Meet the Loowatt Management Team
UK | MADAGASCAR
The Loowatt team has grown considerably since its inception in 2010. We employee a passionate, experienced team across the U.K and Madagascar arms of the business. The Management team leading day-to-day operations are closely supported by a team of trusted advisors, with extensive knowledge across the plumbing and sanitation industries and are leaders in driving sustainability for business growth.
Virginia Gardiner
CEO
Virginia is the original inventor of Loowatt toilet system. Prior to starting Loowatt in 2010, she spent 7 years working with award-winning product and design companies including Dwell Magazine, and wrote for publications including Metropolis and The New York Times. Virginia holds a joint Masters in Innovation Design Engineering from the Royal College of Arts and Imperial College London and a BA from Stanford University in Comparative Literature. virginia@loowatt.com |
Sophie Wright
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
management accountant and a licenced CIMA member in practice, with nearly 20 years' experience across marketing companies, digital and wholesale industries. She specialises in working with SMEs, with revenue between £1M and £20M. Sophie works part-time for Loowatt (10-20%), supporting Kristina Dalton, our in-house Management Accountant. |
Mark Bickerstaffe
CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER
Directing Loowatt’s design and engineering teams and technology strategy. Mark forged research design and development leadership capability in the first 10 years of Dyson, inventive pioneers of the domestic appliance industry, followed by 15 years at Kohler Co. driving the design-led corporate culture of the leading global Kitchen & Bath company. |
Ursula Braun
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MGR
Ursula is driving the adoption of Loowatt systems in urban sanitation markets through business-to-business relationships with utilities and service providers. She has more than 8 years’ experience in commercial and business development roles, and previously worked at IDT Biologika and Bayer in the public health industry, focused on Sub-Saharan Africa. Ursula holds a Master of Arts in International Business from the University of Edinburgh. |
Harry Welfare
HEAD OF DESIGN
Harry specialises in product development and manufacture, including expanding the use of additive manufacturing to optimise Loowatt’s design process. Previously Harry was a design engineer at a tier one automotive supplier, developing both future concept and mass production products for the likes of Aston Martin, Jaguar Land Rover, and Volvo. He holds a BSc in Product Design Engineering from Brunel University London, specialising in the optimisation of 3D printing technologies. |
Martin Carter
HEAD OF DELIVERY
With a history of embedding foundations for scalable production, Martin is focused on optimising Loowatt’s supply and production processes. Drawing on a breadth of experience from both start-up and large companies Martin developed his holistic business exposure to Director level. Martin attended Loughborough University where he obtained a Bachelors in Materials Engineering. |
Iain Purves
HEAD OF RESOURCE RECOVERY
Iain has been a key member of the Loowatt team in 2010, beginning with developing Loowatt’s UK and Madagascar digestion systems. Iain is based in Margate since 2017, but continues to lead innovations in the Resource Recovery team on polymer film separation and waste processing, and the delivery of machinery in the UK and Madagascar including in |
Kristina Dalton
MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANT
MAAT qualified, with twenty years accounts experience, across blue chip companies and an SME, with a particular interest in accounts for strategy reporting and development. Kristina has worked at De Beers and the Co-operative Bank, she joined Loowatt in 2019. She is the day to day finance person for reporting, Company Secretarial and HR functions. BA English Literature, Lancaster University. |
Armel Segretain
IMPLEMENTATION ENGINEER
Armel has been working with Loowatt SARL in Madagascar since 2013 on the implementation of our toilets and treatment system, and currently supports the team on technology and business development. An expert innovator in technology solutions for water and sanitation in developing countries, Armel is also involved the field studies and implementation of the new Loowatt project worldwide. MSc Community Water and Sanitation, Cranfield University (thesis on Loowatt in Antananarivo); BSc Water Processes Polytech Montpellier. |
