Meet the team
The Sustainability Team
The core Sustainability Team (shown below) also work closely with other colleagues across a range of areas of the University such as Procurement, Estates and Facilities (including Catering, Accommodation, Engineering, Facilities Services and Capital Projects), the Students' Union and academics.
To contact the Environmental Team, please email environment@bcu.ac.uk.
PVC Sustainability and Executive Dean HELS - Professor Ian Blair
Ian provides strategic direction for sustainability at an executive level, ensuring it underlines everything we do at Birmingham City University, including achieving our net zero targets which are an institutional priority. He is also responsible for delivering strong academic and strategic leadership in education, research, enterprise, and professional practice, alongside effective management of people, operations, and finances.
Head of Sustainability - Deborah Phelpstead
Deborah heads up the Sustainability Team at the University. She leads on the overall sustainability and net zero carbon strategy for the University and manages the Environmental Management System (EMS). She also focuses on other areas such as sustainable procurement, environmental input for capital projects and major refurbishments, and embedding sustainability across Birmingham City University’s strategy, policy and processes.
Energy Manager - Melanee Livesey
Melanee leads on energy management for the University, including delivery of the net zero agenda. She has responsibility for net zero strategy development and delivery, advises on energy, carbon and water for capital projects, develops energy efficiency projects, and manages utilities and carbon emissions for the estate.
Environmental Officer - Mark Hopkins
Mark leads on environmental communications work for Birmingham City University, including the development of events, engagement schemes and training. He focuses on the delivery of the University’s Sustainable Travel Plan and Biodiversity Action Plan and supporting the management of Birmingham City University’s EMS. Mark also supports on areas such as sustainable catering, embedding sustainability in the curriculum and waste management.
Environmental Officer – Rachel Bramwell
Rachel oversees the day-to-day management of Birmingham City University’s ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System, with key responsibilities including environmental compliance, internal auditing, and delivering training to promote sustainability across the University. In addition to these core duties, Rachel collaborates with the University's catering partner to advance sustainable catering practices and works closely with procurement colleagues to drive ethical and sustainable procurement, ensuring alignment with the University's environmental goals.
Environmental Assistant – Sam Clements
Sam focuses on sustainable transport, including the promotion and delivery of the University’s Travel Survey. He supports on the delivery of the University Sustainable Travel Plan and advises on the development of active travel options for students and staff. Sam also updates and monitors the team’s social media accounts.
Further Supporting Colleagues
Facilities Manager (Contracts) – Julie Stanyer
Julie leads on the management of our waste contracts, including monitoring waste figures and developing strategy and actions to reduce the amount of waste we generate and increase the proportion of recycling.
Quality Control Officer - Tracy Beech
As part of Tracy’s role, she supports The Facilities Manager with waste management by conducting waste audits across our sites to identify improvements, reduce contamination, check waste documentation and encourage waste reduction and recycling.
Head Gardener – Eamon Madden
Eamon is our Head Gardener and leads on encouraging biodiversity across our estate by planting native species and encouraging wildlife through installing bird boxes, feeders, and log piles to encourage insects. Eamon also supports staff and students to use our green spaces for projects and initiatives and is actively involved with Hedgehog Friendly Campus.
Staff engagement
To achieve the university’s ambitious sustainability targets, we require support from colleagues across all faculties and departments. To facilitate engagement with staff, we run a number of different initiatives to inspire action towards our sustainable goals, including Hedgehog Friendly Campus and the Environmental Champions scheme.
You can find out more about these initiatives on our Biodiversity and Get Involved page.