CIBSE Executive Team

Ruth has been the Chief Executive of CIBSE since May 2021. With over 25 years of experience, Ruth has a proven track record in launching, leading and transforming international, community-focused organisations to achieve sustainable growth across the education, publishing, information product, events, training, digital and media sectors. 

Ruth's global leadership experience spans from Shanghai to San Francisco and many places in between. Before joining CIBSE, she held senior roles in the media and information sector, including Managing Director at the Daily Telegraph and Divisional Chief Executive at UBM (now known as Informa Plc). 

Ruth is a board-appointed trustee of Engineering UK and serves as a Non-Executive Director for Actuate UK and the Association of Exhibition Organisers. She is passionate about developing people and is an executive mentor for the UK Government-backed mentoring program, ‘Be the Businesses’. 

Chris Winston is the Director of Finance and Operations at CIBSE, bringing a wealth of financial leadership experience across various sectors. Before joining CIBSE, Chris was Finance Director at The Future Care Group for over seven years, where he led a 20-strong central support team to ensure seamless care operations across multiple care homes.
 
Prior to that, Chris has held senior roles at Houlihan Lokey and HSBC, overseeing critical financial functions and regulatory reporting for global businesses. With a strong background in financial control, strategic planning and leadership, Chris has demonstrated a commitment to operational excellence throughout his career. Chris is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Accountants for England and Wales (FCA) and holds an MSc in Demography and a BSc in Economics from the University of Wales, Cardiff. His extensive experience and expertise make him an asset to CIBSE as it continues to drive forward its strategic goals.

With a robust foundation in Economics and Communications from the University of Wyoming, Michael, has cultivated a dynamic, 15-year international career in Operations and Change roles. A recipient of the prestigious Bunson Finance Fellowship at Brandeis University, Michael earned an MBA in International Operations and Finance, refining his financial and global business perspective while serving as an Operations Manager at Google Books.

He advanced to Capital One as a Senior Operations Analyst, where he demonstrated a commitment to continuous learning. This led him to obtain a Professional Certificate in Innovation and Emerging Technology from Stanford University and Six Sigma Green & Black Belt certifications from BMGI. Embracing an opportunity to work with robotics in new Amazon facilities, he further expanded his technical knowledge with a Certificate in Agile Project Management from the University of Colorado, all while excelling in change and operational leadership roles.

His blend of financial expertise, operational excellence and project management skills culminated in his appointment as Director of Operations at Freightquote, a CH Robinson Company. There, he centralised operations and developed processes to enhance operational excellence, reducing costs both in the US and Europe.

Now serving as the Director of Operations at CIBSE, Michael brings a commercial mindset to overseeing HR, IT, CRM, Facilities and the PMO. His multifaceted experience and leadership continue to drive operational efficiency and strategic growth within the organisation.

Richard is the Director of Membership at CIBSE, bringing over a decade of experience leading teams within some of the UK's and the world's most prestigious membership bodies. With a career spanning more than 20 years in commercial education and people development, he has a proven track record in driving membership growth and developing commercial membership-related products. He has also successfully built and led membership business development teams.

Richard possesses a deep understanding of how membership organisations can deliver greater value to their members and achieve global growth. His expertise ensures that CIBSE continues to enhance its offerings and expand its reach in the built environment sector.

Simon is a strategic and inspiring Managing Director with over 20 years of senior management experience in the media industry. Throughout his career, he has successfully managed diverse and global portfolios encompassing events, magazines, awards, conferences, digital content platforms and subscription products. He served as Chair of the Association of Event Organisers (AEO) during the challenging COVID-19 period and was the Guest Editor of Exhibition News. As the current MD of CIBSE Services Ltd, Simon has overseen remarkable growth, with turnover more than doubling from £1.7m to £4m in just three years. Additionally, he holds the position of Non-Executive Director at Farnborough International Ltd, the organisation responsible for the Farnborough Airshow.

Simon is a passionate and energetic leader with extensive international experience, having led large-scale global teams. He has launched and managed multi-media brands in regions such as India, China, the Middle East, the UK and Africa. At CIBSE, he oversees the training, events, and content businesses, continuing to drive growth and innovation. His work with various professional bodies includes a notable tenure at IOSH, where he was responsible for the PPA award-winning SHP Magazine and their annual exhibition and conference.

Simon is recognised as a strategic leader, having played a pivotal role in UBM's successful "Events First" strategy and leading a major transformation that radically restructured the entire EMEA business. He has a proven track record of originating, executing and integrating a range of acquisitions. He prides himself on his drive, action-oriented approach and ability to deliver exceptional results.

Melissa is an experienced leader with over 15 years of experience in the membership sector, specialising in developing and growing membership and commercial revenues globally. She has a strong background in initiating and leading extensive change management initiatives to drive performance marketing by embedding strategic initiatives and fostering a high-performance culture. Throughout her career, Melissa has achieved notable success in leading world-class teams across marketing, digital and communications.

She developed an e-commerce strategy that delivered £3.9m in product revenue, achieving 101% of the target. Melissa's expertise in performance marketing is further evidenced by her ability to enhance team efficiency, resulting in a cost/benefit ratio impact of +£127k. Her marketing prowess is highlighted by her success in exceeding stretch marketing targets, delivering £12.6m against a £12.2m target, showcasing her skills in marketing attribution and performance modelling.

Moreover, Melissa has a proven track record in demand generation, creating and implementing activities that led to a year-on-year overachievement of 28%, underscoring her proficiency in B2B development and engagement. She also developed a comprehensive partnership marketing and retention strategy, along with an ABM strategy for the B2B marketing team, driving growth in both existing and new accounts. These accomplishments reflect Melissa's exceptional leadership and her ability to achieve significant results in membership and commercial revenue development.

Dr Anastasia Mylona, CIBSE's Technical Director, is a Chartered Engineer and a CIBSE Member. In her capacity, she spearheads CIBSE's Technical Team, shaping the institution's technical vision, defining knowledge priorities and establishing policy positions.

Dr Mylona previously served as CIBSE's Head of Research, overseeing the institution's knowledge and research endeavours. During this time, she fostered collaborations with both academia and industry, concentrating on developing guidance pertinent to embodied carbon, circular economy principles and providing crucial climate information for future-proofing buildings and their services. 

Her contributions extend to advising the Government on the implementation of Part O – Assessment of overheating risk in new dwellings in England, a component of Building Regulations.
D. Mylona's professional journey began with architectural training, followed by Ph.D. studies at the Welsh School of Architecture, focusing on the environmental performance of buildings. 

Subsequently, she pursued post-doctoral research at the University of Oxford, exploring the impacts of climate change on the built environment.

Kieran is the Director of Certification for CIBSE Certification Ltd (CCL), bringing a wealth of experience from his previous leadership roles at TÜV Rhineland, Bureau Veritas, LRQA and BASEC. He joined CIBSE Certification in November 2023.

Kieran’s expertise encompasses a broad range of product and management systems, including ISO 17021, ISO 17065, ISO 17025, ISO 9001, ISO 45001 and ISO 14001. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Limerick, an MBA from Aston Business School and a Diploma in Corporate Governance from Chartered Accountants Ireland.

With over 20 years of extensive business experience, Kieran has worked with startups and managed teams across multiple sites, leading business improvement initiatives and turnaround programmes. His international experience includes negotiating license and contractual agreements with overseas and UK government agencies, introducing new schemes and developing pricing strategies. Kieran is adept in change management, launching new services and leading teams to ensure DLUHC and UKAS accreditation is maintained and expanded.