Team
Kieran Abbott
User Experience / User Interface Designer
Kieran is a product designer passionate about creating meaningful digital experiences. Over the past twelve years, he has designed many products across varying industries with a focus on positive impact. Previously a co-founder of a B Corp product organisation, he also volunteers on a charity board. When not in the office, Kieran is likely to be found in the Welsh mountains, hiking, mountain biking, or walking with his black labrador, Gus.
Email Kieran
Kieran on LinkedIn
Joe Bolt
Software Engineer
Joe has over five years’ experience writing software across varied domains including electric vehicle management and airline travel. He has a PhD in Computer Science, in which he studied the theory of how strategic interactions can be composed with each other. In his spare time you’ll find him on the squash court or out walking his tiny, but very adventurous, dog.
Bryony Blades
Data Scientist
Bryony is a PhD student at Oxford, researching the distribution and origins of biodiversity, with a particular focus on spatial modelling and landscape genomics. With experience in both ecology consultancy and academia, she works with Verna to help us use data to better understand the impact of environmental change. In her spare time, you’ll find Bryony watching sports or birds, and spending time with her family.
Dr Matthew Brown
Co-founder & Co-CEO
Matthew leads Verna (with Rafi), with a particular focus on science, engineering, products, and communications. Before Verna, he led the climate change mitigation team at Defra, co-founded a social enterprise which raised over £50m, and researched computational physics at Cambridge. When not at his desk, his favourite pastime is herding his kids through forests, heathlands, and seashores.
Rafi Cohen
Co-founder & Co-CEO
Rafi leads Verna (with Matthew), with a particular focus on commercial strategy, operations, finance, and investor relations. Before Verna he led climate and nature work at Boston Consulting Group, KPMG, and Quadrature Climate Foundation. He also founded a national social enterprise. He is a Chartered Accountant, studied neuroscience at Oxford, and recently fulfilled a life-long ambition to keep chickens.
Dr Ian Dickinson
CTO
Ian is Verna’s Chief Technology Officer, and leads the software product development team. He has a PhD in user-software interactions, and believes strongly in the application of user-centred design to create accessible and engaging products. Previously a senior researcher with HP and co-founder of a data consultancy, he volunteers as a coding mentor and coach. Although a keen technologist, you’ll also find him hand-carving spoons from greenwood!
Dr Mikael Forup MCIEEM
Ecology Adviser
Mikael has a PhD focused on the restoration of ecological interactions, and he has retained a passion for conservation and enhancement of biodiversity throughout his career. Mikael led Verna’s ecology research during the development of our Mycelia software, and still maintains an advisory relationship with us. Mikael is based in Scotland, and when he’s not in his office you may find him with his son on the local beach looking for fossils.
Violet Hall
Software Engineer
Violet is a software engineer with a history of technical consulting and enablement. She wants to see her future work contribute to nature enhancement. Outside of work she has been learning to skateboard and mentors junior software engineers.
Eric Li
Software Engineer
Eric is a software engineer who has worked in various roles throughout the software development cycle, primarily within the financial sector. He is passionate about sustainability. In his spare time, he enjoys creating different flavours of popcorn with his kids.
Ben Smith
Software Engineer
Ben has been developing commercial software for over twenty years, yet he still finds enjoyment in debugging and fixing bugs in code. Away from a computer screen, Ben enjoys getting out on the water all year round to kitesurf and wing foil. He is also a keen masters runner and still achieving personal bests in distances from 5K (16:50) to the marathon (2:52:18).
Polly Spragg
Associate
Polly has joined Verna as an Associate, supporting the co-founders across customer success, operations and communications. Before Verna, she studied geography at the University of Oxford, where she specialised in sustainable cities and transport. She also set up a clothes sharing community for students at her university, to help people shop more sustainably. During her free time, she loves to run and cook!
Dr Claire Tancell MCIEEM
Director of Ecology
Claire’s career in ecology began researching the biogeochemistry of UK peat bogs and now spans more than 30 years including as a team member of marine ecology expeditions to the Southern Ocean with the British Antarctic Survey; a PhD from the University of Cambridge on spatial statistics, albatross tracking and the impact of geopolitics on marine protected areas in the high seas; contributing to Natural England’s advice on UK Marine Conservation Zones as well as working in ecological consultancy and recently as a Local Planning Authority ecologist implementing BNG. When she is not at work, Claire enjoys improving her botanical and entomological ID skills, playing the cello and attempting to throw and fire pots.
Advisory board
Tom Butterworth
Head of Ecology, WSP
Gi Fernando
Chair, Climate Subak
Tom Hill
Director of Impact Economics, Savills
Liz Milne
Chair, Association of Local Government Ecologists (ALGE)
Libby Penn
COO, Improbable
David Singleton
CTO, Stripe
Peter Whitfield
Former Director of Operations, Tilhill Forestry