Meet the Carbon Removal Centre team
Our team
Stephen Hall
Non-Executive Director of the Carbon Removal Centre
Mark Workman
Managing Director for the Carbon Removal Centre
Patrícia Silva
Co-founder and non executive director
David Addison
Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director
Robert Ganpatsingh
Co-Founder and General Counsel
Michael Ashcroft
Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director
Mark Workman
Co-Founder and Managing Director
He is a specialist in Strategic Foresight. He uses mixed methods to develop insights about risks and opportunities in different possible futures. He is a Coastal Engineer (University of Southampton), Military (Queens Gurkha Engineers) and Business Leader (Medical and Security Consultancy), Environmental Economist, Academic (Imperial College London) and Strategist by training. He has undertaken military tours, led extreme and high-risk expeditions all over the world and run multi-million dollar business units.
“The importance, scale and sensitivities around the establishment and scaling of carbon removal, makes pluralistic participation and co-development of the sector a fundamental cultural requirement which the Centre will seek to advocate.”
Stephen Hall
Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director
Steve is a University Academic Fellow at the School of Earth and Environment, University of Leeds. His specialisms include low carbon transitions business models and finance. He is interested in the links between low carbon innovation, economics, energy, climate change and society.
Steve has undertaken international work on urban emissions modelling, infrastructure finance and energy decarbonisation. Steve has recently published research on innovative business models for energy transitions, how finance and ownership models have both technical and social effects on energy systems.
“Developing the right policy, economics, and public dialogue around carbon removal is vital for the expansion of the sector, it is just as important as advancing tech. I hope the Carbon removal centre can play its part in speeding up that development”
David Addison
David works in the climate and broader sustainability team for the Virgin Group where since 2012 he managed the Virgin Earth Challenge: Sir Richard Branson’s USD $25 million innovation prize for scalable and sustainable ways of removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and permanently sequestering them.
David is also an advisor to Carbon180; to Nori – the carbon removal marketplace and hosts of the Reversing Climate Change podcast; and to several other research and innovation initiatives. He was part of the community of advisors to 2017 best selling book: Drawdown – the Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming; serves as a member of the jury of the German Energy Agency’s Startup Energy Transition Award; served as a member of the review panel for the UK Government’s £8.3 million Greenhouse Gas Removal research initiative; and was formerly Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Student Energy: a global charity inspiring the next generation of leaders to unlock a sustainable energy future.
“The story of our species is one of overcoming existential risk through new forms of cooperation and innovation”. – David Grinspoon, Earth in Human Hands
Patrícia Silva
Co-Founder and Non-Executive Director
Patrícia is immersed in the climate startup space, providing advisory and access to financing via her direct work with funds and private investors. She has incorporated several roles in software and hardware cleantech startups and scaleups; and leads an Diversity & Inclusion initiative for investors in the climate space, with the goal of allocating financing more wisely and reaching more just outcomes for the world.
Prior to joining the venture and investment arena, Patrícia managed sustainable industrial and commercial construction projects and worked in renewable energy projects, living in 6 countries throughout 3 continents. As a volunteer, she inspires young people to pursue STEM careers and coaches individuals in their professional development process.
Patrícia holds a B.S. and a MSc. in Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico and an MBA from University of California – Berkeley Haas School of Business, focused in Energy and Cleantech.
Robert Ganpatsingh
Co-Founder, Non-Executive Director and General Counsel
Michael Ashcroft
Michael works in the Power & Utilities team within KPMG’s Infrastructure Advisory Group, providing strategic advice to utility companies navigating the energy system transformation. Previously, he led the design of innovation projects for National Grid Electricity System Operator and was Managing Director of Outsmart Insight, a technology intelligence and foresight business.
Michael started his career at the Royal Society working on the Solar Radiation Management Governance Initiative, an international programme that seeks to expand the global conversation around the governance of solar geoengineering research. He is also a life coach and increasingly active online writer exploring what it means to be a fully alive human and how we can grow through climate change as individuals and as a civilisation.
“Neil deGrasse Tyson once said of the Apollo spaceflight program: ‘”… audacious visions have the power to alter mind-states—to change assumptions of what is possible. When a nation permits itself to dream big, those dreams pervade its citizens’ ambitions.’ — I can’t help but agree.
Join our network
Joining the Carbon Removal Network is the best way to access our growing community of learning, debate and events on carbon removal. As a network member you will receive priority access to:
- live events and webinars
- a chance to share problems and ask questions of the wider membership
- and as we build, the latest findings and synthesis from carbon removal research and sector development