Meet the Team
Our passionate and dedicated team brings together a diverse range of skills and expertise to deliver exceptional results. From creative visionaries to meticulous strategists, we work seamlessly together to meet and exceed our clients’ expectations.
Stephen Martin
MANAGING DIRECTOR
stephen.martin@cheshire-solutions.com
Steve brings over 20 years of leadership in the energy sector, specializing in recruitment, operations, and business growth, with a strong focus on renewable energy and talent development.
With vast experience of delivering talent and project consultancy solutions globally to the world’s largest energy organisations, Steve has an exceptional depth of understanding of doing business in the most challenging of locations. Having been accountable to deliver global recruitment and business development strategies, he has implemented innovative ideas to improve group performance and profitability. He has experience of leading tenders for some of the largest contracts in the recruitment industry and his commercial awareness and negotiation skills are excellent.
Steve is a very outgoing person with excellent communication skills, has always enjoyed being part of a successful team, and founded Cheshire Solutions in 2022.
Areas of Expertise:
Recruitment
Business Development
Project Delivery
Leadership and People Management
Commercial negotiations
Compliance and Operations
With vast experience of delivering talent and project consultancy solutions globally to the world’s largest energy organisations, Steve has an exceptional depth of understanding of doing business in the most challenging of locations. Having been accountable to deliver global recruitment and business development strategies, he has implemented innovative ideas to improve group performance and profitability. He has experience of leading tenders for some of the largest contracts in the recruitment industry and his commercial awareness and negotiation skills are excellent.
Steve is a very outgoing person with excellent communication skills, has always enjoyed being part of a successful team, and founded Cheshire Solutions in 2022.
Areas of Expertise:
Recruitment
Business Development
Project Delivery
Leadership and People Management
Commercial negotiations
Compliance and Operations
Ian Antrobus
DIRECTOR
ian.antrobus@cheshire-solutions.com
Ian brings over 20 years of recruitment and operations experience in the global energy industry, delivering talent and project solutions across the UK, USA, and Dubai with a focus on efficiency, compliance, and success.
Ian is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in various leadership roles within the recruitment and project consultancy industry. Currently serving as a director at Cheshire Solutions, Ian leads a team dedicated to providing top-quality services for clients’ renewable energy strategies. With a strong background in operations management, workforce management, recruiting, and sales, Ian has successfully driven business growth and focused on delivering tailored solutions for clients. His previous roles include National Sales Director at a major infrastructure support company, Business Development Director at an engineering consultancy firm, Managing Director at rail infrastructure business, and Regional Director at a global workforce solutions provider, among others. With a track record of success in managing diverse teams and achieving significant revenue growth, Ian is a valuable asset in the field of recruitment and project consultancy.
Areas of expertise:
Recruitment
Business Development
Project Delivery
Leadership and People Management
Commercial negotiations
Compliance and Operations
Steve is a very outgoing person with excellent communication skills, has always enjoyed being part of a successful team, and founded Cheshire Solutions in 2022.
Areas of Expertise:
Recruitment
Business Development
Project Delivery
Leadership and People Management
Commercial negotiations
Compliance and Operations
Ian is a seasoned professional with extensive experience in various leadership roles within the recruitment and project consultancy industry. Currently serving as a director at Cheshire Solutions, Ian leads a team dedicated to providing top-quality services for clients’ renewable energy strategies. With a strong background in operations management, workforce management, recruiting, and sales, Ian has successfully driven business growth and focused on delivering tailored solutions for clients. His previous roles include National Sales Director at a major infrastructure support company, Business Development Director at an engineering consultancy firm, Managing Director at rail infrastructure business, and Regional Director at a global workforce solutions provider, among others. With a track record of success in managing diverse teams and achieving significant revenue growth, Ian is a valuable asset in the field of recruitment and project consultancy.
Areas of expertise:
Recruitment
Business Development
Project Delivery
Leadership and People Management
Commercial negotiations
Compliance and Operations
Mark Graham
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
mark.graham@cheshire-solutions.com
With 35+ years in senior roles at major energy companies like Shell and ENI, Mark specializes in project and contract management, expertly leading complex global energy projects.
With vast experience of delivering talent and project consultancy solutions globally to the world’s largest energy organisations, Steve has an exceptional depth of understanding of doing business in the most challenging of locations. Having been accountable to deliver global recruitment and business development strategies, he has implemented innovative ideas to improve group performance and profitability. He has experience of leading tenders for some of the largest contracts in the recruitment industry and his commercial awareness and negotiation skills are excellent.
Steve is a very outgoing person with excellent communication skills, has always enjoyed being part of a successful team, and founded Cheshire Solutions in 2022.
Areas of Expertise:
Recruitment
Business Development
Project Delivery
Leadership and People Management
Commercial negotiations
Compliance and Operations
With over 35 years of experience in senior roles at major IOC’s such as Shell and ENI, Mark is a seasoned Business Professional specializing in project and commercial contract management. Known for his hands-on approach and motivation, he excels in driving organizational change and implementing innovative solutions for continuous improvement.
Experienced in leading large teams and managing diverse international projects ranging from $1bn to $10bn, his expertise spans Onshore and Floating LNG, Gas Processing, Refinery, Power, Upstream, and Pipeline projects. In his current role as Executive Director and EVP of projects at a venture start-up company, Mark leverages his extensive Oil & Gas background to drive business development initiatives. Committed to HSSE standards and skilled in multicultural environments, he brings a wealth of experience to every project he undertakes.
Areas of Expertise:
Project Management
EPC Contracting
New Venture Start-Ups
Floating Power Barge
Business Development.
Brian Young
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
brian.young@cheshire-solutions.com
Brian is a senior engineering and project management professional with 45 years of experience at Shell International B.V., leading global energy projects and improving production, efficiency, and infrastructure.
Brian is an experienced senior engineering and project management professional with extensive domestic and international service with Shell International B.V. He is a versatile practitioner with ‘hands-on’ knowledge and proven track record of operations, asset management, engineering and project management in the Energy industry.
Brian joined Shell in 1970, working in downstream refining and chemicals, primarily in asset/engineering management, before moving to both local and international projects. During the latter part of his Shell career, as the shareholder representative, he was responsible for the execution of a global portfolio of projects. He established the Shell Project Academy aimed at improving the competency and capability for project management within the Shell Group. Following retirement from Shell, Brian has worked on a wide range of project and asset management assignments, and he joined Cheshire Solutions as a shareholder and Technical Director in September 2023.
Areas of Expertise:
Asset Integrity and Performance Management
Engineering, Maintenance and Turnaround execution
Project Development and Execution, incl. governance, management, and assurance
Change and Transition Management
Coaching and Development
Supply Chain Optimization
Lewis Bensley
MANAGING CONSULTANT PERMANENT RECRUITMENT
lewis.bensley@cheshire-solutions.com
Lewis is a seasoned professional with a decade of experience and a proven track record in recruitment, business development, and project delivery, known for driving growth through innovative, bespoke sourcing strategies.
With a focus on the energy transition, Lewis is a specialist within the biofuels sector and has a strong network in engineering, project control, and business development. Having spent over 10 years in recruitment, Lewis is focused on the biofuels sector and has placed a number of industry leaders. Having held key leadership positions at reputable organizations, he has the ability to manage people and develop talent. His experience in implementing innovative and managed service solutions further solidifies his reputation as a versatile and accomplished individual in the field.
Josie Glorioso
SENIOR CONSULTANT
Josie has 15 years of experience delivering global talent solutions in the energy sector, with expertise in Project Controls, Engineering, and Exploration, and a strong international candidate network.
With vast experience of delivering talent solutions globally to the world’s largest energy organisations, Josie has all the skills, knowledge and networks required to deliver clients a best-in-class service. She has experience managing teams of recruiters to drive growth of individuals’ skills and company profit. With strong commercial awareness and a natural ability to build relationships, she has account managed major energy clients, ensuring significant growth, KPI’s are adhered to and long-lasting partnership relationships are developed.
Josie is tri-lingual (Spanish, English and Italian), is a very outgoing person with excellent communication skills, and has worked with the leadership team at Cheshire Solutions since 2010.
Areas of Expertise:
Recruitment
Project Delivery
Account Management
Leadership and People Management
Relationship Management
Philip Holland
ASSOCIATE - PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Phil brings nearly 50 years of global experience, having served as Executive VP of Projects at Shell, leading complex onshore and offshore energy and infrastructure projects worldwide.
Recognized as an expert in cross-functional project delivery, Phil brings deep expertise in managing the full lifecycle of large-scale projects—from conceptual design and engineering to procurement, construction, commissioning, and operations. Their extensive leadership experience spans challenging locations, including Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Nigeria, India, Kazakhstan, China, and Australia.
Over the years, Phil has delivered landmark projects such as the $15 billion Athabasca Oil Sands Expansion, the $4 billion Nanhai Petrochemical Complex in China, and the $4.5 billion Shell eastern Petrochemicals Project in Singapore. Prior to joining Shell, Phil led a department of over 300 professionals at Bechtel’s London office, driving project controls for major developments across EMEA in petroleum, chemicals, fossil power, civil, rail, and aviation sectors. Additionally, Phil managed joint venture operations in Nigeria, delivering vital oil and gas projects with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
A respected leader in the industry, Phil is known for a commitment to operational excellence, risk mitigation, and executing and delivering projects safely, compliantly on time, and on budget.
Geoff Smethills
ASSOCIATE - PROJECT MANAGEMENT
During his career in Shell Geoff has held numerous leadership positions in major engineering project development and delivery in multicultural environments. His projects have mainly been complex brownfield with significant operational interface, often requiring leadership of major turnarounds. As Global Discipline Head he was responsible for the development of Shell’s 1500+ project engineering staff and the companies Project Management Framework for development and delivery of their $20B annual capital project program. He also led Shell’s technology development program ‘Future of Construction’.
Geoff now lives in Shropshire working as a project lecturer and consultant as well as a senior advisor to a number of digital technology providers.
Rhys Davies
ASSOCIATE - PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Rhys is a seasoned consultant with 35+ years of global experience in operations, engineering, and project delivery in the oil and gas sector, specializing in business transformation and major energy projects.
Rhys’s project realization and assurance expertise have been instrumental in the successful delivery of many high complex and high-value projects.
As a senior leader in Shell Global Solutions, Rhys led global consultancy teams to design and deliver integrated business improvement programs for Shell’s joint ventures and strategic partners. His work spanned operational excellence, asset management, turnaround strategy, competence management, project strategy and delivery, and organizational design. These programs not only closed performance gaps but also unlocked significant value, delivering measurable improvements of up to $100 million per year for clients worldwide.
In addition to his technical expertise, Rhys pioneered Shell’s approach to client engagement and consultancy delivery. He initiated and led the development of an award-winning cloud-based collaboration platform that streamlined client-consultant interactions and accelerated value delivery.
His more recent consultancy work involves guiding clients from initial project concept through development, execution, and into stable, reliable, and long-term value-adding operation. Rhys’s hallmark is his ability to translate complex technical and operational challenges into pragmatic, results-oriented strategies.
Rachel Crocker
ASSOCIATE - RISK MANAGEMENT
Rachel brings 35+ years of experience at a major energy operator, specializing in risk management, governance, and delivering optimized solutions for complex energy projects.
Rachel specialises in operational risk assessment, value management, and collaborative solution development, guiding organisations through uncertainty to improve performance. She brings experience supporting mergers and acquisitions through risk analysis in contractual, commercial, legal/antitrust and technical areas. Delivering pilot-to-final risk solutions by establishing clear governance, defining roles and reporting lines, aligning outcomes with long-term business objectives, value strategies and embedding resilience into project delivery.
Rachel has a strong technical, commercial, and consulting background in the Oil and Gas, Petrochemical and more recently the Wind industry. Known for strategic thinking, strong interpersonal skills, and a results-driven approach. Bringing a blend of analytical insight, risk management expertise, value assurance, and the ability to lead diverse teams in complex, international environments.
Vikas Khaitan
ASSOCIATE – ESTIMATING
Vikas has 25+ years of experience in estimating for major energy companies, specializing in EPC onshore oil & gas projects and energy transition initiatives, including Sustainable Aviation Fuel plants.
He brings all his experience and enthusiasm into any business by helping to keep costs / estimating in the forefront of all engineering effort / discussions, helping with optimising the designs, providing cost inputs into various investment decisions and Business Development discussions and proposals. He has the expertise to bring together different disciplines from engineering, to supply chain, to project management, to finance etc. to inform the development of estimating tools and practices to support any business needs.
He is passionate about estimating as a discipline and have been a member of Controls & Skills Authority UK (previously ACostE) since 2005 and a member of AACE International since 2011. He is also a Certified Estimating Professional as certified by AACE International since 2014 (https://bcert.me/sksfbske). He possess a deep understanding of the low carbon technologies, their economic & funding modelling, their legal & social consequences and have been actively utilising his skills to fruitfully contribute to the energy transition.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from National Institute of Technology, Warangal, India since 1998 and a Master of Science in Energy degree from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK since 2024.
Philip Hunter
ASSOCIATE - LNG/FLNG
Philip Hunter is an LNG/FLNG consultant with 40+ years of global experience, recognized as a leading technical expert in natural gas liquefaction, engineering, and project delivery.
He has been involved in different sectors of major LNG and gas processing projects from feasibility study, management of technology, conceptual design, project engineering and construction to plant commissioning, start-up and operation. He has also managed teams in production planning and shipping and finance/contract negotiations both on the owner side and EPC contractor side. Other areas of expertise lie in marketing, business development and client management. He has authored or coauthored several technical papers in the field of LNG and made numerous technical presentations at prestigious international conferences.
John Hogan
ASSOCIATE – REFINING, SUPPLY AND DISTRIBUTION
John is a refinery business improvement and supply chain expert with 40+ years in the energy sector, having led operational excellence, asset management, and transformation initiatives for Shell Far East Russia.
His career is marked by multiple successes in driving change and improving profitability both within Shell and with companies such as Alliance Russia, Tupras Turkey, KMG Romania, Shell Africa, Shell Latin America, and others. He has very good business and operational skills both in acquisition, negotiation, and delivery, and is at ease working in multicultural environments, leading teams to develop new strategies and delivering them.
He joined Shell in 1980, working in downstream refining and chemicals in projects and maintenance, then moving to become a production manager. He then moved to London as a market analyst before moving into Supply and Distribution consultancy, where he oversaw the successful new market entry in Venezuela. He then became principle consultant for lubricants supply chain and main fuels distribution globally before becoming Account and Service Manager for refining in Russia, Europe and Africa. His last role in Shell was to win a $30 million refineries operational excellence improvement program with KNPC, Kuwait.
Areas of Specialisation
Program management and small to medium project management
Supply and Distribution including auditing
Business performance improvement and Operational Excellence in Refining
Asset Integrity Management
Supply chain optimisation
HSE lead
Paul Collins
ASSOCIATE - PRODUCTIVITY REVIEWS
Paul is a global energy industry leader, driving productivity and efficiency through data-driven strategies that optimize workflows, reduce costs, improve reliability, and enhance operational performance.
With a foundation in Instrumentation Engineering in the nuclear industry, Paul developed a strong technical and operational background, which enabled him to quickly progress into Planning, Estimating, and Project Controls. In these roles, he successfully managed major nuclear projects and was entrusted with establishing a new Cost Engineering department for a leading client, driving improvements in cost control, forecasting accuracy, and project delivery performance.
Transitioning to the Oil & Gas sector, he led the development of innovative productivity solutions, including the Work Activity Norms book—a comprehensive framework that standardises and benchmarks productivity metrics across refineries and complex industrial projects. This was implemented on a global basis across Shell’s major refineries to drive £100m+ worth of savings and was later utilised by other operators all over the world.
Nick Blamphin
ASSOCIATE — MAINTENANCE, RELIABILITY AND TURNAROUND
Nick has 30+ years in the energy sector, specializing in Asset Integrity, Reliability, and Operations, leading teams to deliver high-performing Maintenance, Turnaround, and Service Contract results efficiently.
Nick has particular expertise in large Maintenance Outages and Turnarounds and he brings a substantial depth of capability in the processes, tools and techniques needed for OpCos and their Service Suppliers to deliver successful Events under the most demanding of situations and challenges.
Areas of Expertise:
Asset Integrity and Performance Management
Engineering, Maintenance and Turnaround execution
Turnaround development process incl. governance, management and assurance
Contract, Strategic Partnering and JV Management
Coaching and Development
Andrew Titley
ASSOCIATE - OPERATIONS AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Operational leader and technical strategist with global experience delivering complex projects, driving innovation, and leading high-performing teams across diverse industries such as Nuclear.
With a career spanning multiple sectors and continents, Andy brings a proven track record in leading large-scale, high-stakes initiatives from concept to completion. He specialises in project leadership, operational strategy, and stakeholder engagement—consistently delivering results on time and within budget. Whether managing risk, negotiating contracts, or driving continuous improvement, Andy combines technical insight with business acumen to solve problems, optimise performance, and create lasting value. His focus is on building strong teams, aligning strategy with execution, and fostering collaboration that drives innovation and sustainable growth.
David Moxham
ASSOCIATE - CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT
Dave has 40+ years of global experience in project and construction management, delivering complex energy projects across offshore, onshore, upstream, and downstream sectors with strategic and technical expertise.
David has led major capital projects through all phases—Assess, Select, Define, and Execute—in both greenfield and brownfield environments, with project values ranging from USD 1.8 million to over USD 10 billion.
He has worked from both Owner/Operator and Contractor perspectives, and now serves as an Independent Consultant. His expertise spans operated and non-operated ventures, where he excels at managing complex stakeholder dynamics, political interfaces, and associated risks.
Internationally experienced, David has delivered projects across multiple regions while promoting Local Business Development and mentoring local talent. He is also recognised for establishing industry-leading HSSE&SP and behavioural safety programs.
Professionally accredited and widely respected for his leadership, interpersonal skills, and ability to build high-performing, diverse teams, David consistently drives safe, efficient, and value-driven outcomes.
Simon Proctor
ASSOCIATE - PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Simon brings over 25 years Petro-Chemical Industry experience in a range of Senior Leadership and technical roles across Major EPC Projects, Manufacturing, Engineering, Asset Management, Reliability, Turnarounds and Commissioning.
Through early career at BP Chemicals and later Mitsubishi Chemical – he developed a strong underpinning technical knowledge in a high hazard and highly regulated environment, moving on to deliver Major Projects consisting of complex scopes, investment competition and sanctioning, Global tendering, Global procurement and complex construction strategies within challenging commercial and Economic Environments.
Experienced in the Organisational design and mobilisation of multi-functional, multi-disciplinary and globally distributed teams in the execution of EPC Projects and the implementation of Major Project Strategies, Governance and Assurance Frameworks.
Having held accountability for Portfolio and Programme Management – Simon has in addition executed a diverse range of Regulatory, Business Improvement, Asset Management and Optimisation Projects within a global context.
Career achievements include an IChemE Global Team Award in recognition of the strong focus on teamwork, collaboration and stakeholder engagement and he has led large teams and consultants through a range of Major consenting and permitting requirements – including COMAH, Environmental Permitting, Government Grants and Major Planning Applications.
Areas of Expertise:
- EPC Project Leadership, Governance, Contracting and Full Lifecycle Execution including Commissioning
- Asset Integrity, Maintenance and TAR Governance and Management
- Strategy, Portfolio and Programme Management
- Business and Process Optimisation – Lean Six Sigma
- Clients Regulatory and Technical Compliance Frameworks