Trustees

Unit 3, Milverton House, Court Street, Leamington Spa

Emma Knights

CHAIR

Emma has worked in the voluntary sector for 40 years in a large number of roles from beginning as a community worker to Citizens Advice to Chief Executive of the National Governance Association which supports school governors and academy trustees. She is pleased to have led a Greener Governance initiative to encourage schools across England to take action on all aspects of environmental sustainability, inspired in large part by young people. Emma moved to Leamington Spa almost 20 years ago and joined the Action 21 board of trustees in 2024.

"I love the phrase 'Think global; act local'. Action21 through its supporters, many volunteers and small staff team makes a practical contribution to local action much needed to sustain our planet in all its glory. I am delighted to join you and look forward to helping to spread Action21's mission and environmental messages."

Nicola Barker

VICE-CHAIR

Nicola has worked in technology for most of her career, delivering software products and services to customers in areas including risk management, chemical safety and more recently sustainability software solutions. She has lived in Warwickshire for the past 20 years and has two children who are very environmentally conscious and curious.

“I’m really excited to be joining Action 21 and look forward to contributing to the brilliant work that supports local communities and encourages sustainability through practical re-use and education.”

Ramesh Patel

TREASURER

Ramesh Patel has over 40 years' experience working as an accountant. He currently works as an Investigations & Assurance Officer for a Regulator, where he provides senior management with comprehensive details on regulatory breaches and recommends appropriate actions to resolve noncompliance. He also has extensive experience in auditing, preparing financial statements, and taxation for various organisations.

Ramesh is passionate about sustainability and the reuse and recycling principles of Action21 Ltd align perfectly with his values.

John O'Maoileoin

TRUSTEE

John O’Maoileoin is the Group Sustainability Director for the CANPACK Group. CANPACK is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of aluminium, glass and steel packaging containers and has plants across the world including in Poland, the UK, Romania, USA, Brazil, UAE, Ukraine and India. Prior to working for CANPACK, John was the Corporate Responsibility Director for Aldi UK and Ireland, where he was responsible for packaging, agriculture, environmental issues, ethical trade and UK community programmes. Before joining Aldi he was Head of Corporate Responsibility for Dairy Crest PLC, which was the UK’s largest dairy company until it was bought by Saputo Dairy. He has also held the role of Communications Manager at Tesco PLC.

Outside of work, and in addition to being a trustee at Action 21, John is kept busy with two boys aged 5 and 9, and he is a School Governor at Clapham Terrace Primary School.

Ollie Roberts

TRUSTEE

As a geoscientist Ollie has always been fascinated with the study of Earth, and increasingly its protection. He has worked in the energy industry for 12 years in both technical and business roles internationally. Ollie is passionate about energy decarbonisation and efficiency in tackling the energy trilemma. As such, he has pivoted his career in recent years to focus on energy transition and leading sustainability transformation for his business, notably in emissions.

Having relocated to Leamington in 2022 with his young family, Ollie aspires to use his passion and knowledge to help further environmental awareness and impact in the local community through engagement, partnerships and advocacy with local government.

Ashique Panakkat

TRUSTEE

Ashique is a passionate advocate for sustainable living and climate change mitigation, bringing over 30 years of leadership experience in a global intelligent power management company across Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. An electrical engineer with a master’s degree in Decarbonisation and Climate Change, Ashique combines his professional expertise with a deep commitment to serving the local community.

As a resident of Warwick, he actively volunteers his time and energy to support initiatives that promote sustainability and community well-being, striving to make a lasting impact both locally and globally.

Jess Robin

TRUSTEE

Jess is new to Warwick and Leamington and new to Action 21, joining the board of trustees in January 2025. She has been involved in the climate movement for a number of years; first joining People and Planet Soc in 2004 as an undergraduate, and taking part in many protests and actions around Bristol. Fast forward 20 years, Jess now has a PhD and is a researcher at Coventry University, with interests in the circular economy and how people can be the catalyst for change especially in smaller locations that are often not as well resourced as cities. Before moving to Warwick, Jess lived in the North West of England where she helped to establish a zero-waste cooperative and was involved in town wide art projects.

She is a parent and a cyclist, often found holding up traffic with her kid filled bike trailer!