Our Senior Team

Darren Williams

Chief Executive

After joining the UK utility company SWALEC as a graduate electrical engineer, Darren began working in the company’s generation business in 1992 where he was responsible for the development of wind, biomass and hydro projects. In 1996 Darren left SWALEC to help found Energy Power Resources (EPR) and then in 2002 became one of the founding directors of Eco2 Limited. Darren’s core expertise is in the delivery of the company’s renewable projects, in particular the delivery of the funding of both debt and equity and he has overseen the delivery of over 280 MW of generating capacity spread across wind, landfill gas and six biomass projects, with a total funding in excess of £1bn.

As well as the delivery of the development pipeline, Darren is now focused on leading the growth of Eco2’s asset management business. Eco2 already manages a portfolio of assets including wind and biomass for a number of high-profile clients. The portfolio has a combined capacity of over 217MW and the management includes the oversight of 1.6 million tonnes of biomass each year.

In 2020, Darren was elected as the Chair of Biomass UK, putting to use his experience in establishing Eco2 as the UK’s leader in biomass development and asset management services.

Dr Andrew Toft

Commercial Director

Andrew joined Eco2 Ltd in 2003. He initially managed the implementation of the company’s landfill gas portfolio, comprising four sites with a combined potential capacity of nearly 11 MWe, but later returned to the biomass fold. He led the procurement process for the Western Wood Energy Project, and followed this by securing planning permission for Eco2’s straw project in Sleaford. Following Sleaford, Andrew went on to manage the procurement of turnkey and operating contracts for four other power stations: Brigg, Snetterton, Margam and Port Clarence. He also played a key part in securing the finance for these projects.

More recently, he has focused on delivering asset management services for those plants that are operating across the portfolio. Andrew directs a team of project engineers, fuel managers, transport managers and administrators that ensure reliable and cost-effective supply.

Andrew completed a PhD from Birmingham’s Aston University in which he studied the economics of generating electricity from biomass using various thermal technologies. He followed this by developing a range of biomass and ‘energy from waste’ projects at Energy Power Resources. Andrew moved to Eco2 in 2003 to manage the landfill gas portfolio and now oversees the development of Eco2’s UK Biomass portfolio.

Matthew Hughes

Finance Director

Joining Eco2 in 2015, Matt has overall responsibility for the financial and corporate functions of the company, including reporting to external parties. Matt also contributes to the development of company strategy and manages company policy regarding capital requirements, debt, taxation, equity and business transactions.

While previously working as Finance Director to Kinetica Energy, Matt led all financial aspects of construction, financial management and divestment of a large portfolio of onshore wind and solar assets. Matt has also worked as Finance Director to a licensed regulated water utility business.

Initially joining the UK utility Company Npower in 2003 as an Economics graduate and ultimately RWE Generation as Financial Controller, Matt held roles that included financial responsibility for a £7bln energy procurement book and 10TW thermal generation portfolio.
Amongst his achievements Matt has led several projects in response to market reforms and regulations and also has significant experience in leading Financial Transformation, including cost efficiency and the evolution of traditional finance functions into highly commercial business units.

Danielle Rook

Company Secretary & Financial Controller

Danielle is a qualified accountant with ACCA, and currently works as Financial Controller within the Asset Management arm of Eco2, overseeing the Finance Team and ensuring robust processes and quality reporting to clients.

Danielle has been Company Secretary for the Eco2 group since 2018, maintaining good Corporate Governance within the companies. She also has financial experience working within customer facing retail industries, including electricity and water supply, telecoms and HR services.

Peter Darwell

Director

Peter was the Chief Executive of Economy Power Limited, a start-up Electricity Company. He sold this successful company with a turnover of £100million and 48,000 business customers after 5 years. After this Peter went on to become Chairman of Eco2 Limited in 2002.

Robin Fuller

Non-Executive Director

Robin is a chartered accountant with over 20 years’ experience as financial director with a diverse range of private and public companies.
He has experience helping them raise finance, organize their management reporting systems and grow their businesses.

In 2000 he joined Economy Power as finance director which went on to become the most successful independent electricity supplier in the UK. Robin has been a director of Eco2 since it was formed in 2002.

Dafydd Williams

Head of Commercial Operations

Dafydd graduated from Swansea University with a Master’s degree in Economics.

He joined Eco2 in 2002, initially, Dafydd worked on a number of wind farm planning applications before leading the successful project financing of the Mains of Hatton Wind Farm and Bogenlea Project. Since 2008 Dafydd has managed a number of biomass projects in the Eco2 portfolio and was an integral part of the team that financed the Brigg, Margam and Port Clarence Biomass Projects. More recently Dafydd has been overseeing the wind asset management team.

Robert Richards

Biomass Portfolio Manager

Robert graduated from The University of Nottingham with a Masters Degree in Manufacturing Engineering.

Robert began his career at British Sugar, where he worked in a number of operational management roles and later in agricultural operations management. Robert joined Eco2’s Management Services division in 2016 as part of the Fuel Procurement team, which manages over 1.5m tonnes of straw and woodchip using Eco2’s own bespoke software that tracks the flow of fuel from field to plant. As Senior Fuel Manager, Robert was personally responsible for the procurement of 250,000 tonnes of straw and wood per year at the 44.2MW Snetterton Biomass Plant in Norfolk.

In his role as Biomass Portfolio Manager, Robert’s primary focus is on acquiring new business in the Anaerobic Digestion sector, with the aim of expanding Eco2’s development, commercial and technical asset management offer, which already includes wood and straw-fired biomass, renewable heat projects, landfill gas and onshore wind. In this role, Robert also provides support to existing business activities.

Mark Bull

Head of Technical Services

Mark is a time served chartered engineer and chartered environmentalist with 30 years’ experience in a variety of industry sectors, including working as an expert witness during arbitration cases. Mark is experienced in energy from waste, biomass and coal fired power generation and has also worked in wind power, renewable energy, manufacturing, steelmaking, construction and asset and maintenance management.

Mark has taken, ‘new-build’ energy from waste facilities though construction, commissioning and into an operational phase along with budget preparation and implementation of all associated systems and processes. Mark is experienced in maintaining, operating and managing multiple assets and regions.

Mark Shepherd

Head of Development, Australia

Mark has over 36 years of experience, including 23 years in infrastructure investment and financing, and a further 13 years of prior experience in project/construction management, operational-general management, engineering and management consulting. Mark’s experience and capabilities include:

• Project finance lending to and risk assessment of major social, water, power, transport and resources projects in Australia and internationally including: rail projects; water supply projects, and major resources projects (and the major infrastructure embedded within those projects such as roads, pipelines, power stations, water supply and water/waste treatment plants)
• Complex contractual arrangements including public-private partnerships (PPP), build-own- operate contracts and property development agreements, in both the public and private sectors
• Advising private project sponsors, financiers and government agencies in relation to infrastructure planning, financing and development including: economic and financial appraisal; preparation of business cases; financial modelling; risk quantification and pricing; procurement; and arranging/negotiating debt/equity financing
• Infrastructure investment planning, financing and development applying high level financial, commercial and technical expertise, including in senior management positions across both the public and private sectors.

Mark has wide experience with public private partnerships (PPP) and equivalent arrangements spanning all phases of economic infrastructure, social infrastructure and real estate. This experience has included project financial and economic appraisals, business case preparation, financial modelling and assessment, preparation of Public Sector Comparators, securing project funding commitments, management of PPP and other procurement processes, bid evaluation, negotiation of commercial and financial documentation and administration of PPP and other contracts.

Kate Jones

HR Manager

Kate graduated from the University of South Wales in 2012 with a First Class Honours in Business Studies and later went on to complete her Post Graduate in Human Resource Management.

Prior to joining Eco2 Kate worked for an HR and Employment Law practice in South Wales. Kate joined Eco2 in 2014 and provides an in-house end to end HR service for staff across sites in England and Wales.

Jeffrey Morgan

Chairman

Jeffrey is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and qualified with Deloitte. He was involved in the privatisation of both the electricity and water industries as a Reporting Accountant. Jeff has extensive Board level experience in the water, electricity and gas industries in both the public and private sectors. He was a member of the Executive Board of Hyder Plc until 1998. He was Chairman of Economy Power, a start-up electricity company in the newly deregulated electricity market from 2000. At the time of its sale to E.ON in 2005, Economy Power was the largest independent electricity supplier in the UK.

Jeff was the Chairman of Eco2 from its formation in 2002 until 2006. He re-joined Eco2 as a Director in 2016 and has been reappointed as Chairman from January 2020.

Jeff has been a Board Member of many public sector organisations in Wales including the Development Board for Rural Wales, the National Library of Wales and the Welsh Language Board.