WRAP Executive Directors

Liz is a chemist by background and has a PhD in chemical physics. She held a number of technical and production related roles with ICI and Zeneca before moving into the environmental field within the chemical industry.

Liz became the CEO for WRAP in 2007 and has worked with the organisation since its early days, joining in 2001 as the first Director of Materials Programmes. She has a background which straddles the public and the private sectors. Since taking over as CEO, the profile of WRAP and the issues of waste and recycling have increased significantly through media coverage in the press, on TV and on radio.

Under her leadership, the Courtauld Commitment, involving the major retailers, brands and their supply chains, has been driven forward with the first target of cutting packaging growth being achieved.  The problem of food waste is now widely understood and momentum is growing to tackle this serious issue.  Also, in the construction sector, the Construction Commitments: Halving Waste to Landfill were launched in 2008 and are currently in process of being rolled out with support from both within the construction industry itself and at Defra and BERR.

Liz sees WRAP’s future as building on the fundamental changes that have already been made in our perception of resource efficiency. This includes continuing to explore, with a wide range of organisations, ways of working and using resources that will help the UK remain at the forefront of best practice. She is determined to ensure that the link between greenhouse gas emissions, waste minimisation and recycling is clearly understood by all WRAP’s audiences. 

The Times newspaper recently referred to Liz as ‘The first lady of UK recycling’ and she was in fifth place in the Packaging Industry Power 50 List.

Steve Creed is an Engineer by background having completed an Engineering degree in his native country Canada.  He went on in later life to complete an MBA as his focus turned more to Business issues.  Prior to joining WRAP, Steve’s roles included Director for the Environment at Carillion plc., and Managing Director of Stanger Science and Environment, where his main focus was helping companies to integrate sustainable development into their strategy.

Steve joined WRAP in early 2002 as Director of Business and Procurement with remit to stimulate private and public sector procurement of recycled materials and products and overseeing WRAP’s Business Development Service.  He was also responsible for liaison with funders in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Following a reorganisation in late 2005, he became Director of Business Growth, focusing on creating a single-access point at WRAP for Business and building a market knowledge specialism.

Jonathan Lea has extensive international experience as finance director in Europe, Asia and South America. Prior to joining WRAP Jonathan was Group Finance Director of thread manufacturer Coats plc and Chief Financial Officer of a Netherlands-based engineering group.

He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and a member of the Board of Governors of Thames Valley University.

Nick Gammage joined WRAP in September 2007. Nick began his career as a newspaper journalist, before moving into public relations with the Government Information Service. He held a number of senior communications roles in Whitehall before joining the telecommunications regulator OFTEL as Director of Communications. Following a role as Director of Communications at the Consumers’ Association, Nick moved into the City of London first as Director of Communications at the London Stock Exchange and then in charge of communications at the Lloyd’s insurance market.

Nick has extensive experience of developing and delivering communications strategies in both the public and private sector and specialises in reputation and issues management. At WRAP he is responsible for the communications programme to support both individual areas of work and WRAP’s corporate development. 

Marcus Gover joined WRAP in October 2007.  As Director of Market Development, he is responsible for leading WRAP’s work on reducing waste and increasing the use of recycled materials in the UK’s manufacturing and construction sectors.  

He has worked in the environmental sector for over 20 years, in the UK and internationally.  Much of his experience was gained with the energy and environment business of AEA Technology plc - where he carried out a wide range of roles including managing a water engineering subsidiary, running an outsourced waste management operation and setting up an office in China. Prior to joining WRAP, he was the Commercial Director of Biojoule Ltd, a start-up renewable energy company with a new technology for producing biomass fuels. 

He also chairs the technical committee of the Business Commitment to the Environment Awards which is one of the UK oldest award schemes set up to recognise businesses at the forefront of environmental leadership in the UK.

Iain Gulland joined WRAP as Director for Scotland in June 2008 from Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS), where he was Network Director.  He is also a member of the Scottish Government Zero Waste Think Tank and the Scottish Liaison Group on Waste.

He has 15 years experience in recycling and waste management, including initiating recycling systems with East Lothian and Orkney Islands Councils, and with Lothian & Edinburgh Environmental Partnership (LEEP) and Alloa Community Enterprises (ACE).

He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM). 

Richard is a microbiologist by training and, in his first job, studied ways of optimising in vessel composting of source segregated waste at Warren Spring Laboratory. He has also worked on developing biofilters for odour control and spent seven years working on remediation of contaminated land and shorelines whilst working for AEA Technology plc.
 
Formerly Deputy Director of Envirowise, and Head of Innovation at WRAP, Richard has helped build new and successful business partnerships to reduce waste and increase profit. For example he led the team that developed the “Courtauld Commitment”, an agreement between WRAP and all the main retailers to reduce packaging waste growth in absolute terms by 2010.

Richard joined the Organics Team in 2006, and is currently involved in key industry projects including the development and implementation of the Quality Protocol for compost, which was published in March 2007, and revision of the Top Soil Standard (BS3882). 

He has taken a particular interest in the challenges posed for local authorities, composters and their customers in the collection and processing of food waste into products, an area of increasing importance to WRAP’s Organics Team and its stakeholders.