Meet our Midlands Regional Steering Group

I am a passionate environmentalist working in behavioural communications for many years, to drive sustainable actions. I am the Founder of The Globe Foundation and run Globe's Eco Centre based in Uttoxeter. I am also a Director of a sustainable training organisation, Sustainable Society CIC. Alongside this, I am Deputy Chair for Climate Matters Staffordshire and also the Chair for Sustainable Uttoxeter Environment and Climate Commission, aiming to get the area to Net Zero by 2030.

My name is Comfort Tevera, I am very passionate about making visible change on sustainability and environmental issues in both the community and industry. Working a profession that allows me to raising awareness and influence people to combat climate change is my pride and joy.

Our environment and how we interact with it has been a passion of mine since I was a child. Growing up on a farm I learnt to respect the environment as a valuable resource as well as appreciate the need for sustainable management. I followed my passion at university and I gained a BSc degree in Environmental Bio Geoscience and later, an MSc in Environmental Management. Now that I’m a parent, environmental issues and sustainability have taken an even greater importance in my life. I now have a very visible and long term investment in the future of our environment. My career started in an environmental laboratory, and subsequently a hands on role in the waste management sector as a landfill chemist. This experience in the private sector provided a sound basis to then follow a career in regulation. Now working as a Senior Advisor for the Environment Agency in the Environment Agency’s national Landfill, Deposit for Recovery and Climate Change team, I use my extensive experience to advise other regulators and provide technical support, particularly around compliance issues.

I am a Senior Consultant at ClearLead Consulting Ltd with over 13 years' experience working in the environmental field. I work principally in the area of compliance and management systems. I am a Registered Lead Auditor with IEMA, an ISO 14001 Trained Lead Auditor, and an ISO 9001 Trained Auditor. I enjoy supporting clients to achieve compliance with environmental legislation, and assisting them in identifying and implementing initiatives to also go beyond this.

Ashley Oates is Head of Sustainability at WARD, responsible for setting and implementing Ward’s 10 year sustainability roadmap, The Ward Way. Her role involves monitoring and securing environmental compliance across all Ward’s metal recycling and waste management operations and driving commitment and achievements in relation to carbon management, social value and overall business sustainability. An active member of the Midlands Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) steering group, Ashley is also a school governor and keen STEM ambassador, promoting environmental responsibility, recycling and engineering, as well as being an advocate for diversity and equality.

I'm extremely passionate about environmental issues and feel privileged to have worked in local government, central government and the private sector influencing policy and procedures to reduce environmental risk and embed sustainability over the last 18 years. I'm currently the Head of Environment at the Travis Perkins Group where I am responsible for our carbon reduction programme, waste management and circular economy strategy and maintaining our ISO14001 certification.

Evelin is a final year undergraduate at University of Warwick where she occupied several roles including Part-Time and Mature Students' SU Officer, Environmental Committee Member, Course Representative, and Student Fellowship at Warwick International Higher Education Academy. She developed the PLAN(ET) B campaign with the aim to engage the student community in an activity that speaks to one of our major concerns, global warming and its effects. Evelin is passionate about student experience and sustainable living and so she is currently volunteering as Student Home Energy Auditor with Students Organising for Sustainability. She lives in Coventry with her husband and enjoys walking in nature, gardening, playing badminton, and reading fiction.

I have worked in environmental sector since secondary school, always my passion. I now focus on local issues in my area litter, nature conservation via a local group which I manage. I work in ISO14001 auditing certification field, so seeing good and bad practice in Organisations, and I have helped move them forward to a better EMS. My best skills are sharing good news/practice, boosting confidence in Managers / colleagues / friends to do more.

Currently Head of Finance and Operations within the Construction sector advising and supporting Sustainability and Building better. Role focuses a lot on processes and finances and having an Environmental Biology and Bioscience academic background and keen interest in sustainability and the circular economy I feel volunteering with IEMA will refocus my mind. I have always volunteered as it is empowering to give back and add value and exciting to learn new skills and make new connections.

I am a Sustainability and Environment Engineer at Frazer-Nash Consultancy. Previously completed a MEng in Chemical Engineering at Aston University, in which I have produced a research project where I Investigated the Feasibility of Moving Towards Net-Zero Carbon emissions using the conversion of UK Feedstock to Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuel by 2050, which established a foundation for a £4 million research proposal to be conducted based on the outcomes of the research.

Alice is currently Senior Environment Officer at Sanctuary Group, a leading housing and care provider with 105,000 homes spread from Torquay to Aberdeen. Alice has played an instrumental role in Sanctuary's environmental journey: supporting key projects, delivering carbon footprints, measuring initiatives, and influencing strategy. Alice's interests lie in emissions measurement, retrofitting, and sustainability communications.

Bio coming soon