Meet our October joiners
Over the past month, we have welcomed three new members to our ever-growing team. Welcome to Kathryn Powell, Marc Heitmann and Żaneta Muranko, as our new Financial Manager, Technical Consultant, and Senior Technical Consultant respectively.
Marc Heitmann, Kathryn Powell and Żaneta Muranko
Kathryn Powell (pronouns: she/her) is a qualified ACMA Finance Manager and has gained a wealth of experience in a range of financial activities. Before starting as Finance Manager at Oakdene Hollins, she worked for a Brand Engagement Agency, delivering bespoke solutions and consultancy for global brands through brand engagement, incentives and events. Before this she worked as Head of Finance and Administration for an Environmental Learning Charity, giving people the opportunity to engage with the environment through accessible green spaces. Before this, she was Finance Manager for a Qualitative Marketing and Consulting Agency and previously completed her Accountancy training with a global logistics company.
Marc Heitmann has completed an integrated degree and masters in Environment Science at the University of Reading focusing on pollution, waste management and environmental chemistry. He worked as a Research Scientist within Thames Water’s innovation department and managed innovative projects aimed at improving the environmental and financial performance of sewage treatment works.
During his PhD, he designed, assembled, tested, and operated a pilot-scale pyrolytic gasification plant and investigated the technologies potential to recover energy, char and phosphorus from sewage sludge mitigating a significant threat to the water industry. As a subject matter expert, he also provided technical and environmental advice to Thames Water and eight2O (a water industry alliance) for the potential implementation of full-scale pyrolysis.
Żaneta Muranko (pronouns: she/her) is a practitioner, researcher and educator in product design, human behaviour, and circular production and consumption models. Before joining us she worked as Head Design Scientist at if. Vehicles, researching and designing products and processes for a fully-circular net-zero last-mile delivery system. Before that, she worked as a research associate in the Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial College London, on an EPSRC funded project investigating consumer behaviour and circular economy approaches to eliminating plastic waste in the FMCGs industry.
Throughout her academic-industrial career, she also taught circular design and developed a portfolio of commercial circular product and system designs. Żaneta holds a PhD from the School of Engineering at London South Bank University, where she focused on remanufacturing behaviours of stakeholders within the UK retail refrigeration industry.
To get to know our new joiners a bit better, we asked them a few questions:
Why did you decide to pursue a career in sustainability?
Kathryn: From an early age, I’ve always had an interest in the environment and sustainability and how we as people influence the world in which we live. It is important to me to be able to contribute to a company that focuses on these key issues by helping businesses and organisations become more socially and environmentally responsible in how they operate.
Marc: I have always been fascinated by environmental and industrial systems. Working within the field of sustainability allows me to pair these interests and help develop systems that best benefit
Żaneta: I care about people and our environment. In the past ten years, since I was an engineering design student, I have been learning how unsustainable and irresponsible we are in the way we make stuff. I feel the responsibility I have in making design decisions that are conscious of impacts. I decided to dedicate my time to facilitating circularity.
What topic in sustainability are you most interested in?
Kathryn: I am especially interested in single-use plastics and the harm that is done to wildlife, the oceans and the environment. I am personally drawn to the way that commercial marketing and government policies work to influence the behaviour of consumers and organisations in this respect.
Marc: The circular economy is an economic system that influences all aspects of sustainability; therefore, it tops my list. My specific interests within this sphere include waste, water, and pollution.
Żaneta: I enjoy the multidisciplinary direction I take in my practice. I focus on product and system design engineering and behavioural science, both in the context of the circular economy.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
Kathryn: I love spending time outdoors, especially exploring the local countryside with my two dogs, and I enjoy spending quality time with my three sons. I also love skiing and can’t until we can get back to the mountains again!
Marc: I enjoy being outdoors, I regularly go hiking and cycling and have dabbled in water sports (sailing, windsurfing).
Żaneta: When not working, I enjoy art - I like to paint and I often visit exhibitions.