Speakers

Speakers' Biographies

Stephan Jefferis, Environmental Geotechnics Ltd
Professor Jefferis’ experience is focused on the investigation and resolution of unusual environmental and construction problems typically associated with contaminated land, waste legacies and natural chemical and microbiological processes in the ground.  For the past thirty-five years he has worked between academia and industry.  He is director of Environmental Geotechnics Ltd, a visiting professor at the University of Oxford and has research links with several other universities.
In parallel with his technical research/consultancy, he has worked on issues of risk management in relation to sustainability and environmental pollution.  He has been involved in assessments for waste repositories, former industrial sites and other major projects across the world. 
 
Ian Heasman, Taylor Wimpey
Coming from an earth sciences background, Ian has twenty years experience in industry, consultancy and academia within the area of environmental assessment and management. Ian’s main area of expertise is brownfield regeneration, focusing on site characterisation, risk assessment and remediation, as well as policy and legislative matters.
Ian’s career started at Imperial College and with environmental consultancy practices ERM and then RPS. For the last twelve years he has been working within the construction sector, initially within civil engineering. Ian is currently the Brownfield Remediation Manager for Taylor Wimpey UK Ltd, the UK’s largest house builder. He represents his company at national and international forums including NICOLE, SAGTA, the HBF and with government. He is a Chartered Environmentalist (C Env) and a SiLC (Specialist in Land Condition).

Stephen Grime QC, Deans Court Chambers, Manchester
Stephen Grime Q.C. is the senior civil Silk based in the North of England.  His practice has always focussed on complex litigation including health and safety, environmental, construction and medical issues.  His clients have included all the major insurers, local authorities and commercial concerns.  As well as acting as advocate, he is a mediator and arbitrator and has served as a Recorder in the Crown Court and the Technology and Construction Court.



Paula Whittell, Partner, Berrymans Lace Mawer Manchester
Paula Whittell is a partner at BLM Manchester and has 25 years experience in civil litigation. Her work is almost totally related to local authorities in relation to both insured and uninsured claims involving environmental negligence, and general EL/PL claims.  Paula has conducted cases for public authorities and the NHS, involving brain damage, birth damage, and all other levels of adult and child physical and psychiatric injuries, sometimes with complex causation issues, in bi party and multiparty actions as well as group litigation.

 Andrew Wiseman, Stephenson Harwood
Andrew has extensive experience of contaminated land, waste management, environmental insurance and other environmental matters. He is listed in the Chambers Guide to Legal Profession as one of the country's leading environmental lawyers which has referred to him "as being without question a leader on Contaminated Land" and "admired for his ability to explain issues ….in a calm and clear fashion" and having "won praise from clients for his impressive knowledge of contaminated land law and ability to understand the technical issues involved as well as political pressures".. 
Andrew is a past chair of the UK Environmental Law Association and currently is the convenor of UKELA's contaminated land working party. He is the chair of the London Borough of Islington climate change fund advisory panel and has been appointed by the Minister of State to chair the advisory council of the Export Credits Guarantee Department.
Andrew has advised numerous local authorities in relation to contaminated land and provided training to over 150 local authorities. He acted on the first site to be determined as a Part 2A site in April 2000 and since then has been involved advising on numerous sites all round the country. He has also acted as a specialist advisor to the Local Government Association on environmental law and is a Vice Chair of Environmental Protection UK's Land Quality Committee.
He has written for various publications and been interviewed on television and radio including BBC News 24, the 6 and 10 O'clock news, Watchdog, Radio 4 and 5. He is on the editorial board of Environmental Law & Management published by Lawtext.

Martin Richell, RAW Group
Martin is a contaminated land remediation specialist having worked as both a consultant and a contractor. He is a hydrogeologist with over 15 years experience, including implementation of in-situ remediation techniques such as chemical oxidation, vacuum extraction, in-situ bioremediation and LNAPL and DNAPL recovery, plus risk assessment and contaminant fate and transport. Martin also has experience using ex-situ remediation techniques such as bioremediation and thermal desorption.
Prior to working in the remediation industry, Martin’s experience as a consultant included assessment of many landfills and contaminated land sites. Having started out undertaking site investigations on former industrial sites and landfills he progressed to developing wide experience of soil and groundwater contamination risk assessment using a wide variety of tools.

Mathew Hussey, Associate Director, Tysers UK Corporate Risks Division
Mathew Hussey is Associate Director at Tysers UK Corporate Risks Division, Lloyds oldest surviving insurance broker established 1820. He specialises in environmental insurance projects ranging from contaminated land sites, property portfolios, waste companies and energy projects. He is currently Co Vice President of the EIC Working Group for contaminated land and sits on the UKELA working groups for contaminated land and environmental liability

Phil Crowcroft,Environmental Resources Management (ERM)
Phil Crowcroft is a Partner in Environmental Resources Management (ERM).  He has over 30 years experience in dealing with land contamination and brownfield regeneration, primarily in the UK.  He has undertaken many high profile projects dealing with perceived and real threats to health and the environment, and regularly provides expert witness services. His experience has been developed through work as a specialist contractor, an environmental consultant and as a regulator. He also keeps chickens and has three cats.