Shahriar Nafici – the man behind EcoPulping
Industrial designer and biotechnologist from Cranfield University UK, Shahriar has 30 years of experience in the field of agricultural wastes and water desalination. His passion is to research and develop solutions to help the environment. The problem of surplus of agricultural residues exists in many countries around the world, and at the same time the paper and packaging industry and many other industries need new sources of fibres.
He has developed more than 40 small scale plants producing paper pulp from wheat straw in the past. EcoPulping is his latest Innovative process that transforms agricultural residues into paper pulp in a very environmentally-friendly and economical way. The first fully scaled up industrial plant is now being built in China and more are planned for construction from 2021.
His vision is to develop this patented process in the UK and globally to use the surplus of agricultural residues to produce paper pulp and valuable by-products (fertiliser) at small or large scale capacities.
Florence Miremadi-Nafici – Co-founder & CEO
Florence has co-founded NAFICI Environmental Research in 2013. She is an engineering Graduate of EPF Ecole d’Ingénieurs in Paris – former Ecole Polytechnique Féminine. She began her career in international business development in the power transmission industry covering North, West and East Africa. In 2009, Florence co-developed the EcoPulping business with Shahriar and with private and governmental funding from the EU, UK and China, she unveiled with Shahriar the first NAFICI pilot plant in 2013-2014 in West Sussex, UK. The filed patent for NAFICI’s EcoPulping in 2014 for “A Method for Processing Straw” was granted in the UK in 2017, in the USA in 2019 and in Europe and Australia in 2020 with further EcoPulping applications made for Canada, China and India. Florence has co-developed NAFICI’s first commercial scale EcoPulping plant in China which is currently under construction.
Other than running NAFICI’s day to day business in her role of CEO, Florence specialises in planning all the stages of the pulp characterisation and their applications. Her passion is to contribute to environmental protection by developing sustainable Green projects.
Tony Eley – Process Engineer
A Six Sigma Lean manufacturing and project management engineer, with significant 30+ years’ experience in Technical, Process, Supplier Quality and Management roles within the Pulp & Paper and FMCG industries. With a proven track record of identifying and leading process and product improvement projects, Tony has created sustainable savings in a high value, manufacturing environments with highly demanding customers within rigid quality constraints
Geoff Rampton – Financial Director
Finance Director (part time), Geoff joined NAFICI in 2016, initially as Non-Executive Director. A chartered accountant, he runs a commercial due diligence consultancy advising on lower mid market private equity deals, and is an investor in a number of PE backed businesses and collective alternative investment funds.
Alan Edmonds – Non-Executive Director
Alan (MBA DMM PgCE FInstLM) has extensive experience as a Senior Manager, Managing Director and Non-Executive Director for the engineering and manufacturing industries in the UK and abroad. His specific experience has been in the automotive, beverage, building products and related sectors. Alan currently utilises this experience in his role as Managing Director of a £5M t/o Design, Development and Manufacturing business which designs, develops and supplies innovative products and licensed technology to global customers. In addition, Alan has his own business consultancy which enables the sharing of many of the above skills and business lessons drawn from 40 years’ business experience. Alan holds a Masters’ Degree in Business Administration from Coventry University, is a qualified teacher and is also a Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management. He has provided NAFICI’s executive team with project support and advice since 2016.
Qinghua LIU – Director
(FCIPD, MBA, MSc) is co-founder and Director of Shenzhen Nafici EcoCellulose Technology (NECT), NAFICI Environmental Research’s subsidiary in China. Qinghua LIU is Chartered Fellow CIPD, was CEO of a China listed company for 3 years and was HR Director of of a Fortune 500 company for more than 10 years. He funded the EcoPulping’s pilot scale in China in 2017 and has enabled fund to be secured for the first 200TPD commercial scale.
