Meet the Team
Element Sustainability is committed to working closely with our clients and becoming part of your team.
We take great satisfaction from seeing design concepts followed through to completion. Clients benefit from our collaborative working practices, enabling us to pool many years of collective experience and a wide range of qualifications, equipping us to give you the best possible service.
We offer a personal, tailored approach that caters to the unique needs of your project. Based in the north-west of England, we enjoy working with local clients as well as travelling further afield to deliver projects all over the UK. We are currently working on projects in a range of locations, so no matter where your site is we are here to help.
Proposed strategies are developed and implemented by our experienced, in-house specialists. These incorporate key aspects of sustainability appraisal and certification to fulfil both the planning policy targets and our clients’ priorities.
On completion of the scheme, our team will provide the necessary reports and certification to speed up the discharge of conditions.
Our aim is to realise the potential of the site from both a commercial and environmental perspective.
Laurie Wills
Managing Director
BA (Hons), CEnv, MIEMA
Laurie is a Chartered Environmental Consultant with over 20 years’ experience in the environment sector. Having graduated from the University of Leeds with an honours degree in Environmental Management, he went on to work with a number of high-profile consultancies prior to establishing Element Sustainability in 2011. Laurie is an accredited Energy Assessor and licensed BREEAM, Code for Sustainable Homes and Home Quality Mark assessor.
When he eventually gets some time away from the office, Laurie enjoys spending it with his family, travelling, photographing the great outdoors, cycling in the woods where he lives and taking trusty hound Cooper on long walks. When he’s home he loves to cook, watch rugby and Formula 1, and listen to his eclectic music collection.
Laurie Wills
Managing Director
Caroline Wills
Director
BA (Hons)
Caroline has worked in the sales and marketing sector for more than 10 years, managing client relationships and negotiating high-value commercial agreements with large blue-chip organisations. She joined Element Sustainability in February 2016 and is busy looking after the company’s valued client base, seeking out new business opportunities and providing cost-effective solutions for those we have the privilege of working with. She manages third-party co-consultants, takes care of fees and invoicing, manages company cash flow and is always the first to volunteer to make the tea round!
After graduating from the University of Leeds with an honours degree in History, Caroline took a year out to travel the world, visiting New Zealand, Thailand, Malaysia and Mexico, among other countries. She now enjoys travelling across Europe with her family in their campervan. She is a big fan of the outdoors and enjoys walks in the forest, gardening and bug hunting with her daughter, Charlotte. She is also a keen swimmer and takes part in open water competitions, both in good weather and bad (usually bad, let’s face it!).
Caroline Wills
Director
Stacey Downes
Team Lead & BREEAM AP
BSc (Hons), MSc, PIEMA, BREEAM AP
Stacey joined Element Sustainability in 2014. She is a qualified BREEAM assessor and provides consultancy services for non-residential and residential developments, managing a diverse range of projects. Stacey has always been interested in sustainability and protecting the wider physical environment. After graduating from Manchester Metropolitan University with a BSc in Geography, she recognised the impact the built environment has and decided to acquire a master’s degree in Environmental Management and Sustainable Development.
Prior to joining Element Sustainability, Stacey worked for an energy-efficiency pioneer community interest company (CIC), which was looking to improve existing housing stock. Through working with individuals, businesses and community groups across Cheshire, she helped to promote and deliver more sustainable, lower-impact residential living environments.
Stacey enjoys travelling and catching up with friends, however, now she is a new mum to daughter Willow, most of her spare time is now taken up entertaining a little one!
Stacey Downes
Principal Consultant & BREEAM AP
Shaun O’Neill
Senior Consultant & BREEAM AP
BSc (Hons), PIEMA, BREEAM
Fitwel® Certification
Shaun joined the Element Sustainability team in January 2020. His long-held interest in environmental and sustainability issues resulted in a rather brave career change in 2016, when he and his wife were presented with an opportunity to move to China. During his time in China Shaun completed an honours degree in Environmental Science and, upon his return to England, promptly began working with companies establishing their environmental management policies.
Shaun is now a qualified and experienced BREEAM assessor, BREEAM accredited professional, and FitWel® ambassador, and provides consultancy services on a wide range of projects. In addition, Shaun also provides support services on planning and sustainability reports and contributes to our internal marketing strategy.
In his former life Shaun enjoyed a host of activities, including socialising, travelling, playing the guitar, exercising, and participating in sports, however as a father to a boisterous baby boy, in his spare time Shaun can mostly be found at home trying to catch up on missed sleep!
Shaun O’Neill
Senior Consultant & BREEAM AP
Charles Atkins
LCA & Sustainability Consultant
BSc (Hons), MSc
Charles joined Element Sustainability in early 2022 following previous environmental, planning and project management roles at some of the industry’s leading consultancies. He’s worked on a vast array of exciting projects within the built environment, of varying scale and geographical locations, seeking to identify and implement climate led solutions.
Currently, Charles focusses on planning input and Life Cycle Assessment, as well as preparing energy and sustainability statements to support to our clients’ developments. Charles’ passion for environmental sustainability and the built environment stemmed from his time at Bangor University where he graduated with an honour’s degree in Geography followed up with a master’s in Environmental and Business Management specialising in modules relating to EIA, energy and renewable technology and circular economy principles.
Outside of work, when he is not playing tennis, he enjoys running and cycling and entering events to challenge himself however, his greatest challenge to date has been scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro!
Charles Atkins
LCA & Sustainability Consultant
Luke Goodier
Energy Assessor & Sustainability Consultant
BSc (Hons), MCD, OCDEA.
Luke graduated from the University of Sheffield with a degree in Physical Geography which he then followed up with a master’s degree in Town and Regional Planning from the University of Liverpool.
His long-held interest in the protection of the planet’s natural environment was sparked from a young age through his worldwide travels with his parents, inspiring him to firstly undertake an undergraduate degree in physical geography and ultimately pursuing a career within the sustainability industry.
Working as a qualified On-Construction Domestic Energy Assessor and also the company’s lead Home Quality Mark assessor, providing consultancy and sustainability appraisals for residential developments whilst also providing BREEAM support services, planning reports and water efficiency calculations.
Luke spends most of his free time with his girlfriend Lucy, travelling, cooking, and binging entire TV series in between playing badminton and football with friends, and walking his two dogs, Yogi and Blanket!
Luke Goodier
Energy Assessor & Sustainability Consultant
Lucie Wallach
Sustainability Consultant
BSc (Hons)
Lucie joined Element Sustainability after graduating from the University of Liverpool with a degree in Physical Geography. She is a qualified BREEAM assessor and supports our BREEAM team on a range of projects including In Use, Refurbishment and New Construction schemes.
Lucie’s passionate about helping create a sustainable planet and has a love for nature and is working to develop her knowledge in this field.
In her free time, Lucie enjoys socialising with friends and family and walking her dog, Storm. She can be found taking a dip – wild swimming – every now and then, or just getting stuck into a new TV show.
Lucie Wallach
Sustainability Consultant
Eleanor Carter
Sustainability Consultant
Eleanor is a qualified On-Construction Domestic Energy Assessor, focusing on residential SAP calculations, Life Cycle Assessment and planning stage support.
Passionate about protecting nature and creating sustainable cities, her commitment to the environment is underpinned by her master’s degree in Sustainable Development with Energy and Materials from Utrecht University.
Eleanor loves to travel and can usually be found hiking and camping in the Lake District most weekends. One of her greatest accomplishments is walking the one-hundred-mile West Highland Way through the Scottish Highlands and Loch Lomond.
Eleanor Carter
Sustainability Consultant
Polly Spruce
Sustainability Consultant
BSc (Hons), MSc
Polly graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in Geology topped up with a industry focussed master’s degree in Sustainability and Consultancy. She joined Element following a previous role in the public sector and will be assisting the team with BREEAM, Home Quality Mark, energy appraisals and sustainability reports.
Polly’s interest in sustainability began when analysing past and present climate change events, a passion she developed further during her master’s degree which widened her experience with sustainable projects management skills and environmental impact assessments.
In her free time, Polly enjoys dancing and reading. She can usually be found spending time with her family and friends, dining out, or watching musicals. She also loves fossils!
Polly Spruce
Sustainability Consultant
Cooper
Morale Officer
WAG
No office is complete without a dog and Cooper, our chocolate Labrador, certainly completes our team. Originally from Derbyshire, he now resides in Delamere Forest, Cheshire. His main skills are relaxing and being fully house trained, although he also does an excellent job of being brown. He’s not great at fetching sticks as he has a very limited attention span, but he will happily shake a paw on request!
Cooper loves being around people, eating (virtually anything, including socks, crayons and hair bobbles), going for walks and swims, and generally being a great companion and stress reliever for the whole team.
Cooper
Morale Officer