John Stephens

Finance & Operations Director

John heads up our finance and operations responsible for financial management, recruitment and employee experience, as well as health and safety, data protection and legal compliance. John draws on a wealth of experience in the green energy sector, from start-ups to large corporates operating in the UK, Europe and Australia.

Ruth Darling

Head of Marketing & Communications

Ruth and her team are brand builders, telling Severn Wye’s story both on-and off-line, delivering practical marketing and communications campaigns that spark interest and enquiries, and helping to shape a great culture through colleague engagement.

Allison Cawley

Director of Energy Services

Allison heads up an award-winning team of energy assessors, retrofit co-ordinators and project managers, covering both domestic and non-domestic sectors, to deliver grant-funded and commercial paid-for services.

Anna Henderson

Head of Fundraising & Impact

Anna leads a team focused on fundraising through bid submissions – ranging from small community-grant applications to large, complex submissions in collaboration with multiple partner organisations. She also leads on data analysis and impact assessment.

Claire Latham

Director of Energy Advice

Claire leads our energy adviceline team, which takes more than 5,000 calls each year, and our team of community-based energy advisers who provide in-person advice and practical support to over 1,000 households each year.

Andy MacPherson

Chief Executive

Andy MacPherson leads Severn Wye, drawing on a strong background in the energy sector, where he has held chief executive and director roles leading organisations through periods of growth and transformation. He brings extensive experience working across both public and private sectors, alongside a proven track record in negotiating public sector funding and support.

Mareike Schmidt

Chair

Mareike is Deputy Challenge Director – Quantum Technologies at Innovate UK, having previously worked as Head of Operations for Q-Bot, a robotics company delivering underfloor insulation and for Bristol City Council where she delivered a £50m energy investment programme. A Non-Executive Director for Bromford Housing, she has been involved in shaping their asset management strategy including the delivery of energy efficiency housing. She won the Regen “Sustainability Energy Champion” Awards for her strong leadership in turning Bristol into a hub for sustainable energy and holds a Financial Times Non-Executive Director/trustee qualification.

Rowena Kay

Rowena is a lawyer, specialising in employment matters. Outside work, she is a trustee for another sustainability charity and a keen allotment holder.

Chris Welby

Vice Chair

Chris has been in energy policy for over 20 years and was until recently head of regulation and policy at Bristol Energy, and previously Good Energy. He is now at Elexon, looking at introducing flexibility into the market to achieve net zero. He passionately believes that fighting climate change and fuel poverty is not ‘either/or’ and both can be achieved.

Vilislava Ivanova

With a background in European policy and market research, Vilislava works as an energy policy advisor at Energy Systems Catapult, focusing on policy research and innovation projects in electricity, heat and transport decarbonisation. She supports innovators to navigate the complexities of the energy sector and bring new low-carbon solutions to market.

Emma Voss

Emma is a ‘big-four’-trained chartered accountant and now leads the global commercial offshore wind team at Statkraft, Europe’s largest producer of renewable energy. She believes that faster deployment of renewable energy will help solve security of supply, affordability, and sustainability while also combating climate change. She is a board director of Statkraft UK Ltd and a member of their ED&I steering committee. 

Paul Smith-Lomas

Paul is a mechanical engineer by training, with a focus on water supply and sanitation. For over 30 years he worked in international development and was awarded an MBE in 2002. Before retiring in 2021, Paul was CEO of Practical Action, an international not-for-profit that seeks innovative solutions to global challenges. He’s now engaged on issues closer to home, including energy and the environment. Paul joined our board of trustees in 2023.

Catherine Cheetam

Currently chief operating officer at Fourth Floor Creative, Catherine has proven success building creative, innovative, and outcomes-focused teams through more than 20 years experience leading startups and corporates in energy, law, accountancy, governance, finance and marketing. 

Amie Robinson

Amie leads the offshore wind sustainability team at BP where she is responsible for developing and implementing sustainability strategies. She has more than 15 years experience in the energy sector, including more than a decade dedicated to offshore wind, and is passionate about ensuring the green energy transition delivers positive, inclusive benefits for everyone in society.

Jamie Abbot

With 20 years experience in housing and more than a decade in retrofit, Jamie specialises in development and delivery of energy efficiency and renewable-energy programmes at scale. He has run flagship programmes for the Mayor of London and Department of Net Zero and Energy Security. Jamie was formerly UK Housing Sector Sustainability Lead for Turner & Townsend, where his team supported over 400 organisations to access £1.5bn of public funding. Jamie’s consultancy business – Climate Programme Partners – provides strategic advice to the retrofit sector.