Our leadership team

Ubico’s Board of Directors is responsible for the ongoing oversight of the company and its operations, ensuring value is delivered for our shareholders. The board comprises of independent and local authority (shareholder) nominated Non Executive Directors, and Executive Directors.

Two board sub-committees support the board in key governance areas; a Risk and Audit Committee and a Governance and Nominations Committee. The committees are chaired by Non-Executive Directors and report to the main Board, and have a wide-ranging brief to develop policies and procedures that ensure the board effectively manages risk and embeds good governance.

Membership of the Ubico Board of Directors is listed below. To read the Board Terms of Reference please click here.

The Governance and Nominations Committee supports the board in ensuring the company has the necessary financial, human and other resources in place to achieve its aims, priorities and plans, and in reviewing the company’s key policies.

To find out more about the Governance and Nominations Committee and read the Terms of Reference click here.

The Risk and Audit Committee provides support and guidance to the board of directors and oversee the company in the area of risk and audit, and will ensure the integrity of the company’s financial, internal control and risk management systems.

To find out more about the Risk and Audit Committee and read the Terms of Reference click here.

Ubico’s Executive Directors are:

Beth Boughton, Managing Director

Beth has worked in the waste management and environmental sector since 2004, working in the private sector before joining Cheltenham Borough Council in 2006 to manage their frontline recycling services.

An integral part of the team who set up Ubico in 2012, Beth then managed the company’s operational services as Ubico experienced rapid growth, growing to seven shareholder councils by 2016. Beth became Operations Director in 2019 and due to her strong leadership and extensive experience, knowledge and expertise became Interim Managing Director in February 2020, a role which became permanent later in the year.

Brian Jarvis, Finance Director

Brian is a qualified accountant with over 20 years’ experience, the majority of which has been in managed service provision to central & local government, working in senior roles at Airwave, SunGard, Capita & Horsebridge.

He joined Ubico in 2022 as Head of Finance and has been responsible for building the finance team, managing audits and agreeing budgets with the Ubico’s local authority shareholder partners along with enhancing the relationships with partners and building on the Ubico structures and processes. He was appointed as Deputy Finance Director quickly progressing into the Interim Finance Director role, a role which was made permanent in September 2025.

He has good people skills and has experience of both winning significant new business and building on existing contracts with central and local government. During his previous roles as Finance Director, he was responsible for Commercial, Procurement, HR & Legal teams amongst others using a diverse range of skills and building strong relationships across organisations. Brian has significant experience of building and delivering both financial and commercial strategies from his previous executive roles and consistently demonstrates an ability to work across an organisation and bring people together building stronger relationships and improved outcomes.

Ubico’s Non Executive Directors are:

Bill McCarthy, Independent Non Executive Director and Chair of the Board

Bill began his career as an advertising and marketing professional and, after progressing through several advertising agencies, became the youngest Board Director of a major UK advertising agency at the age of 29.

In 1994 he joined Sanders & Sidney and was promoted to Operations Director in 1996 as part of the team which bought KPMG’s outplacement business. As a result of this and a fundamental change in strategy, the business grew to be the largest of its kind in the UK and enabled the group to acquire various businesses and develop a capability for a broad range of HR services to be offered to the marketplace.

Bill progressed to become Strategic Development Director of the group until 2005, when he was appointed for the second time as managing director of the Career Consulting business also serving as president of ACP. Bill continued to coach senior people throughout this time as it is a passion of his and he is committed to assisting senior executives to make the right decisions about their performance and careers.

In addition to being Chair of Ubico, Bill is also Chair of New Vista Homes Ltd, Care is Central Ltd and the Central Bedfordshire Group Ltd.

Mark Bramwell, Independent Non-Executive Director (Observer) Chair of the Board from February 2027

Mark is the CDIO of Saïd Business School - University of Oxford, a globally renowned world Top 10 ranked business school and Director of Strategic Digital Partnerships for the University of Oxford, the No 1 Financial Times ranked university in the world.

He is also currently a Trustee of the Royal Academy of Dance, member of the Sheffield Business School Advisory Board, and NED of the Global CIO Forum.

Before joining Saïd Business School Mark spent 9 years as Head of IT for the Wellcome Trust, prior to which he worked as Head of IT Development for WHSmith Limited.

Mark has also served as Chair of the Corporate IT Forum for 3 years (a subscribing body of 20,000 UK IT Professionals) as well as a Non-Executive Director on the Boards of The Houses of Parliament and House of Lords, The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, The Brandon Trust and Circle Care and Support.

Known for his skills in customer service, business transformation, relationships, IT/digital strategy and building high performing teams, he was named in the 2015 UKTech50 most influential IT Leaders in the UK IT industry, the 2015, 2016, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 CIO 100 UK, the 2024, 2025 and 2026 World CIO 200, 2025 and 2026 Global CIO 100 and inducted into the 2026 CIO Hall of Fame.

A Fellow of the British Computer Society (FBCS), Mark is a Business and Finance graduate of Sheffield Hallam University.

Mark is married with 2 children and lives in Wiltshire.

Mat Cooling, Independent Non Executive Director and Chair of the Risk and Audit Committee

Mathew is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (FCPFA) and holds an MBA. He has more than 17 years’ experience in audit, risk, governance and assurance across the public, private and regulated sectors, including housing, higher education, financial services, central government and local government.

Throughout his career, Mathew has held senior leadership roles responsible for internal audit, risk and assurance, supporting boards and executive teams to strengthen governance, manage risk and improve organisational performance. His experience includes establishing and leading integrated risk and assurance functions, as well as advising organisations on financial oversight, internal control, transformation and the commercial delivery of public services.

Mathew has more than a decade of non-executive and committee experience. He is Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and a Board Member at Aster Group and also serves as an Independent Member of Ofwat’s Audit and Risk Assurance Committee. At Ubico, Mathew chairs the Risk and Audit Committee.

Elena Melnik, Independent Non Executive Director

Elena is a highly experienced finance executive and Non-Executive Director with a distinguished career spanning investment management, private equity, real estate, financial services, and local government. She brings deep expertise in finance, governance, risk management, strategy, and organisational transformation to the Ubico Board.

Most recently, Elena served as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Board Director at Lothbury Investment Management, where she led the firm's financial strategy, enterprise risk framework, and operational transformation programme following private equity investment. Throughout her career, she has held senior leadership roles at BNY Mellon, J.P. Morgan Private Bank, UBS, and PwC, overseeing multi-billion-pound portfolios and leading initiatives in mergers and acquisitions, capital strategy, regulatory engagement, and organisational change.

Earlier in her career, Elena worked within the Treasury Department of Auckland City Council, providing valuable insight into the public sector environment and local government operations.

In addition to her executive career, Elena serves as a Non-Executive Director on several regulated boards and is a member of remuneration committees, contributing her expertise in governance, financial stewardship, risk oversight, and strategic leadership.

Elena is an ACA-qualified Chartered Accountant through Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand.

Claire Hughes, Local Authority nominated Non Executive Director

Alongside her role on the Ubico board, Claire is also the Director for Governance and Customer Services at Cheltenham Borough Council. A qualified solicitor, Claire has worked in Local Government for over 25 years including at County and District level as well as within a wholly owned Local Authority Company.

Claire is a passionate advocate for Local Government and good governance. She has a real desire to get things done and to support change which makes a positive difference to the communities in which she works.

Nigel Brinn, Local Authority nominated Non Executive Director

Nigel is an experienced local authority professional who has a proven track record of service delivery in the private and public sector. He is currently Chief Executive of the Forest of Dean District Council and provides the strategic leadership and direction of the Council, leading on delivering the Council’s priorities in an efficient and effective way, fulfilling the role of lead commissioner for all contracted services.

With a first degree in Minerals Estate Management, a master’s degree in business administration and over 34 years senior managerial experience in both the private and public sector, Nigel has extensive experience in service delivery, providing him with an invaluable insight. He is a Chartered Waste Manager (CIWM) and has held numerous board appointments during his career including being the Managing Director of a local authority owned waste company, a director of a Joint Venture Highways Consultancy with Capita and a Director of a Joint Venture Housing Maintenance Partnership with Kier. He is currently Non-Executive Director of Enveco ( Blackpool Waste Services), as well as undertaking the role of Non-Executive Director at Ubico.

Ollie Woodhams, Local Authority nominated Non Executive Director
Ollie is Director of Finance at Gloucestershire County Council, where he leads the organisation's financial management, internal audit and procurement functions. He has held a number of senior corporate and operational leadership roles within local government, including positions at Somerset Council and Plymouth City Council, with experience spanning service delivery, corporate services and commercial operations.

A Chartered Public Finance Accountant (CIPFA), Ollie is passionate about creating value for communities through effective public service delivery and helping organisations make the best use of public resources. He is also a strong advocate for developing high-performing teams and creating an environment where people can grow, succeed and deliver their best for residents and customers.

Sarah Valdus, Local Authority nominated Non Executive Director

Sarah has more than 25 years’ experience in waste management, environmental services and local government. She has led major waste collection, disposal and recycling contracts, extensive budget management experience and overseen a wide range of frontline environmental services. Sarah also brings direct joint venture experience, having led the transfer of a waste collection and street cleansing service to another joint venture in a previous local government role and provided senior client-side oversight of its performance. Her experience in governance, commercial contract management, service transformation and partnership working enables her to provide informed challenge and strategic support to the Board.