About Us

James Milner

James has previously had the privilege of spearheading the establishment and growth of three remarkable enterprises from scratch. These companies include two engineering and technical consultancy businesses, as well as a luxury high-end eco-leisure business. This has allowed him the honour of creating over 200 highly skilled and diverse job opportunities, whilst simultaneously generating a value exceeding £1 billion to clients.

As the Chief Executive Officer of Wild Hydrogen, he remains resolute in his commitment to pursuing excellence and harnessing innovative strategies to shape a thriving future.

Mark Wickham

Mark is an accomplished and highly respected engineer, with 40+ years in design and manufacturing of large-scale heat and power plants, and 12 years working specifically with fluid bed gasifiers. He is the inventor of six patents in the energy industry over the last 20 years.

Currently the Managing Director of Helical Energy, Mark is responsible for the design and development of translational energy technologies, particularly hydrogen production from biogenic fuels; supercritical CO2 cycles; and carbon capture.

David Gammon

David is CEO and founder of Rockspring, his family office, which provides capital and advice to UK-based disruptive technology companies. From 1985 until 2001, David worked as an investment banker. David is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a member of the Scale-Up Institute and NED on the board of Raspberry Pi Limited.

Paul Parry

Paul Parry has worked as both Finance Director and Managing Director in the IT industry. He brings a wealth of experience and the skills to tackle a fast-growing and ever-changing environment.

Prof. John Oakey

John Oakey is Professor of Energy Technology and Head of the Institute for Energy and Resource Technology at Cranfield University. John is engaged in a wide range of research activities in the UK, Europe and on the international scene.

John chairs the EU COST Action 538 Management Committee on ‘High-Temperature Plant Life Extension’ and leads the UK side of a major collaboration programme with the US on ‘Advanced Materials for Low Emission Power Plants’, as well as assisting DECC in the development of further collaborations with the US. Since 1998, he has also been involved in technology transfer projects with China on gas cleaning, underground coal gasification and biomass co-firing.

Jayne Burrows

Being an experienced coordinator with previous industry history, Jayne keeps Wild Hydrogen continuously progressing and on track with her excellent operational and office management skills. Her logistical expertise and professional manner ensure the highest standard of quality is maintained throughout every department of Wild Hydrogen.

On the weekends there’s nothing she loves doing more than spending her time paddleboarding and gardening – though not at the same time! Jayne’s indispensable role ensures Wild Hydrogen operates at its peak, empowering the team to make a meaningful impact in the world. 

Chris Kowalczuk

A highly motivated Control Systems Engineer, Chris has over 20 years of experience in industrial automation and maintenance procedures. With a proven ability to work on developed code for PLCs such as Siemens, Allen Bradley, Mitsubishi, he has experience in diagnostics for electrical and mechanical faults, as well as implementing continuous improvement projects. He is skilled in working with multi-axis CNC machines, robots, and various highly regulated automation systems. Despite extensive knowledge of industrial systems he is always interested in latest developments in automation, OT systems and machine learning.

Michael Sims

Michael joins Wild Hydrogen as its research chemist, tasked with investigating the purity of our produced gases. His role entails the development of our sample collection, extraction and analysis methodologies. He also manages our in-house organic chemistry laboratory, ensuring our gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is calibrated and operational for whatever analysis the team requires.

Michael’s background is from the Imperial College, London where he specialised in organic geochemistry. His research focussed on determining the effects of thermal maturation on organic matter, comparing laboratory rates to geologic ones using a combination of pyrolysis and GC-MS techniques. He looks forward to applying his insight into developing methods and understanding whilst at Wild Hydrogen, making a substantial difference in the UK energy market.

Ekam Sandhu

Ekam is a research scientist specialising in feedstock analysis and technology development at Wild Hydrogen. With a strong focus on innovation, her role involves designing and facilitating the execution of prototype test plans. She enjoys analysing prototype-generated data to uncover invaluable insights that will guide our research direction.

She also has a keen interest in conducting feedstock-related experiments to identify the optimal biogenic materials for our technology, as well as exploring their associated environmental, carbon sequestration and socioeconomic benefits. Ekam is committed to ensuring the acquisition of our feedstocks aligns with environmentally responsible and sustainable practices as well as food security.

Zoltan Szabo

Zoltan is a versatile lab researcher with a degree in petroleum engineering. He can turn his hand to anything; being pivotal in setting up the apparatus, conducting experiments, and maintaining rigorous scientific techniques. Zoltan brings a strong analytical perspective to mechanical, electrical, and software-related challenges, coupled with an in-depth understanding of diverse control systems.

His speciality lies in rapidly diagnosing and rectifying faults or malfunctions, restoring them to optimal functionality to keep production unimpeded. With his unique combination of skills, he’s a crucial asset to our team, consistently fostering an environment of efficiency and innovation.

Sam Hemmings

Sam assists with operating, maintaining and refining our series of prototypes, helping to keep them running smoothly during the testing process. With a background spanning several industries, he brings versatility to the team, as well as several years of experience working with high-precision CNC machinery.

George Gooderham

George is currently in his industrial placement year at Wild Hydrogen, having already completed two years of chemical engineering at the University of Bath. He is very keen and excited to develop and apply skills that he’s learned in his lectures during his course whilst working at Wild Hydrogen for the year. Coming from a strong mathematical background, he enjoys the processing and analysis of data, particularly when this can be used to contribute to a more sustainable future.

Roy Phillips

Roy has a breadth of experience across industries and companies, from start-ups to PLCs. He thrives on managing rapid growth and change and has a passion for using financial insights to help drive business decisions. A keen chess player in his spare time, Roy has a forward-looking outlook and an acute analytical mind. He is thrilled to join Wild Hydrogen and be part of the climate change journey.

Hannah Watling

As Office Manager at Wild Hydrogen, Hannah boasts a diverse background and extensive experience. Originally trained as a psychologist, she ventured into education, obtaining a postgraduate degree and transitioning into primary school teaching. Her career led her to international schools in Hong Kong and Germany, where she merged work with her passion for travel, expanding her professional and cultural horizons. As a mother of four, she’s adept at multitasking and prioritising, and in her leisure time, Hannah finds solace in simple joys like walking her dog and practising pilates. 

Nadia Shahanaz Hussain

Nadia spent a decade working for an award-winning luxury tour operator, including several years as their head of marketing. During this time, she guided the brand through the challenges of the pandemic and successfully launched a six-figure website and was instrumental in guiding their ESG strategy. She is a self-confessed generalist but specialises in brand marketing and strategy – helping businesses to find their identity and establish a clear path forwards.

Passionate about building a more sustainable future, she’s proud to be consulting for Wild Hydrogen as they lead the way in creating a clean, affordable, carbon-negative fuel.

Rob Gardiner

After nearly 10 years working in the travel industry, Rob now splits his time between running a successful multi-faceted cycling business and consulting for several young companies. Although happy to be pigeonholed as a web designer, Rob’s experience spans a wide variety of areas, from copywriting and online advertising to photography and branding.