Our Team.
We Are Nova Ambiente
We are a multi-national consultancy with operational bases in London, Cologne, Amsterdam, Madrid, Paris, and Lisbon, and trusted associates and partners worldwide.
London
Sarah
Pirrie
Managing Director
Sarah has been part of the Nova Ambiente team since 2005 and became the UK Managing Director in July 2022.
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She has over 20 years’ experience in the environmental consultancy industry and a background in environmental due diligence and environmental site assessments.
Sarah recently set up our Sustainability Service, working with colleagues, clients and partner companies to develop a range of responsible investment, property management and ESG related products and screenings tools.
Inga
Kooij
Technical Director
Inga has over 25 years’ experience in environmental consultancy with a background in land quality assessment, compliance auditing, environmental due diligence and risk assessment.
Inga is responsible for overseeing our UK and Dutch environmental due diligence service and forms part of our central project team, managing a high volume of environmental assessment and due diligence projects through-out Europe. Inga specialises in providing tailored environmental risk evaluation advice and pragmatic management solutions.
With an eye for detail and a commercial focus, Inga also undertakes a crucial quality assurance role within the business. She is responsible for ensuring that our high standards and consistency in reporting are maintained across all environmental projects.
Emma
Corden
Operations Director
Emma has over 20 years' experience in the fields of environmental due diligence, environmental compliance and contaminated land assessment. She is a seasoned project manager and highly skilled environmental auditor, well-practiced in identifying legal non-compliances and working with companies to address environmental best practice and liability issues. Prior to her role as Operations Director, Emma managed Nova Ambiente’s international Environmental Management service for over 10 years, including leading many large post-acquisition projects across the UK and Europe.
As Operations Director, Emma’s principal role is to manage operational aspects of the company to ensure that business goals are met efficiently and effectively. A key aspect of Emma’s role is the development, review, enhancement and implementation of company policies, procedures, and strategic initiatives. Emma works closely with the heads of our business units to drive operational excellence, streamline processes and implement strategies that support the company’s growth and long-term success.
Julie
Carter
Head of Sustainability
Julie has over twenty-five years of project management and environmental consultancy experience, primarily in the fields of environmental due diligence, compliance and contaminated land risk assessment and remediation.
She is a Chartered Environmentalist, an experienced team leader and an environmental auditor with a strong track record of delivering innovative Environmental Management solutions.
Julie currently leads on our Sustainability / ESG services as well as our internal sustainability policies and practices.
Simon
Coffey
Associate Director
Simon has over 19 years’ experience in environmental consultancy, working on projects across the UK, Ireland and the Middle East. He specialises in ground investigation, risk assessment and remediation projects and has valuable practical development knowledge, having previously had a role with a property developer.
Simon is responsible for the day to day management of the brownfield development side of the business, undertaking environmental assessments for large industrial and commercial development sites.
Sara
Alker
Associate Director -
Sustainability / ESG / EDD
Sara re-joined Nova-Ambiente in March 2023 and has over 20 years of experience working with clients in the real estate industry. Sara has a general background in site characterisation and remediation, specialising in the field of environmental due diligence. More recently Sara has been supporting clients in understanding and managing their ESG risks and opportunities, at asset level.
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Sara is an experienced project manager and skilled auditor with a breadth of experience working in the financial & real estate, commercial, manufacturing, and industrial sectors.
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At Nova-Ambiente, Sara works within both the Sustainability and Environmental Due Diligence Teams, supporting clients to understand their asset risks and to manage their property portfolios responsibly.
Jaime
Bainbridge
Principal Consultant
Jaime holds a degree in Environmental Science and a masters in Environmental Design and Engineering from University College, London.
She has over fifteen years’ experience in environmental consultancy and management, specialising primarily in environmental and flood risk assessment. She is also a qualified BREEAM assessor and IEMA affiliated Environmental Auditor.
At Nova Ambiente, Jaime holds a central role within our Sustainability Team and is responsible for working together with our clients and wider teams to develop and deliver bespoke sustainability services.
Troy Randall
Principal Consultant
Troy is a Chartered Environmentalist and experienced project manager with over 11 years’ experience working for a range of environmental consultancies. He joined Nova Ambiente in 2022.
At Nova Ambiente he is part of the Land Quality Assessment / Brownfield team, specialising in geo-environmental assessments for industrial and commercial projects throughout the UK. He is skilled in assessing the risk posed to developments and determining adequate remedial measures, whilst maintaining a commercial focus for brownfield restoration. He assists and works closely with the Environmental Due Diligence team and is a skilled environmental auditor.
Keara Gurran
Principal Consultant/Team Manager
Keara holds a Master of Science degree in Geoscience from Durham University and is an IEMA Practitioner Member and affiliated Associate Environmental Auditor. She has 12 years’ experience in delivering high quality risk assessments for property transactions, with expertise in a range of environmental due diligence reporting, focused on contaminated land and flood risk. She is experienced in handling the smooth running and management of a consultancy team, supporting and championing the professional development of consultants.
Keara joined the UK Environmental Due Diligence Team in October 2024 as a Principal Consultant/Team Manager.
Alistair
Brown
Managing Consultant
Alistair joined Nova Ambiente in 2017 and brings over nine years project management and environmental consultancy experience. He works across both the Sustainability and Environmental Due Diligence teams and is an accomplished environmental auditor.
He is responsible for managing and delivering due diligence and environmental management projects for key client accounts across Europe. Additionally, Alistair contributes to the delivery of Nova Ambiente’s ESG and Sustainability services.
Alix Vincent
Managing Consultant
Alix joined Nova Ambiente in October 2019. She holds a BSc in Biological Sciences from the University of Birmingham and a Masters in Sustainable Environmental Management from the University of Plymouth.
Alix plays a key role in the UK Environmental Due Diligence team and is responsible for auditing and delivery of environmental assessments within the UK. Alix is also responsible for the management and delivery of environmental assessment and due diligence projects for key client accounts within the UK, Denmark, Sweden and Finland.
Jake
Wade
Senior Consultant
Jake holds a BSc in Geology from the University of Derby and an MSc in Environmental Management and Assessment from the University of East Anglia. Jake has over 5 years’ experience as a Geo-environmental Consultant carrying out ground investigations and contaminated land risk assessments for residential and commercial projects throughout the UK.
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At Nova Ambiente he is part of the Land Quality Assessment / Brownfield team, preparing Phase I and II Environmental Assessments, and he supports the Environmental Due Diligence team by preparing reviews / reports for acquisition projects.
Will Griffiths
Consultant
Will joined Nova Ambiente in January 2025 as a Consultant in the Environmental Due Diligence team. He holds a BSc in Geography from the University of Reading and a Masters in Water and Environmental Management from the University of Bristol. Will has 18 months experience working in environmental due diligence; carrying out contaminated land, flooding, and mining assessments for residential and commercial properties across the UK.
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Will’s role at Nova Ambiente is to support the Environmental Due Diligence Team with desk study reviews, auditing on site visits for a range of properties within the UK, and the production of reports.
Rosanna Church
Graduate Consultant
Rosanna joined Nova Ambiente in August 2021. She holds a BSc in Environmental Science from the University of Nottingham.
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Rosanna’s primary role at Nova Ambiente is to support the Environmental Due Diligence Team assisting with desk study reviews, auditing on site visits for a range of properties within the UK, and assisting in the production of reports.
Lukas Wright
Graduate Consultant
Lukas joined Nova Ambiente in February 2025 as a Graduate Consultant in the Sustainability Team. He holds a BSc in Environmental Science, which focussed on Environmental Due Diligence and Sustainability.
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Lukas’s primary role at Nova Ambiente is to support the Sustainability team with the day-to-day operation of Environmental Management Programmes across all applicable countries, assisting with desk study reviews, auditing on site visits for a range of properties within the UK, and assisting in the production of reports.
Kaj
Murale
Group Accountant
Kaj joined Ambiente in 2006. She holds a degree in Maths and is a qualified chartered accountant (ACA) with over 15 years’ experience.
Kaj holds responsibility for all accounting processes relating to the companies within the Ambiente Group registered in the UK and The Netherlands.
Amalia Devesa Couto
Accounts Manager
Amalia has several years’ experience working in finance departments in her native Spain.
Amalia is extensively qualified in Business Administration and has a thorough working understanding of European accounting processes and associated software. She works closely with the Group Accountant and has responsibility for all invoice administration.
Siva Murale
Accounts Assistant
Siva joined Nova Ambiente in November 2023 as a highly experienced ACCA-qualified accountant with over 25 years of expertise in the field.
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In his role, Siva provides essential support to the UK Accounting Team and holds responsibility for overseeing the purchasing operations for the UK and Netherlands teams.
Elanor Robinson
Senior Technical Administrator
Elanor holds a degree in Psychology and has sixteen years experience working and providing support in both Environmental Consultancy and Property Investment Management.
Elanor’s role at Nova Ambiente is to provide support to both the Environmental Management and Environmental Due Diligence teams.
Kiss
Tesfay
Office Manager
As a committed Office Manager, Kiss plays a pivotal role in ensuring the seamless operation of the organisation by overseeing a variety of critical functions.
Her responsibilities include handling a broad spectrum of administrative duties and executive support tasks to uphold the organisation’s efficiency and security. She also manages IT and server-related issues to ensure operational reliability, plans and organises business events as part of the Health & Wellbeing Committee to foster collaboration and networking, oversees the firm’s social media platforms to enhance its online presence and provides interdepartmental support.
Suzanne Gordon-Brown
HR Advisor/ Manager
As HR Manager Suzanne is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Personnel and Development (MCIPD) and has in excess of 30 years work experience in Human Resources within the Public and Private sectors.
Suzanne is involved in overseeing all elements of Human Resources for the company by managing the life cycle of employees to include the planning, implementing and evaluating of the HR Strategy, employee relations and policy development. She also heads up and leads on the company’s Health and Wellbeing committee, and has an in-depth understanding of what is required to operate best practice.
Cologne
Patric
Hecker
Managing Director
Patric has been part of the Nova Ambiente team since 2007 and became Managing Director of Ambiente Deutschland GmbH in June 2024.
Patric holds a Masters Degree in Geology from the University of Cologne and is one of our most experienced members with over 25 years of experience in environmental transaction support services. He regularly manages and conducts environmental due diligence for the logistics, office and retail sectors across Germany, as well as audits for our Environmental Management Programme (EM) and coordinates Phase II site investigations. Patric is also an experienced Hazardous Building Materials Assessor and qualified Asbestos Surveyor.
As Managing Director, Patric ensures close working relationships with clients and that the German team always delivers to the highest standards.
Marc
Roessler
Senior Consultant
Marc joined Nova Ambiente in 2019. He holds a Master’s Degree in Geosciences from Technical University of Darmstadt with expertise in the fields of environmental geology and environmental geochemistry.
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Marc´s key role is to support the German team with undertaking environmental Due Diligence and Environmental Management (EM) services, co-ordinating and undertaking post-acquisition site inspections and implementing corrective actions / strategies. Marc is also a qualified Asbestos Surveyor and a licensed auditor for building certification in accordance with BEEAM DE in Use.
Kathi Deußen
Junior Consultant
Kathi joined Nova Ambiente Deutschland GmbH as a Junior Consultant in July 2024. Kathi holds a Master of Science degree in Geosciences from the University of Cologne. She previously worked at the University as a research assistant and PhD student in the field of geochemistry. Based in the German office of Ambiente in Cologne.
Kathi will be working on environmental due diligence projects and supports Patric and Marc in their day-to-day work.
Izabel Garcia
Junior Consultant
Izabel joined Ambiente Deutschland GmbH as a Junior Consultant in November 2024.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in environmental science and a master’s degree in environmental management.
She is new to the consulting world but with a vast international background and willingness to learn, she will support the German team with environmental due diligence studies through desk study reviews, report writing and site visits throughout Germany.
Simone von de Finn
Team Assistant
Simone von de Finn has joined Ambiente Deutschland GmbH in Cologne as a team assistant from February 2021. She is a bilingual secretary with 15 years of experience working as a purchaser and in advertising for various major enterprises.
Simone provides support to our project management and is also responsible for commercial affairs.
Amsterdam
Rik
Stikker
Director
Rik is Director of our business in the Netherlands. He has a degree in Physical Geography from the University of Amsterdam and over 30 years' experience in contaminated land assessment, intrusive site investigations and remediation, and geotechnical investigations.
Rik has a pragmatic view of environmental risk and has particular expertise in the delivery of cost-effective investigation strategies and remediation solutions. He works in line with local practices and has developed an excellent relationship with the Dutch regulatory bodies.
Madrid
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Almudena
Thomas-Vela
Director
Almudena is the Director of Spanish operations, overseeing activities across Iberia (Spain, Italy and Portugal) while actively contributing to projects in the UK and France.
With a degree in Environmental Science and a Master’s in Environmental Sustainability and Land Planning, she brings over 20 years of experience in environmental consultancy, including a decade spent working in France and the UK before establishing the Madrid office.
Her expertise lies in contaminated land management, due diligence assessments and environmental property management. Almudena’s multilingual proficiency and outstanding organisational skills make her an integral part of the team.
James McCague
Technical Services Director
James has been a RICS chartered building surveyor since 2013 and has over 14 years’ experience as a commercial building surveyor. He also has previously worked for CBRE in a similar role.
James joined Nova Ambiente in October 2024 after five years with the Savills central London Technical Due Diligence (TDD) team. His role will focus on developing the technical capabilities and client base across the UK and Europe. James will be collaborating with Jack Cummings and the Nova US BD Teams to develop the existing US client relationships to this end.
Maria
Poy
Principal Consultant
Maria holds a Degree in Environmental Science and a Masters in Environmental Engineering and Management and has over 10 years’ experience in environmental consultancy, primarily in the fields of environmental management, contaminated land risk assessments and environmental impact assessments in the industrial, logistics, retail and energy sectors. She is a highly capable auditor and an experienced project manager.
Maria joined the Nova Ambiente UK team in 2017 to become an integral part of our Environmental Management team, being responsible for portfolio project management and helping to ensure the consistently high environmental performance of our clients’ assets in both the UK and across Europe. Since 2021 she undertakes a key role in the ongoing development and management of our Environmental Due Diligence and Sustainability operations across Spain, Italy and Portugal.
Paris
Béatrice Abribat Brun
Associate
Béatrice is our Associate in Paris. She holds degrees in Geography and Geology and has a Masters Degree in Waste and Pollution Management from the University of La Mans.
Béatrice has 15 years' experience in the environmental sector with a background in environmental due diligence, contaminated land and environmental site investigation, and environmental permitting. Her extensive knowledge of France's complicated environmental permitting system makes her an excellent auditor and skilled at identifying and addressing legal non-compliances and potential liability issues.
Lisbon
António Romão
Associate
António is our associate in Portugal, working closely with our offices in Madrid and London. He has over 30 years’ experience in environmental consultancy covering a wide range of projects for difference sectors internationally, with a strong focus in Portugal, Mozambique, Cabo Verde and Angola.
António's main areas of specialty are environmental due diligence, environmental and social assessment and management (including compliance with the safeguard policies of international financial institutions) and contaminated land. He also has extensive experience in the coordination of multidisciplinary, international teams.
Join Our Team.
Nova Ambiente is a thriving European consultancy. We have global coverage, but we’re still proud of our ‘local firm’ feel. We encourage everyone to contribute at high levels, and are committed to developing, retaining and rewarding our staff. Please see our careers tab.
