Our People

Andrew Bell

Andy Bell is an experienced Project Manager with a broad range of technical, operational and commercial expertise across multiple offshore energy disciplines. With a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and over 14 years of experience, Andy has specialised in asset integrity, robotics, digital innovation, alternative fuel and hydrogen projects.

Cynthia Bassey

Cynthia Bassey is a Project Engineer at NZTC with a strong track record in delivering innovative low-carbon energy solutions. With close to five years of experience in the energy sector, Cynthia began her career in the oil and gas industry before moving into technology innovation and decarbonisation.

Since joining NZTC in 2022, she has managed the delivery of collaborative projects under the Open Innovation Programme across hydrogen, CCS, energy storage and renewables. Cynthia has held technical and project-focused roles spanning early-stage development through to real-world deployment. She currently plays a key role in the centre’s Methane Measurement Joint Industry Project.

Her background includes project delivery, carbon impact assessment, risk management and cross-functional stakeholder engagement. Cynthia’s work supports NZTC’s mission to accelerate the energy transition through practical, high-impact innovation. In addition to her technical contributions, she is actively involved in sustainability and STEM outreach across the organisation.

She holds an MSc in Oil and Gas Enterprise Management (Distinction) from the University of Aberdeen and a First Class BEng in Petroleum Engineering. Cynthia is an Associate Member of the Energy Institute and a committed STEM Ambassador.

David Cameron

Hayleigh Barnett

Hayleigh Barnett is the Technology Principal for Hydrogen, Alternative Fuels, and CCUS at the Net Zero Technology Centre. In this role, she delivers on and oversees the strategic direction and delivery of key initiatives across these focus areas. Her work spans the development of innovative projects such as the Hydrogen Backbone Link, the Energy Hubs project and Phase 2 of the Hydrogen Offshore Production project.

With over 12 years of experience in engineering and business development, Hayleigh brings a strong blend of technical expertise and commercial insight. She has successfully delivered a wide range of projects—from early-stage technology concepts to detailed engineering projects— and has also supported the development of early technology readiness level concepts. With her clear communication and collaborative approach, Hayleigh is passionate about driving forward sustainable energy solutions.

Martyn Tulloch

Martyn Tulloch is a chartered engineer with nearly 30 years of experience in the energy sector. As Director of Energy Transition at the Net Zero Technology Centre, he leads initiatives in hydrogen, carbon capture and storage (CCUS), and offshore wind to drive sustainable energy solutions.

Martyn has delivered large-scale projects in renewables, hydrogen, and coastal defense, working with organisations to shape energy transition strategies. With expertise in stakeholder engagement and business case development, he is a trusted leader in advancing low-carbon technologies.

He holds a Master’s in Maritime and Offshore Civil Engineering from the University of Liverpool and a B.Eng in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Edinburgh.

Catherine Sherwin

With over 13 years of experience in the energy industry, Catherine has worked across Subsurface, Technology and Environmental disciplines. Catherine started her career as a geologist for an oil and gas operator, covering development, exploration and operations, before moving to the latter end of the upstream business into crude offloads and supply operations working closely with a number of UK Terminals.

For the last 5+ years Catherine has worked in Technology building expertise in technology management, governance and strategy, with a strong focus on identifying, tracking, trialling and deploying technologies on and offshore UK.

Catherine has always had a particular interest in decarbonisation and emissions reduction which lead her to a role within the environmental discipline before combining both interests and expertise together.  At NZTC, she holds the role of Emissions Reduction / Industrial Decarbonisation Technology Manager.

She holds a Masters in Petroleum Geoscience from Imperial College, London and a Geoscience M.Sci from University of Durham.

Sara Crighton

With over 18 years of experience in the energy sector, Sara specialises in project delivery, with a strong demonstrated history in asset integrity roles.

She currently co-leads a network of wind developers who successfully secured leases in the latest INTOG leasing round. This strategic collaboration is dedicated to leveraging collective expertise to drive innovation, streamline development processes, foster cutting-edge solutions, and ultimately contribute to the sustainable growth of the floating offshore wind sector.

Rebecca Allison

Rebecca Allison is an established and committed leader in the energy sector, spearheading efforts to accelerate the transition to net zero. As Chief Operations Officer at the Net Zero Technology Centre (NZTC), she leads the delivery of critical technology programmes and services that will drive industry’s evolution towards a more sustainable future.

With over two decades of experience, Rebecca has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. This includes identifying and appraising existing technology readiness, and championing the latest advancements in innovations that are reducing emissions from existing facilities and unlocking the full potential of an integrated energy system.

As a highly driven and motivated leader, Rebecca is known for her strategic planning and communication skills, which she uses to manage even the most complex projects.

Outside work Rebecca spends most of her time at the Ellon Scout Hut, coaching and mentoring over 80 young people in developing their outdoor skills. If she’s not camping in all weathers then she enjoys time with her two children, her patient husband and a very mad black Labrador.

Edward Pollock

With a rich background in entrepreneurship, Edward manages the delivery of the Net Zero Technology Centre’s award-winning TechX Accelerator. Prior to this, he worked to create and deliver the first Startup Accelerator at Robert Gordon University, as well as leading on hosting enterprise events, training programmes and credit-bearing short courses. With a degree in Event Management, Edward is experienced in founding new events, starting small companies and charities. Edward recently completed courses in entrepreneurship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University, achieving Fellowship of Enterprise Educators UK and the Higher Education Academy. In 2021, Edward was awarded Rising Star in Enterprise Education for the UK. Edward has also held roles as a lecturer, a member of the Board of Governors and as a university quality reviewer. 

Mariah Forbes

Mariah Forbes has over five years of experience in start-up program creation, management, and facilitation, as well as stakeholder engagement across industry, investors, and mentors.

As TechX Accelerator Lead, Mariah oversees the delivery of the TechX Clean Energy Accelerator, including program and curriculum planning, applicant attraction, and start-up onboarding. She manages stakeholder relationships, coordinates milestone events such as TechX Roadshows and Demo Day, and supports start-ups through assessment and investor engagement processes.

Emma Swiergon

Emma Swiergon is an experienced technology manager with over 12 years of experience across the energy sector and consultancy, with over 5 years specialising in hydrogen and energy transition projects. At NZTC, she leads strategic initiatives, NZTC’s Hydrogen roadmap, delivers key technology development projects, and produces industry reports and thought leadership articles.

Emma’s expertise spans project management, technical analysis, stakeholder engagement, risk assessments, safety studies, and safety case development for offshore assets. Emma supports business cases, proposals, and funding requests, with current projects including HOP2, ScotWind-2-Hy. Additionally, she provides support to Hydrogen Backbone Link and Energy Hubs and contributes to working groups and forums to advance the hydrogen economy.

She holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Monitoring, Modelling, and Reconstruction, and a BSc in Geology and Physical Geography.

Iain Martin

Iain Martin is a business-focused technical specialist with over 25 years of experience across CCUS, consultancy, and delivering first-of-a-kind projects. He leads NZTC’s CCUS roadmap where he is responsible for identifying and delivering key projects. Iain has delivered NZTC’s innovation Call for Ideas process, resulting in over 200 ideas, 20 approved projects, and more than £5 million in funding. He has also helped secure £3 million from DESNZ to deliver a first-of-a-kind direct air capture pilot plant.

Iain holds an MSc in Oil and Gas innovation and an MSc by Research in Geophysics, and he is a PMP-certified professional.

Callum Milne

Callum Milne is an Engineer, Mechanical but also cross disciplined. Callum has over 25 years experience in the oil and gas industry – from apprentice Mechanical Fitter to Senior Project Manager – including 23 years overseas experience. Callum is an international Project Manager and has managed onshore and offshore greenfield and brownfield oil and gas facilities projects up to $100M. He has also held a range of positions in Mega projects up to $700M. Projects facilities include FPSO, Spars, topsides, pipelines, compression projects, in addition, specific expertise in installation, hook-up and commissioning. He has also been involved in engineering studies from concept, FEED through to detailed engineering, and on site construction engineering or hook-up support.

As a Programme Manager at NZTC, Callum is responsible for the ETF programme that develops renewable technologies, working with variety of partners, contractors and stakeholders . Responsibilities include managing the Energy Hubs and Hydrogen Backbone Link projects that develop hydrogen production for domestic and international export.

Lewis Harper

Lewis Harper brings over a decade of expertise in subsea engineering with experience across IRM, Diving and subsea construction/decommissioning scopes. Lewis has been instrumental in driving business development initiatives and has played a pivotal role in growing support for our collaborative activities.

As Programme Manager for Collaborations at NZTC, Lewis oversees a range of projects working alongside industry partners. He leads The Wells Decommissioning Collaboration, which aims to accelerate the qualification and commercialisation of well plug and abandonment technologies. Additionally, he manages the CCS Components Collaboration and the Methane Measurement JIP.

Harriet Fox-Bekerman

Harriet has over 10 years of experience as a well engineer, including P&A projects, decommissioning and roles relevant to CCUS and geothermal energy. At NZTC, Harriet specialises in hydrogen, focusing on the Energy Hubs projects, which aims to establish large-scale green hydrogen production in Scotland. Her role involves exploring the options to optimise the efficiency and economic viability of Energy Hubs. Additionally, she organised the electrolyser funding competition which supported development of early stage electrolyser technologies to accelerate the development of green hydrogen production.

Harriet holds an MSc in Renewable Energy Engineering, with her dissertation focusing on geothermal energy in the UK.

Niki Chambers

Alex Macdonald

Alex Macdonald is a strategic digital transformation leader with a track record of project delivery and turning ideas into value through innovative technology development. As Digital Technology Manager at Net Zero Technology Centre, Alex has strong expertise in digital transformation, remote operations, digital worker, and project delivery. He has played a key role in the design and development of all NZTC Digital strategies and roadmaps with ownership of the Smart Asset and Field Automation theme. Alex developed the successfully funded business case for the Advancing Remote Operations (ARO) project, leading it to phase 2.

With a career spanning over two decades, Alex has worked internationally across industries, including offshore and onshore operations, helping people and organisations adopt new digital solutions and improve their operations. Known for a practical and results-driven approach, Alex combines technical knowledge with leadership skills and a personal approach to deliver meaningful outcomes for teams and businesses.

Actively involved in industry leadership programmes, Alex is Better Business Case accredited, a Certified Training Practitioner and holds a BSc in Computing & Information from Robert Gordon University.

Myrtle Dawes

Myrtle Dawes is Chief Executive Officer of the Net Zero Technology Centre where she leads the development of technology for a net zero energy industry.

She is a non-executive board member of FirstGroup, a non-executive director on the Aquila European Renewables plc board, an advisory board member for the Association of Black and Minority Engineers and sits on the Technology Leadership Board.

A Chartered Chemical Engineer, Myrtle is an established leader with extensive experience in the energy sector both in the UK and overseas. Respected as a prominent voice on the energy transition, she began her career 30 years ago as an offshore engineer for BP, before delivering on leadership roles in engineering, project management, technology and digital transformation. Myrtle’s passion for innovation and technology galvanises her colleagues, government and industry to take action and push boundaries.

Myrtle holds a Masters in Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology from Imperial College. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Chemical Engineers, Fellow of the Energy Institute, Fellow of the Forward Institute and Honorary Fellow of the Association of Project Managers.

In 2017, Myrtle received recognition for her contribution to business, having featured in Breaking the Glass Ceiling and being selected as one of 100 Women to Watch in the Cranfield FTSE Board Report 2017.  In 2021 she was recognised by TE:100 as one of the Women of the Energy Transition.

Myrtle has two children and in her spare time studies mathematics, is a keen cat lover, and gamer.