David is the founder and chief executive of The Retrofit Academy CIC.

David has spent over a decade addressing the skills gap in the retrofit sector, working closely with government, industry and academia to scale up retrofit education. He is driven by The Retrofit Academy’s mission to train 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, 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.  

Jenny joined The Retrofit Academy in November 2020 and leads on operations and programmes.

She has over 15 years’ experience working in management consulting and local government transformation and has managed large teams of designers and project managers. She is an associate chartered management accountant, a PRINCE2 project manager, qualified programme manager and a change management practitioner.

Jenny started her career working for PricewaterhouseCoopers as a management consultant, moving on to Tribal Local Government Consulting in order to focus on public sector work. Prior to joining the Retrofit Academy, she spent over 9 years with Staffordshire County Council as a Senior Project Manager and Portfolio Manager.

In her spare time, she likes running and swimming, drinking good wine and eating dark chocolate!

Charlotte graduated with a 2:1 In Finance and Marketing at Keele University and has worked within the marketing industry for five years. With experience in both international and national organisations such as MIQ Shanghai, she has an analytical mind and a creative spark. Her passion is improving the customer experience and creating slick operational processes (although her true loves are wine gums and loose leaf tea).

Charlotte has gone from strength to strength while with The Retrofit Academy.  She has improved many of our ‘behind the scenes’ processes, and even implemented our CRM system almost single-handedly! 

Grant graduated from The University of Wolverhampton with a 2:1 In Business Management (Finance) and joined The Retrofit Academy CIC in April 2021 as Customer Support Assistant. Since then, Grant has progressed with the company and has been promoted to Senior Finance Coordinator.  

Grant enjoys spending time with his friends, family, and his pug Pablo, listening to music, and watching his beloved football team West Bromwich Albion. He likes to keep fit through various sports, these most recently being football and a few rounds of golf. 

Emma has recently joined The Retrofit Academy, and whilst being new to the retrofit industry, has over 6 years in sales and business administration.

Emma has both competed in and coached gymnastics for over 14 years, supporting people from the age of 2 years old!

Emma loves travelling, especially around Europe, and loves to binge watch her favourite TV programmes Benidorm and Gavin & Stacey whilst snuggling up to the newest member of the Dodd family, Teddy, her cocker spaniel. 

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

Callum 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 has 8 years experience developing and delivering qualifications in various construction craft skills. He has done this whilst working in a young offender’s prison and a charity in managerial roles with a focus on getting learners into full time education or employment. Since being in this field he has kept a keen eye on quality assurance and took the lead on this for a national charity. 

Gary enjoys spending time with family and friends, fishing, watching sports ( Rugby-wasps) (Football – Coventry City) and going to watch live music. 

Susan has been the IQA assessor on the Level 5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management since February 2020 and officially joined the Retrofit Academy in October 2021. 

Susan has worked in property for over 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 working alongside Alan Pither.  

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

Born in Poland, Izabela moved to the UK in 2004 after studying English at school.

Iza has 13 years of experience working in and leading teams within a leading UK data processing centre which involved the preparation, scanning, quality checking and indexing of confidential information ranging through medical, financial, and legal sectors.

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

Andrew has spent the past twelve years teaching and assessing in construction related trades, whilst also delivering bespoke training courses for FE colleges and private training providers.

In his current role at the Retrofit Academy as an Instructional Designer, Andrew is responsible for the design and development of qualifications and training courses for the retrofit industry.

Outside of work Andrew enjoys taking time to renovate his property in Spain, as well as learning to play the guitar and trying to improve his Spanish.

Andrew has appeared in two TV shows to date: First Dates and the Wheel of Fortune!

Melissa has over 9 years’ experience in business administration and coordination. Although new to Retrofit, she does have previous experience within the training sector as well as the building industry.

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

George 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!

Ellie 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 has over 9 years of experience in customer service roles, developing and growing her customer service skills in varying backgrounds from the likes of building maintenance to wedding planning. Her experience has helped her develop her confidence, attentiveness and problem-solving skills.

Outside of work, Emilee enjoys exploring new hiking trails, finding natures hidden gems and is always on the lookout for cows to say hi to along the way. On rainy weekends she can be found baking fresh brownies and enjoying a classic chick flick with Albert, her miniature schnauzer.

Bethany 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 is a bright young spark and new to the retrofit industry, but has previously worked in customer service roles as an Executive Assistant.

Lucy enjoys keeping up with her fitness and is keen on spin classes. She also enjoys  trying her hand in the kitchen with new recipes and spending time with her dog, Snoop.

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

After a large stint in agency life working on marketing campaigns in retail, finance and leisure, she moved onto in-house senior marketing roles within Construction, Horseracing, and a more lately a 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 mostly juggles a busy family life, but also enjoys walking in the mountains, doing some running and drinking some Prosecco (not all at the same time!)

Emily graduated from the University of Manchester with a BA (Hons) degree in English Literature and joined The Retrofit Academy in January 2021.

Adrianna graduated from University of Derby with a BA(Hons) in Theatre Arts. Her studies helped her develop confidence and quick thinking, both of which she finds useful in her work.

Adrianna enjoys the great outdoors, always on the lookout for new hiking trails and beauty spots.  You will often find her in the theatres, both as a spectator and a performer.  At home, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking healthy meals and playing board games.

Mark has joined us from a prior role with the East Midlands Chamber of Commerce, where he managed a team of D2N2 Growth Hub Business Advisers. Mark has worked with a range of Local Authorities in the field of Economic Development; developing projects to support the growth agenda for businesses.

He has held positions with Local Authorities such as, Wakefield, Birmingham and East Cheshire and was Economic Strategy Manager for Wakefield Council providing strategic and implementation advice on regeneration, economic development and skills programmes. He was also the Head of Innovation and Growth for East Cheshire Council’s ‘Skills and Growth Company’ where he managed programmes in areas such as innovation, energy and economic renewal.

Mark has 25 years of experience in project management and ran his own company for fourteen years. He is an advocate for the work being undertaken by the Retrofit Academy (RTA) and is looking forward to working with all our Strategic Partners here at TRA.

Ansley joined the Retrofit Academy in April 2023 after completing her Masters Degree in Engineering for Sustainable Development at the University of Cambridge. Prior to that she spent seven years as a Civil Engineering Officer in the United States Air Force, managing construction and building maintenance projects across three countries.

Passionate about the built environment and the impact it has on our daily lives, Ansley is using her engineering and project management background to drive forward the aims of the Retrofit Academy in the Greater South East of England.

Following her professional interests in refurbishment and repair, in her spare time she loves to upcycle second-hand clothing and find new uses for old things. When not at the sewing machine, you will find her traveling and spending time with her husband and their dog, Zoey.  

Adrian worked in the recruitment sector for nearly 10 years before moving into adult education 5 years ago. Adrian 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, BBQing and following Manchester United, Lancashire Cricket Club and Sale Sharks.

Steph has over 15 years’ experience working in Further Education, Training, Adult Education and qualification development in both funded and commercial environments. Steph works with a consultative partnership building approach and prides herself on maintain excellent customer relationships.

Other than her family, Steph’s passions include sailing, scuba diving, reading, live music and the theatre (in particular the RSC). Steph volunteers for Guide Dogs, fundraising for partially sighted and blind people, the Fawcett Society, campaigning and raising awareness for gender equality and sits on the social committee of her local sailing club.

James joined the Retrofit Academy in January 2023. 

He likes to travel widely and has a passion for people. With a diverse background, he has swept numerous factory floors but also run sales teams across the world in various managerial positions.

James is an advocate for equality and diversity, aiming to treat everyone as equals no matter their job title or position and uses his boundless energy and enthusiasm to lend a helping hand.

Elle joined the Retrofit Academy in January 2021, and after taking a sabbatical to earn her Masters Degree in Applied Security Strategy, has recently returned to the fold.

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

Alan Pither has been professionally involved in energy efficiency assessment and advice since 1985, running a small company based in Shropshire since 2002. Alan Pither Ltd is an ABBE and City & Guilds approved centre for all of the energy assessor qualifications and regularly delivers training courses for BRE and NHER. He also leads the Energy Advice Training Consortium which has developed a range of courses for energy advisors at different levels.

In addition to training, Alan offers a range of consultancy services to local authorities, housing associations and individual building owners. These include the development of energy efficiency and climate change strategies as well as building surveys and recommendations for energy efficiency improvement measures. The latter covers all types of buildings with the majority being large domestic properties that are being refurbished and/or extended, usually off the mains gas grid, so advice on alternative heating options is also needed.