Meet the Team

David is the founder and Chief Executive of The Retrofit Academy CIC.

He has spent more than a decade addressing the skills gap in the retrofit sector, working closely with government, industry and education to scale up retrofit training. He is driven by The Retrofit Academy’s mission to develop over 200,000 competent retrofitters by 2030.

David is a regular speaker and facilitator at conferences and events, including for the Local Government Association, the UK Green Building Council and the World Green Building Council. He serves on several key industry committees, working groups and think tanks, and has appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live, ITV News and Channel 5 News. He is also co-owner of Osmosis ACD, a company specialising in delivering outstanding retrofit assessment, coordination and design.

Outside of work, you’ll find him cooking a curry, walking his miniature schnauzer (Monty), watching his beloved Stoke City or going for a run!

Jenny joined The Retrofit Academy in 2020 as Chief Operating Officer and leads on all things people, operations and programmes.

She started her career working for PricewaterhouseCoopers and Tribal Local Government Consulting, and prior to joining The Retrofit Academy spent over nine years in local government. She is a chartered manager, an associate chartered management accountant, a PRINCE2 practitioner, a change management practitioner, certified programme manager and has recently completed an MBA and Level 7 Senior Leader Apprenticeship.

Jenny led the Community Renewal Fund Project that won the 2023 Unlock Net Zero Collaboration of the Year: Knowledge Building and Research Award.

Outside of work, you’ll find her in the gym or pool, singing choral music, walking her miniature schnauzer (Monty) or enjoying a crisp sauvignon blanc.

Charlotte joined The Retrofit Academy in 2020 and, after roles in marketing and customer support, is now the Operations Manager.

She graduated from Keele University with a 2:1 in Finance and Marketing and prior to joining The Retrofit Academy worked in both international and national organisations such as MIQ Shanghai. She has an analytical mind and a creative spark and is a Six Sigma Green Belt leading on operational excellence, systems and processes within The Retrofit Academy.

She regularly takes part in international online events, conferences and seminars related to automations and integration in her quest for operational excellence.

While her passion is improving customer experience and creating slick operational processes, her true loves are wine gums and loose-leaf tea!

Grant joined The Retrofit Academy in 2021 as a Customer Support Assistant and, after much effort, dedication and hard work, is now the Finance Manager.

He graduated from the University of Wolverhampton with a 2:1 in Business Management (Finance) and prior to joining The Retrofit Academy worked in finance admin and contract management. He completed the AAT Advanced Diploma in Accounting in 2022, achieving some impressive results.

Outside of work, Grant enjoys spending time with his friends, family and his pug Pablo, listening to music and watching his beloved West Bromwich Albion. He likes to keep fit through various sports, usually football or a few rounds of golf. He continues to amaze his colleagues with how far he makes his annual leave stretch!

Emma joined The Retrofit Academy in 2023 as Operations Assistant.

She has completed a customer service NVQ and has worked in sales and business administration for six years for companies including Arnold Clark. She now works closely with Charlotte and Grant on aspects of financial and operational management and is involved in the social committee, helping to organise our social and charitable events and away days.

Outside work, Emma has both competed in and coached gymnastics for more than 14 years, supporting people from the age of two years old. She loves travelling and binge-watching her favourite TV programmes (Benidorm and Gavin & Stacey) while snuggling up to the newest member of the Dodd family – Teddy, her cocker spaniel!

Callum joined The Retrofit Academy in 2021 as the Training Operations Manager and is now the Head of Training Development and Delivery.

He has 10 years’ experience in the construction industry, starting out as a plasterer and tiler and then working for a new-build company as Assistant Site Manager. He also has more than 10 years’ experience in the construction training sector working in various roles in prisons, further education, adult training and charities.

Callum leads all aspects of our training including new-product development, training delivery, funded training programmes and our growing training network. Under his leadership, The Retrofit Academy won the 2023 Unlock Net Zero Skills and Training Award.

Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, visiting new places, going on holiday, watching sport (mainly rugby – go Wasps!) and going to the gym.

Gary joined The Retrofit Academy in 2022 and is the Quality and Training Manager.

He has eight years’ experience developing and delivering qualifications in various construction craft skills. He has worked in a young offenders’ facility and a charity in managerial roles with a focus on getting learners in full-time education or employment. His involvement in training has involved him keeping a keen eye on quality assurance and he took the lead on this for the training arm of a large national charity.

When he’s not working, Gary enjoys spending time with family and friends, fishing, watching rugby (Wasps), football (Coventry City) and live music.

Adrian joined The Retrofit Academy in 2022 as the Network Development Manager (Compliance and Funding).

He worked in the recruitment sector for almost 10 years before moving into adult education five years ago. He has a background in business development and contract management and has delivered various funded projects across the country in energy efficiency and construction. Adrian has experience working on European social funds, adult education budget, apprenticeships and, most recently, skills bootcamps.

Outside of work, Adrian enjoys spending time with his family, hosting barbecues and following Manchester United, Lancashire Cricket Club and Sale Sharks.

Born in Poland, Izabela moved to the UK in 2004 and joined The Retrofit Academy in 2022.

She has 13 years’ experience working in and leading teams within a leading UK data processing centre. Her attention to detail and familiarity with big data make her perfect for her role as the Data, Claims and Compliance Officer for The Retrofit Academy.

In her spare time, Izabela enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter, whether it be walking on Cannock Chase or enjoying a family movie at home.

Melissa joined The Retrofit Academy in 2022 as a Customer Support Assistant and is now a Product Coordinator working on new training courses and ensuring TRA’s existing course portfolio is the best it can be.

She has more than nine years’ experience in business administration and coordination. Although new to retrofit, she has previous experience in the training sector as well as the building industry. She is a natural techie, picking up new systems with ease, and loves being out with a video camera capturing content for use in our courses.

When she’s not working, you’ll find her with her family and their French bulldog, Bruce. She loves visiting her family in Devon, which involves lots of ice creams on the beach as well as a good ol’ fish and chips!

Ellie joined The Retrofit Academy in 2021 as a Customer Support Assistant and is now the Training Coordinator leading our customer support team.

She graduated from the University of the West of England with a BA in Creative Writing and Theatre Studies.

Outside of work, she enjoys reading, writing and playing board games with friends. In her free time, she is also studying German and has found a new love for gardening.

Emilee joined The Retrofit Academy in 2022 as a Customer Support Assistant and has since taken on the role of Quality Coordinator. Her main focus is to ensure all of our learners receive the best standard of training we can offer.

She has more than 10 years’ experience in customer service roles and has grown her skills in varying backgrounds, from the likes of building maintenance to wedding planning. Her experience has developed her confidence and attention to detail.

Outside of work, Emilee spends her time rewatching her favourite TV shows and finding new walks for her trouble-making puppies, Albert and Rufus.

Bethany joined The Retrofit Academy in 2022 as a Customer Support Assistant.

She graduated from the University of Huddersfield with a BA (Hons) in Journalism.

Outside of work, Bethany enjoys spending time with her family, binge-watching her favourite TV series with lots of snacks and having a cuddle with her cat, Phoebe.

Lucy joined The Retrofit Academy in 2022 as a Customer Support Assistant. She has a passion for supporting our learners in having an enjoyable experience studying with the Academy, and has learnt more about the industry in doing so.

She previously worked as an Executive Assistant, supporting Directors in Tax at Ernst and Young. She was also once training to be a midwife and has delivered three babies.

Lucy enjoys keeping up her fitness and is keen on weightlifting in the gym. She also loves baking brownies and cooking plenty of pasta dishes.

Elizabeth joined The Retrofit Academy in 2023 as a Customer Support Assistant.

She gained more than six years’ experience in customer support before getting her head down and successfully completing a Level 3 Advanced Manufacturing Engineering course. Through this qualification, she was awarded Engineering Student of the Year alongside achieving a triple distinction*. She enjoys problem solving and learning new skills.

Outside of work, Elizabeth enjoy trips to the beach, live music and spending time with friends and family. Her favourite time of the year is autumn – the perfect time for baking fresh gingerbread!

Ann joined The Retrofit Academy in November 2023 as Group Sales and Marketing Director.

She has more than 25 years’ senior leadership experience working in the UK and EMEA within sectors including construction, manufacturing, utilities, professional services and charities. With a proven track record in B2B and B2C, she creates and implements sales and marketing strategies along with multi-channel initiatives, from events through to lifecycle management and CRM to achieve optimal results. Ann is passionate about her team’s development, customer experience, relationship management and brand advocacy.

She is Prince2 Foundation qualified and a Fellow of the IDM and CIM.  

When not working, she loves cooking and travelling, from short UK city breaks to cruises around the Med with a glass of prosecco in hand!

Melissa joined The Retrofit Academy in 2022 and brings over 20 years of marketing experience from within B2B and B2C industries.

After a long stint in agency life working on marketing campaigns for retail, finance and leisure clients, she moved onto in-house senior marketing roles within construction, horse racing and, more recently, a well-known theme park!

Melissa is passionate about delivering great communications and has a wealth of experience in planning and delivering multichannel marketing campaigns incorporating TV, radio, digital marketing, PR, exhibitions, sponsorship and CRM.

In her spare time, Melissa juggles a busy family life and enjoys walking in the mountains, running and drinking prosecco (but not all at the same time!).

Kuldeep joined The Retrofit Academy in 2023. With more than eight years’ marketing experience, he brings a wealth of knowledge, particularly in the planning and execution of omni-channel marketing campaigns.

Having worked across numerous B2B industries, spanning from engineering components to the food sector, Kuldeep is deeply passionate about crafting impactful brand narratives. His journey saw him ascend the ranks, progressing to a Regional Marketing Manager for MEA.

When not immersed in the world of marketing, Kuldeep cherishes moments spent with his family and cheering on the great Wolverhampton Wanderers with a cold pint of bitter.

Emily joined The Retrofit Academy in 2021 as a Customer Support Assistant but quickly discovered a passion and aptitude for marketing and has progressed to the position of Senior Marketing, Events and Content Coordinator.

She graduated from the University of Manchester with a BA (Hons) in English Literature and brings a unique blend of creative and analytical thinking, as well as a passion for delivering meaningful communications.

She loves hiking outdoors to catch some beautiful natural scenery (she’s a serial sunset-snapper), practising yoga, listening to great tunes in great company and is a self-admitted caffeine junkie.

Alison joined The Retrofit Academy in November 2023 as their Marketing Campaign Coordinator. In this role, she spearheads planning and executing impactful events, exhibitions, and webinars for the organisation.

Graduating from Staffordshire University in 2021 with a degree in English Literature and Creative Writing equipped Alison with skills in analytical thinking and creative communication that she leverages in her marketing work. She is fuelled by the variety of tasks and ability to continually learn in marketing.

When not coordinating the latest marketing campaign, you can find Alison enjoying yoga sessions, going on long walks, or immersing herself in language lessons! She also loves to travel and recently got engaged during her adventures in Tokyo.

Seb joined The Retrofit Academy in 2023, bringing with him 20 years’ experience working in the retrofit space from social housing, social research, consultancy and academia.

His retrofit experience started while working for social landlords, delivering energy efficiency and sustainability programmes. Since then, he has spent over 12 years carrying out academic and commercial research in the energy and environment sectors, most recently leading the independent evaluation into the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (Demonstrator).

He is passionate about retrofit and the benefits it can bring to residents and the wider world. With a research-led, evidence-based focus, he works with our partners to understand their needs and build clear pathways into retrofit careers.

Outside of working hours, Seb spends most of his time in his other job as the parent of two small children, using any spare moment to try to perfect the art of homemade pizza in his wood-fired oven.

Elle joined The Retrofit Academy in 2021 as a Customer Support Assistant, but we thought we’d lost this bright young thing when she decided to take a sabbatical to earn her master’s degree in Applied Security Strategy at Exeter University. She returned to the fold and progressed with the company, recently being promoted to Project Manager.

She works on projects and partnerships with government and housing associations, ensuring our work is well planned so that ambitious outcomes can be delivered.

In her free time, she enjoys playing netball and tennis, going to concerts and baking (although her mum is still convinced she’s just making a mess!).

George joined The Retrofit Academy in 2021 as a Customer Support Assistant. He was quickly promoted to Learn Coordinator, then to Senior Coordinator for Learn and Membership and is now the Senior Workforce Development Coordinator. He works closely with large retrofit employers to determine and address their skills gaps.

He graduated from Staffordshire University with a BA (Hons) History: Modern and International, and the University of Birmingham with a PGDipEd in Secondary History.

George is a fan of travelling to historical landmarks having been to Chernobyl in Ukraine and the site of the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium, to name a few!

Clive joined The Retrofit Academy in 2021, although he has been delivering excellent retrofit training for us for a while longer than that! He plans and delivers training sessions that cover the full portfolio of courses we run. He works to ensure we deliver consistently high-quality training across the board.

Clive moved into domestic energy efficiency from a career in IT in 2007, initially as an energy assessor for both new-build and existing dwellings. Since then, he has worked with residential social landlords and local government housing departments on stock analysis, air pressure testing, thermal bridge analysis, infrared thermography and house condition surveys. He is a qualified retrofit coordinator, retrofit assessor and air pressure tester as well as a domestic energy assessor for new and existing dwellings.

Outside of work, Clive has been studying tai chi for 30 years and been teaching for 20. He regularly sings in a church choir and performs in an a cappella choir several times a year.

Susan has been the Internal Quality Assurance Assessor on the Level 5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management since February 2020 and officially joined The Retrofit Academy in 2021. She is now responsible for IQA across TRA’s full portfolio of courses.

She has worked in property for more than 25 years after graduating from the University of Aberdeen with a degree in land economy. She joined Hillier Parker and worked as a chartered surveyor in the commercial property market in Edinburgh before moving to Shropshire. Since 2006, she has been involved in a wide range of energy efficiency assessments and training.

In her spare time, she is found running, on the tennis court and playing the bass clarinet in a local concert band.

Alessandro joined The Retrofit Academy in 2023 as a Retrofit Skills Coach, delivering our courses and providing mentoring and coaching to our learners.

He has more than nine years’ experience in the energy efficiency and retrofit sector. An experienced domestic energy assessor, energy advisor, retrofit assessor, he is also the first-ever qualified retrofit coordinator in the world!

He holds a postgraduate degree in philosophy from the University of Rome and a graduate diploma with honours in psychology from London South Bank University.

Alessandro is incredibly passionate about music, so if he doesn’t have his retrofit tools in hand, you’ll likely find him in music venues sat between the guitar and bass at the drum kit! He loves to get out on a walk and is an avid listener of audiobooks.

Justine joined The Retrofit Academy in 2023 as a Retrofit Skills Coach and is passionate about supporting our learners through training delivery, coaching and mentoring.

She is a qualified domestic energy assessor with a background in building pathology. Involved in the energy efficiency industry since 2008, she has assessed thousands of properties for energy agencies, housing associations, local authorities and homeowners as a consultant, retrofit assessor and retrofit coordinator. She has six years’ experience in supporting learners and delivering training to communities and individuals to help them understand the nuances of retrofit.

She achieved an MSc in Sustainability and Adaptation Planning in the Built Environment in 2015. Her focus has been the retrofit of traditional properties using sustainable, low-carbon materials to provide energy-efficient homes without damaging the environment, the aesthetic heritage or the building fabric.