The Smart Villages Team
Dr Bernie Jones
Managing Director
Bernie has more than 20 years’ experience of working at the interface of technology and international development. He is passionate about creating equality of opportunity, and sustainable impact. He previously worked at the Royal Society, Shaw Trust, UNESCO and British Airways. He is a graduate of the Universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh.
Dr Anna Clements
Strategy Adviser
Anna has more than 5 years’ experience in energy access and efficiency technologies, community engagement and development in East Africa. She is a champion of environmental sustainability, diversity and community empowerment. She is a graduate of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
Dr Laura Allerston
commercial director
Laura has more than 12 years’ experience in the clean energy industry, with the last 8 focusing on energy access opportunities and international development. She has a particular interest in sustainability and circular solutions. Her degrees were obtained from the Universities of Birmingham and Hull.
Leigh Ingram
Head of operations
Leigh is an operations and finance professional with over 20 years of experience in logistics, financial reporting, project management, and business process improvement. She excels in optimising processes and solving complex challenges, ensuring accuracy, compliance, and efficiency while delivering strategic solutions that drive sustainable growth and long-term impact.
Natasha Wilson
head of technology
Natasha is dedicated to crafting impactful solutions grounded in a deep understanding of social contexts and community needs. Armed with an MEng from the University of Cambridge and complementary anthropology and business strategy studies at Harvard, she channels experience from fast-paced technical consulting and a multinational development NGO.
Osian Rees
senior Development Engineer
Osian has over 7 years’ experience working in renewable energy development, including solar, wind and wave energy. He is passionate about developing technological solutions to tackle the climate crisis. He is a graduate of the MEng Engineering Design programme at the University of Bristol.
Catherine Gwynne-Evans
senior Manager
Catherine is dedicated to community engagement and business development and has worked in this field for over five years. She previously worked in green economy development in South Africa, with a particular focus on green finance and energy service delivery. Catherine has a background in economics and most recently she completed an MPhil in planning and sustainable development at the University of Cambridge.
Anastasia Joyce
Project & research Manager
Having coordinated a major national literary festival in the historic Hampton Court Palace, and produced shows in locations ranging from an outdoor-clifftop theatre in Cornwall, to the infamous underground Edinburgh vaults, Anastasia is adept at navigating the unpredictable. She has a literary background with a BA in English Literature from the University of Cambridge, and an MSc in Narrative Futures from the University of Edinburgh, and has several years’ experience as a freelance editor, working for clients including the United Nations, UNDP and WFP. With a particular interest in migration, Anastasia is deeply invested in community-centric sustainable-development solutions that address some of the issues that can lead to forced migration.
alice gwynne-evans
project & business development manager
Alice brings an analytical, system-oriented perspective to problem solving and the development of practical, impact-driven solutions. She has a background in environmental and energy consulting, with experience spanning climate science, carbon accounting, and energy efficiency projects in low-income communities. She is a graduate of the University of Cape Town.
charlotte Evans
project & community engagement manager
Charlotte is dedicated to building development solutions that are sustainable, just, and grounded in community empowerment. She has several years’ experience spanning research, policy, and project implementation, including with UNEP in Nairobi and an international refugee NGO in Sydney. Charlotte brings her experience of environmental change and community engagement into the energy sector, where she is passionate about enhancing rural energy access through community-led solutions. She holds an MA in Geography and Social Anthropology from the University of St Andrews and an MPhil in Anthropocene Studies from the University of Cambridge.
leia wright
development engineer
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Jonathan Mayoye
Field Engineer
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Advisers
Prof Sir Brian Heap
An originator of the Smart Villages concept and Associate of the Department for Development Studies at the University of Cambridge. Formerly President of the European Academies Science Advisory Council, Master of St Edmund’s College, and Foreign Secretary and Vice-President of the Royal Society.
Dr John Holmes
Co-leader of the original Smart Villages research initiative (2014 – 2017). Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford and Environmental Services Consultant.
Dr Terry van Gevelt
Associate Professor of Urban Sustainability and Lee Kong Chian Fellow at the College of Integrative Studies, Singapore Management University.
Interested in joining the team?
We’d love to hear from you – see our current vacancies or get in touch to register your interest.