregor holds a MSc Environmental Economics.

NAME: Przemyslaw Pietruszewski

JOB TITLE: Researcher (IT)

Przemyslaw joined the company in early 2007 as an IT developer and database designer and is responsible for developing footprinting calculators. His Software Engineering and Data Mining expertise has been applied to the development of Footprinter and its underlying database. Przemyslaw’s IT skills have also been applied to improve clients’ websites, develop internal web tools and create information systems. Przemyslaw’s educational background includes an MSc in Data Mining, gained from universities in Poland and Sweden.

NAME: Rebeca Laorga

JOB TITLE: Analyst

Rebeca joined the company in 2007 and works as analyst with the lead responsibility for construction projects. Since joining the company, she has worked on projects for IHG, Gentoo and the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games. Rebeca’s background includes a degree in Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering in Spain, and last year she completed an MSc in Environmental Strategy at University of Surrey. Rebeca previously worked in telecommunications and in technical sales of acoustics equipment in Spain. 

NAME: Star Molteno

JOB TITLE: Analyst/Researcher

Star recently joined the team as an analyst and researcher. Prior to this she was a researcher at Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute working with the Human Ecology Programme. She specialized in qualitative research focusing on the issues of sustainability and conservation, with projects in India, Nepal, Romania and the UK. She holds a BA and MA in Human Ecology from New College Oxford.

NAME: Xana Villa Garcia

JOB TITLE: Analyst

Xana joined Best Foot Forward in early 2007 as an analyst.  She has since completed more than a dozen carbon and ecological footprinting projects for clients including Ecover, Ofcom and WRAP. Her areas of expertise are oil-based products and biomass materials.  She has a BSc in Environmental Studies from Florida International University, and an MSc in Coastal Zone Management from Bournemouth University.  She has previously worked as Environmental Health and Safety officer at the Spanish headquarters of an international automotive firm.