Consultant Profiles

Find out more about our team and their expertise

Simon Scholes

Director & Principal Consultant

On 1stJuly 2024, Simon Scholes officially took over ownership of Oakdene Hollins from previous owner’s and Directors David & Julie Fitzsimons. Simon is a committed PVC-u window recycling specialist and one of the industries most experienced individuals. He has worked in the sustainability and recycling industry since 2007.

Previously Managing Director of VEKA Recycling, the UK arm of Europe’s largest PVC window recycler, Vice Chairman of the British Plastic Federation Recycling Group and Chair of the BPF Rigid Plastics Working Group,  Simon has been an active campaigner for the sustainability of plastics, thoughtful design with end of life in mind and circular thinking.

Working with Innovate UK Simon has worked with various projects including textile recycling, steel reuse, valorisation of seaweed waste, bio polymers, recycled homewares and recycling farm plastics.

His leadership and commercial background within the sustainability and recycling sector and previous experience in technical sales management with lifts, elevators, doors and entry systems helps guide the practical application sustainable solutions. Simon remains an advisor to the Vinyl Institute of Canada and speaks at events of circular economy and sustainability.

Principal Consultant Steve Slater is an expert on waste – from waste minimisation, through recovery and sorting technologies, to end processing and markets for a wide range of recyclates.  His major involvement at Oakdene Hollins has been in the key waste streams of food, textiles, tyres, glass, cardboard and paper, plastics and mattresses.  He has written or advised on Standards on tyre recycling, on waste wood and on material recovery facilities.  He undertakes financial and regulatory analysis of operations for commercial waste management companies, and due diligence for investment companies. Over the years, Steve has worked with clients in manufacturing and materials recovery businesses to develop and implement waste minimisation through ‘Lean’ manufacturing techniques.

With an MA in Engineering and Industrial Administration from Cambridge University, Steve’s 30 year career in engineering and manufacturing included direct line responsibility for factories in
the UK and Ireland, managing significant cost reduction and quality improvement programmes. 
He held production management roles leading to Manufacturing Director before joining us in 2001. 
It is this combination of practical experience and technical expertise that makes Steve such a valuable member of our team.

Sonia Sánchez Torres MA

Senior Managing Consultant

Sonia is passionate about the power of sustainability to elevate brands and brands' potential for positive impact. She has a Master's Degree in Sustainability and has supported organisations of all kinds and sizes in designing and implementing sustainability initiatives that drive competitive advantage while delivering positive effects to society and the environment since 2011.  

Sonia specialises in sustainability strategy, Net-Zero road maps, and the circular economy. She has directed projects in eco-design, bio-based and recycled plastics, sustainable packaging, Extended Producer Responsibility, carbon accounting, and SBTs. She is the author of several sustainability guides and reports, a co-organiser of the bio!TOY Conference and a seasoned speaker and workshop facilitator. 

Sonia is an active catalyst for change within the toy industry, fostering debate and educating stakeholders through her collaborations with specialised media, industry bodies, networking groups, and event organisers. She is a key member of the Women in Toys Sustainability Learning Community Committee and has curated the largest sustainable toy exhibition for Spielwarenmesse, the major global industry event.  She is also a B Corp Leader with certification experience.

Sonia firmly believes collaboration is the cornerstone of expediting progress in fighting climate change and pollution and protecting biodiversity. Her deep interest in multi-stakeholder projects to drive sustainability in value chains underscores her commitment to collective action. 

Jacob Hughes, MSc BEng

Managing Consultant

Jacob joined Oakdene Hollins in 2019 after completing his MSc in Sustainable Cities at the University of Leeds and BEng in Aerospace Technology at Coventry University. Before joining the company, Jacob’s academic focus had been on achieving change across urban systems including energy, transport, housing and ecosystems.

Since working at Oakdene Hollins, Jacob has gained experience working on circular economy projects covering multiple industries including automotive, electronics, packaging, textiles and waste management. This work has largely focussed on evidence-based gathering, the quantification of environmental impacts, and material flow analysis to inform both public and private sector decision-makers

Pelin Yilmaz, PhD MSc BSc

Managing Consultant

Pelin has over three years of experience in sustainability consulting helping clients develop strategies for future growth while meeting their net zero and circular economy targets. She has contributed to projects that analyse and assess key trends in materials, processes, and technologies driving sustainable development, particularly within the transport sector. Key projects include electric vehicle battery circular economy initiatives, incorporation of sustainable materials, end-of-life vehicle recycling, and the adoption of alternative fuels.

Before joining sustainability consultancy, Pelin pursued an academic career in materials science and engineering. She obtained her PhD degree from Queen Mary University of London and held several Post-Doctoral positions, speciliasing in the development of functional nanomaterials for energy applications such as photovoltaics, solar hydrogen production, smart windows and sodium-ion batteries.

She is passionate about fighting against climate change and wants to collaborate with organizations committed to environmental and social responsibility. She aims to continue supporting these efforts by using science and technology to create a better planet and society.

Oakdene Hollins founder David Fitzsimons has over 20 years’ experience in sustainable technology consulting. Since July 2024, David has moved into a Associate Consultant role away from ownership of Oakdene Hollins however, David continues to propel the remanufacturing industry in Europe with his work in the CER. His strength is in the application of economic instruments to environmental policy objectives, in measurement of resource efficiency, and in promoting an understanding of circular economy principles.  He has a particular interest in the development of product stewardship programmes.

David has contributed to major papers for Government and City audiences on resource efficiency, carbon reduction and energy from residual wastes. His work in an international context includes major studies on deposit refund systems for beverage containers, on international used oil markets, and – most recently – on creating a network of businesses with the common aim of tripling the value of Europe’s remanufacturing sector to €100 billion by 2030. 

David has an MBA from the London Business School, is a Chartered Environmentalist and a
member of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CMInstWM) and the Institute of
Energy.  He chairs an industrial liaison group at Cranfield University, and is the Director of the Conseil Européen de Remanufacture.

Contact: david.fitzsimons@oakdenehollins.com

Associate Consultant, David has had historically had a major role in our projects related to circular economy, waste and resources following his years as a Principal Consultant. His project work has included: evaluating new technologies for reducing resource use; research into effective waste prevention strategies; harmonising data on geological and man-made resource deposits across the EU; and coordinating government-sponsored R&D programmes - for example working with Innovate UK. Now as an Associate Consultant, David is available to support on projects, utilising his years of expertise at Oakdene Hollins.

David specialises in managing large collaborative projects, such as the Horizon2020 project to establish the European Remanufacturing Network. He has been heavily involved in areas of business with a special emphasis on technology and sustainability metrics, and led our remanufacturing-based consultancy work with production industries.

His background is in the chemicals industry (ICI and DuPont). He has a degree in chemical engineering from Cambridge and an MBA from Durham University Business School.

Dr. Hüdai Kara has over 20 years of combined experience in life cycle assessment (LCA), carbon footprint and management, low carbon sustainable technologies, critical metals research in energy generation supply chain, materials security, waste management, and research and development covering industries from metallurgy to materials, chemicals, textiles, buildings and energy. He is founder and Managing Director of Metsims Sustainability Consulting, a pan-European bespoke sustainability consultancy.

A materials scientist by training, previously Dr. Kara worked at Bath University, Johnson Matthey and Oakdene Hollins advising UK Defra, DfT, WRAP and many private clients on sustainability, materials security, critical materials, resource efficiency, carbon, and waste management.

Dr. Kara is a world expert in Life Cycle Assessment, database development including global textiles, apparel and footwear for the EU Commission, Turkish Life Cycle Inventory Database and Global Construction Products LCI/EPD Databases. He is an expert Evaluator for EU funding streams, sits on the Technical Advisory Board for European Commission on Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) and at technical committee of the Int. EPD System. He is also an internationally known Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) developer and verifier with over hundred references.

Author of dozens of scientific papers with over 1000 citations and h-index of 12, Dr. Kara has a Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science from the University of Oxford.

Until recently a Senior Consultant at Oakdene Hollins, Olivia’s background is in the environmental team of a large engineering company and in professional services firms working on corporate responsibility business risk management and assurance.  For Oakdene Hollins, Olivia has worked on projects with the common theme of the circular economy.  Long running projects include ECOBULK, a Horizon2020-funded project to make bulky composite products less linear (take-make-use-waste) and more circular, for which Olivia is looking at aspects of the business case, business models, markets, customers and the exploitation of results. For the European Parliament, Olivia co-authored a report on how the waste management sector could support the EU’s Circular Economy Action Plan, and with PwC provided advice to a Belgian regional authority about how its industrial policy could best exploit circular economy opportunities.  She has researched and advised on recycled PET, on increasing the use of secondary raw materials, on circular economy strategies, and on the environmental benefits of
a textile made from waste materials.

Olivia has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Science from the University of London and an MPhil from the University of Cambridge.

With 40 years’ industrial and academic research and production management, and 15 patents to his name, Trevor is an innovative research scientist experienced in applied electrochemistry research and manufacturing.  He is a monitoring officer, a project assessor and an evaluator for over 25 collaborative research projects funded by the Technology Strategy Board, and an EU Ecolabel assessor.  Trevor has accredited expertise in metal finishing and surface engineering and has authored technical and commercial business reports for technical and non-technical audiences.

Dan is an experienced consultant in materials security, materials recycling and circular economy. His projects on wood, plastic and glass recycling, carbon impacts of overseas shipments of recyclates, anaerobic digestion and food waste have included studies for WRAP on improving the quality of recyclates. 

When he is not working with us as an environmental consultant – most recently looking packaging reuse schemes around Europe for a major international trade association – Dan is also an author.  He has a first class degree in biology from Oxford University, and is a part-time Senior Research Fellow at Exeter University Business School working on application of circular economy principles in the UK food and drinks sector.

Matt Fishwick

Associate LCA and Product Carbon Footprint expert

Matthew is an environmental chemist and specialist consultant offering deep technical expertise in life cycle assessment (LCA), environmental product declarations, and product, organisational and supply chain environmental footprinting. In addition, he has provided technical consultation for the development of standards (PAS 2050 and GHG Protocol) and helped write the guidance for PAS 2050.

His project experience of over 15 years spans a wide range of sectors including, chemicals, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, construction, and food.

If you want to help our clients improve their products, services and credibility on sustainability, circular economy and resource efficiency please send us a CV and covering letter. We are always looking for people with a strong technical background and a demonstrable ability to write well in English. We are open to any technical disciplines including physical sciences, economics and statistics. You should be aware of and motivated by the objectives and work of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, be aware of the World Economic Forum and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Technical research staff confident in compiling information, data analysis and creating insightful info graphics. The work may include phone interviews of industry specialists to supplement desk-based research. You will be guided in your work by technical and senior consultants who are responsible for the delivery of project tasks. You should have a minimum of a degree level qualification in a relevant subject.

Technical consultants. who will take responsibility for the delivery of defined aspects of a client project in cooperation with more senior staff. The project work varies across a spectrum of the highly technical to the commercial – often combining both. You will be trained to interpret clients’ needs and those who are most effective in developing client relationships can expect to become senior technical consultants. You should have a Masters qualification in a relevant subject.