Meet the Valpak Consultancy team

Dany Jammal is a Junior Consultant specialising in LCA-led decision making and transparent product claims. With a background in Global Sustainable Development, Dany evaluates sustainability policies and administers Life Cycle Assessments and Environmental Product Declarations that give customers clear, comparable evidence of performance. Since joining Valpak in 2022, she has supported projects ranging from wood-packaging flow analyses to environmental policy reviews, combining rigorous research with stakeholder engagement to provide balanced insights and practical recommendations.

Her focus is on turning complex datasets into usable narratives-whether calculating footprints, assembling EPD documentation or mapping supply-chain impacts-so organisations can make confident choices about materials, design and reporting. Dany enjoys collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and communicating results in a way that is accessible to technical and non-technical audiences alike. When deadlines are tight, she brings calm, structure and a keen eye for data quality, ensuring evidence stands up to scrutiny and delivers value beyond compliance. She is motivated by practical impact-helping clients reduce emissions, improve transparency and design better products.

David Daw is an Analyst and Chartered Wastes Manager (MCIWM) with more than 25 years’ experience across packaging compliance, waste management and recycling. Since 1997 he has held a range of roles at Valpak, from Recycling Officer and Auditor, carrying out market analysis and service development to his current focus on research and recyclability assessments in the UK and overseas.

David contributes to high-profile evidence programmes, including PackFlow Reports, and supports tender scanning to spot emerging customer needs and service opportunities. Earlier, he helped design the business’s Civil Sanctions offering and audited members to improve data quality and compliance. He began his career in local government, delivering communications and on-the-ground improvements to household recycling. David holds an MSc in Waste Management and a BSc (Hons) in Geography. Known for his breadth of sector knowledge and pragmatic, detail-driven approach, he connects policy change with operational realities, helping organisations strengthen compliance, improve material quality and identify practical steps that raise recycling performance.

Harry Penney is a researcher focused on fast-moving regulatory change and the analytics behind it. After roles in compliance administration and supplier engagement at Valpak, he joined the consulting team in February 2024 and now leads development of Valpak’s EU CBAM Compliance service, helping importers meet their reporting obligations. Harry supports horizon scanning and contributes to Life Cycle Assessments and international material-flow studies, including reprocessing analysis for New Zealand’s PackFlow research and UK food-packaging assessments built from real-world sampling across multiple cities.

He has also investigated waste-management regulations across countries, with deep dives into the USA and Norway to map obligations and good practice. An accounting and business graduate, Harry’s academic work explored the economics of environmental issues, which underpins his structured approach to data, cost and risk. Whether structuring datasets, liaising with local authorities and other stakeholders, or drafting clear, decision-ready reports, he helps organisations navigate new rules and turn compliance into insight that improves operations and reporting.

Dr Hugh McCoach is a Principal Consultant and Chartered Wastes Manager (MCIWM) with over 25 years’ experience in waste management, recycling and evidence for policy. He has directed projects for Defra, WRAP, Zero Waste Scotland, local authorities and private-sector clients, combining technical knowledge with stakeholder engagement and pragmatic delivery. At Valpak, Hugh has overseen multiple iterations of PackFlow-quantifying packaging placed on the market and recycling, and served as the original scheme administrator for the National Cup Recycling Scheme with members including Costa Coffee, McDonald’s, Burger King, Greggs, Pret and Caffè Nero.

Earlier roles span senior consultancy at Jacobs and market-development work at Remade Scotland, building end markets for recyclate and delivering service innovations. Hugh holds a PhD in Knowledge Management, an MSc in Energy and Environment and a BSc (Hons) in Civil Engineering-training that underpins his systems approach to complex material flows. Whether designing evidence frameworks, leading stakeholder programmes or translating regulatory reform into actionable roadmaps, he helps organisations cut waste, reduce costs and move toward a circular economy.

Ian Guest is an Environmental Compliance Consultant with around 17 years at Valpak, specialising in energy, carbon and chemical regulations and the governance that underpins responsible supply chains. He coordinates services across RoHS and REACH, SECR and ESOS, and Modern Slavery, manages third-party partners, and oversees the WEEE Distributor Take-Back Scheme on behalf of Defra. Previously a senior consultant and auditor, Ian has delivered site and desktop audits, led workshops and seminars, and acted as an escalation point for complex member queries.

He is an IEMA Practitioner Member with training in customer communications and energy management systems, including ISO 50001. Ian holds a BSc (Hons) in Enterprise and Small Business. Combining regulatory expertise with clear client communication, he helps organisations interpret obligations, build robust evidence and implement improvements that reduce risk and cost while advancing sustainability goals.

James Skidmore is Director of Consulting at Valpak, where he leads projects focused on recycling infrastructure, policy, and sustainability. He first joined Valpak in 2001, managing the Distributor Take Back Scheme and supporting consulting and business development teams. In 2013, he became Environmental Resource Manager at Sainsbury’s Argos, overseeing waste data reporting and driving the company’s Zero Waste to Landfill commitment. After six and a half years, he returned to Valpak in 2019 to assume his current role.

James has directed high-profile projects including two iterations of the PackFlow reports for UK Government and NGOs, assessing Covid-19 impacts on packaging recycling and informing Defra’s evidence base for regulatory reform. He has led studies on packaging material flows, carbon emissions, and climate levers for Re:London; evaluated beverage delivery systems for a global sporting event; and delivered cost forecasting and readiness programmes for extended producer responsibility (EPR) reforms. His work also includes international modelling for New Zealand and carbon analysis for British Glass.

Lorraine Wilson is a packaging specialist and consultant with more than three decades’ experience spanning design studios, retail and sustainability strategy. She began as a hands-on packaging designer in the corrugated sector, moving from pencils and scalpels to CAD and plotting tables as the discipline modernised. Recruited by N Brown Group, she became a packaging technologist and later Global Packaging Lead, building a team, raising supplier standards and cutting damage-in-transit through smarter materials and testing. She subsequently joined Studio Retail as CSR Manager, focusing on packaging compliance, ethical sourcing and the development of a sustainability strategy.

In 2023 Lorraine moved into Valpak’s Sustainability Consultancy, where she partners with clients to review packaging portfolios and identify changes that reduce waste, carbon and Extended Producer Responsibility costs-without compromising protection or brand. From revising specifications to guiding factories, she turns hands-on know-how into measurable environmental improvements and risk reduction. With 34 years’ experience, she is known for pragmatic fixes that deliver wins now and savings over time.

Lucy Randle is a Consultant specialising in Life Cycle Assessment, textiles recycling and packaging data analysis. Over five years at Valpak she has progressed from International Compliance into Consulting, managing and delivering LCAs for products and packaging, Environmental Product Declarations, and product-flow studies in packaging and textiles. Recent work includes an LCA of beverage containers, sector analysis of UK plastics placed on the market, recycled content in caps and closures, and the business case for a textile shredding facility in Scotland. Lucy also contributed to assessments of food-waste collections, deposit return scheme baselines and long-term materials demand.

Earlier, as an International Data Account Manager, she produced submissions across packaging, WEEE, batteries and textiles for blue-chip customers, building strong regulatory and data foundations. Lucy holds a BSc in Geography and training including IEMA Associate level and High Impact Presentations. She is known for structured project management, rigorous analysis and clear reporting that stakeholders can use to make confident decisions.

Michael Trotter Comas is a researcher who turns complex regulation and large datasets into clear, decision-ready insight for customers. Since joining Valpak in 2023 he has worked across Supplier Engagement and Data Insights before moving into Consulting in 2024, where he now focuses on the CBAM Compliance service, Benchmarking and Life Cycle Assessments. He leads development of Valpak’s CBAM Complianc service and supports compliance for manufacturers and importers, including Ellsworth and Aspen Pumps. Recent projects span a glass placed-on-market analysis for British Glass, carbon footprints for a luxury retailer and a packaging manufacturer, and an LCA for a chemical producer-paired with horizon scanning for a leading retailer.

Michael previously managed supplier data submissions and account portfolios, strengthening his grasp of packaging, WEEE and battery regulations and the realities of gathering accurate evidence. He holds an MSc in International Development and a BA in Anthropology and Archaeology from the University of Birmingham. Whether structuring datasets, testing assumptions or framing trade-offs, Michael helps organisations navigate new rules and make practical, evidence-based choices that withstand scrutiny.

Michael Wetherill is a Consulting Graduate who turns complex datasets into practical insight. He joined Valpak through the graduate scheme in 2022, rotating through Data Insights before moving into Consulting in 2023. A physics graduate from Durham, Michael specialises in packaging data, modelling and primary research. He has led large-scale fieldwork, including a collection and analysis project covering 1,200 restaurants across four UK cities, coordinating more than 20 temporary staff to capture representative packaging samples.

He has also delivered a bespoke literature review comparing the environmental impacts of scrapping versus repairing cars. Drawing on deep familiarity with Valpak’s internal packaging database and compliance processes, Michael bridges the gap between raw data and decisions that customers can act on, whether that’s improving evidence quality, stress-testing assumptions or building simple models that highlight the biggest environmental levers. Colleagues value his methodical approach, clear documentation and calm delivery under time pressure. Michael’s focus is helping organisations translate obligations into opportunities to cut waste, reduce costs and improve performance.

Pete Mitchell is Practice Manager for Sustainability Consultancy and an economist with more than 30 years’ experience delivering rigorous analysis at the intersection of environment, policy and business. He leads Valpak’s environmental impact assessment work-Life Cycle Assessments, carbon footprinting, Environmental Product Declarations, resource-efficiency reviews and waste-system modelling-underpinned by cost-benefit and scenario analysis. Before joining Valpak, Pete headed economics at WRAP, guiding evidence for programmes that improve resource productivity.

Earlier he led consultancy projects at Oxford Economics for blue-chip customers, government and financial services, and began his career at the Bank of England working on macroeconomic and inflation modelling. At Valpak he applies that breadth to help organisations quantify impacts, compare options and prioritise the measures that deliver the biggest environmental and commercial gains. His work spans EPDs for manufacturers, LCA-based product comparisons, and strategic reviews of waste management performance and economics. Known for clear, decision-ready insight, Pete translates complex systems into practical choices that reduce carbon, cut costs and build resilience across supply chains.

Dr Rachel Stirrup is a Senior Researcher who brings a scientist’s rigour to packaging-flow analysis, life cycle assessment (LCA) and horizon scanning. She joined Valpak’s Consulting team in January 2023 and was promoted after delivering complex, multi-stakeholder studies with clear, decision-ready outputs. With a PhD in Environmental Microbiology and an MSc in Microbial Ecology from the University of Warwick, Rachel is adept at handling large datasets, combining primary and secondary research, and converting evidence into practical recommendations for clients.

Recent work spans project managing LCAs of beverage containers across North America and Biophilica’s TreeKind material, leading the PlasticFlow methodology update, and assessing how England’s Deposit Return Scheme may affect local authorities. She has also delivered textiles product-flow analysis for Zero Waste Scotland, contributed to London’s packaging footprint for ReLondon, led material streams for Steel PackFlow, and supported Defra research on single-use plastics, alongside horizon scanning and regulatory deep dives such as waste catalytic converters. Trained in effective communications (Dale Carnegie, 2024), Rachel combines analytical depth with clear storytelling, helping organisations reduce risk, meet reporting needs and plan with confidence as producer-responsibility policy evolves.

Shannon Moxham is a consultant who blends data skills with sector knowledge to deliver packaging-flow studies, horizon scanning and benchmarking that organisations can act on. She joined Valpak in 2018 and moved from compliance and data-insights roles into consulting in 2021; she was shortlisted in 2024 for the National Recycling Awards “Rising Star”. Shannon has managed evidence programmes for Defra on single-use plastics placed on the UK market (wipes, cups and on-the-go fibre-composite packaging) and led a Plastics PackFlow refresh.

Internationally, she supported New Zealand’s Plastic Packaging Product Stewardship Scheme and global waste-management insights. In 2025 she led sector analysis of the UK grocery market for WRAP and a textile product-flow assessment for Zero Waste Scotland. She has delivered research on recycled content in caps and closures and long-term packaging-material demand. With a BSc in Environmental Science and seven years of technical training, Shannon brings project management and primary and secondary research-turning disparate datasets into options that reduce risk, improve performance and prepare businesses for evolving producer-responsibility policy.

Zoe Goodman is a consultant who blends mathematical rigour with frontline waste-system experience to help clients design practical, data-driven improvements. Since joining Valpak in 2022, she has drawn on 16 years across local authorities, consultancy, WRAP and the Environment Agency. With a BSc in Mathematics and Physics and an MSc in Mathematical Modelling, Zoe brings advanced analytics to environmental risk assessment, options appraisals and cost-benefit analysis-paired with on-the-ground understanding of collection operations, service development and public engagement.

Her track record includes managing in-house and contracted services, monitoring and evaluation such as set-out and participation studies, circular-economy and reuse initiatives, and communications campaigns that shift behaviour. Equally comfortable facilitating groups or diving deep into datasets, Zoe helps organisations uncover the insights that raise recycling performance, improve local environmental quality and deliver value for residents and businesses alike. She has also contributed to community-led housing, gaining end-to-end experience from design through to completion and consensus-building.