Graduating with an honours degree in chemical engineering from Birmingham University in 1980, Mike worked at ICI & Foster Wheeler Energy Limited (FWEL)- the latter eight years of which he was chief process engineer of FWEL UK Operations Teesside office.

Mike then undertook an MBA and decided to focus his career on improving environmental performance. The first step of this was at the Environment Agency - balancing technical, environmental and economic aspects of the energy, process and waste industries in the set up and implementation of PPC, landfill directive and producer responsibility regulation.

He then moved to become directly involved in process development of key new clean technologies and building the science / engineering teams to take them into commercialisation - working as Technology and Engineering Manager at the Centre for Process Innovation (CPI), then developing a new gasification approach and environmental process consultancy services for Stopford Energy and Environment, then onto turning waste plastic back to chemical feedstock / fuel oil as Technical Director of Recycling Technologies Ltd.

Mike now works as an independent consultant, scaling up sustainable solutions.