Our People
The people who work at Matter share in our vision and values and are driven by working together to solve the problem of eliminating microplastics from our natural environment in a way that is collaborative and fun.
We believe that our team's lived experiences, cultures, and ways of working add incredible value and unique perspectives that help us all become better colleagues and humans.
Leadership
Adam Root
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
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A bold visionary, Adam built Matter from the ground up and is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the business and building the technology, partnerships, and team needed to deliver impact at the scale required to tackle the world’s biggest environmental challenges.
A mechanical engineer with deep expertise in particle physics and high-value manufacturing from roles at Dyson and GE, Adam combines technical mastery with entrepreneurial grit. Twice named Innovate UK’s Young Innovator of the Year and a UK representative at the G7 Summit, Adam drives Matter with a clear ambition: to develop technology that is both sustainable and commercially viable. Under his leadership, Matter secured $10M in Series A funding, achieved B Corp certification, and forged strategic alliances with leading global manufacturers, positioning the company at the forefront of micro pollution filtration innovation.
Adam’s unique strength is his systems thinking - the ability to spot patterns across sectors, trace problems to their root cause, and build scalable, investable solutions. This mindset led to the creation of Matter’s groundbreaking Regen.® technology, designed to tackle water pollution across homes, textile manufacturing, and wastewater systems.
His professional superpower? Vision. Adam sees not just the challenge, but the infrastructure, policy, and commercial levers needed to solve it. His founding principles - rooted in cradle-to-cradle design and a belief in true circularity - remain Matter’s north star.
Personally, Adam draws on the guiding principles of Buddhism to shape his leadership style and remains dedicated to building a values-led, purpose-driven culture across the business.
Nicole Kapel
Chief Operations Officer/ Chief Financial Officer
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Nicole is the strategic backbone of Matter’s operations, responsible for delivering the data and control frameworks to facilitate quick and agile decisions throughout the organisation.
An internationally trained CIMA-qualified accountant with two Master’s degrees in Finance, Nicole has led finance transformations across multiple industries, specialising in business growth transitions, integration, and sustainability. One of Nicole’s many achievements include growing a company from 20 to 300 people in just 3.5 years through a combination of organic growth and acquisitions—achieving a 10x revenue increase and securing a successful double-digit multiple exit.
Nicole’s strength lies in her ability to ask the hard questions and challenge the status quo. At Matter, her focus is on building the financial, people, and operational foundations needed to scale Matter and drive meaningful growth. In true ‘mission first’ style, she ensures every decision is made with people, planet, and profit in mind. Fluent in five languages, Nicole also brings a rare multicultural mindset, deepening her ability to connect with diverse stakeholders and navigate complex global contexts.
Her professional superpower? Turning chaos into order. Whether building frameworks or fixing problems, Nicole brings structure, logic, and clarity to every situation.
Outside of work, Nicole is a dedicated yogi who begins each day with movement and reflection. This daily ritual fuels her with endorphins and grounds her leadership in clarity, calm, and purpose.
David Gray
General Counsel
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David is the guiding compass behind the legal operation of the business, responsible for ensuring the business navigates the complex legal and commercial landscape with clarity, confidence, and integrity.
A highly accomplished legal expert, David has led global teams of over 400 legal professionals, closing multi-billion-dollar deals across 30+ jurisdictions. His career has spanned public and private sectors, giving him a deep understanding of how to balance opportunity with risk.
David’s strengths revolve around his tough kindness, pragmatism, and ability to strip away complexity. At Matter, he is focused on creating fair, workable outcomes for all parties - minimising delays, managing costs, and enabling Matter to move at pace while staying firmly on the right side of risk.
His professional superpower? Turning extreme positions into collaborative, commercially-sound solutions. It’s a skillset perfectly aligned with Matter’s ‘’mission first’ and ‘we go together’ values, ensuring that company growth is both ambitious and sustainable.
David’s leadership style has been shaped by his 16 years in the Royal Navy and a decade spent living in Hong Kong and China, experiences that have given him a global perspective and a belief in the power of shared purpose. Outside of Matter, David enjoys sailing, skiing, and working on his model boat - a passion project 23 years in the making.
Sarah Abbott
Strategy Director
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Sarah joined Matter as Head of Commercial, managing the wonderful commercial team with responsibility across product strategy, marketing, sales, PR and policy. Much of her focus has been on driving business transformation activities to grow commercial maturity and drive revenue.
Sarah has recently transitioned into an exciting new role as Strategy Director, with a more specific focus on building out Matter's product and business strategy as we go through a critical phase of growth.
Prior to joining Matter, Sarah worked in strategy and commercial roles in innovation-led engineering and tech businesses, including Dyson, IBM, Rolls-Royce and Facebook. At Dyson, she led product and commercial strategy for Dyson’s game changing Hair Care technology range.
For Sarah, Matter offers the chance to be part of a team who has the magic combination of mission focus with a problem solving, engineering mindset. We aren't afraid to tackle big challenges and have some fun along the way.
Reuben Kettle Aiers
Head of Engineering
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Reuben is Head of Engineering, and responsible for building a talented engineering team, guiding Matter’s R&D programmes for both internal and customer projects, and managing our intellectual property portfolio.
Having completed his studies at Brunel University, Reuben learnt the ropes for how to develop innovative technology by working for Dyson and patented several inventions. Before joining Matter’s journey in 2019, Reuben was self-employed and worked for a variety of clients with projects that spanned designing, making and educating.
For Reuben, Matter is all about our mission and our people. He believes it’s energising to work on something you care about with a group of passionate and talented people, having fun whilst being challenged.
Nic Copley
Chief Technology Officer
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Nic is the technical mastermind behind Matter’s engineering and product development, responsible for ensuring we have the people, systems, and vision in place to turn bold ideas into market-leading solutions.
Nic’s brings over three decades of experience leading innovation, engineering, product management, and business development across start-ups and global corporations, including a >$1bn operating group of a Fortune 250 diversified industrial company. A standout achievement in his career includes co-developing a pioneering respiratory medical device with Brompton Hospital, designed to support patients with compromised lung function which significantly improved quality of life.
Nic’s strength is his ability to maintain an open mind to a world of possibility, free from the cynicism of assumed knowledge. At Matter, he’s focused on building the team, systems, and strategies needed to drive innovation and deliver groundbreaking technology in line with Matter’s mission and vision.
His professional superpower? Rapid data synthesis. Nic has a rare ability to quickly assimilate large volumes of data and translate them into clear, actionable strategies. It’s a capability perfectly aligned with Matter’s ‘sense of urgency’ ethos, crucial for tackling the world’s most pressing environmental challenges at pace.
Outside of work, Nic is a long-standing volunteer in the Scouting organisation, running activities that support young people to grow in confidence and capability in line with Scouting values. These same values underpin his approach to leadership at Matter —fostering a sense of purpose, curiosity, and community within the teams he leads.
Anthony Kolanko
Chief Commercial Officer
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Anthony is the driving force behind Matter’s commercial engine, responsible for leading the activity and performance needed to power the company’s growth.
With a background in design and a career spent scaling commercial and product teams across multiple territories across three continents, Anthony brings a global perspective to Matter’s commercial strategy and mission to transform industries through technology that empowers both customers and the planet. He has a proven track record of developing strategies to enter new business segments and unlock untapped markets, while leading global business development efforts.
Anthony’s strength lies in breaking down complex challenges into manageable parts. At Matter, his focus is on building the team and processes necessary for the business to thrive commercially. He does this by creating a trusted, repeatable approach centered on identifying the right customers and cultivating strong relationships that deliver long-term value.
His professional superpower? Resilience. Anthony brings a calm, solution focused mindset to every challenge. Combined with his sharp instinct for simplifying complex problems, Anthony’s ability to quickly get to the root of the problem and deliver solutions aligns perfectly with Matter’s “Don’t panic, find a solution” ethos.
Beyond his work at Matter, Anthony enjoys playing and coaching rugby. The sport has inspired his values-led, team oriented leadership style and has instilled a competitive drive, with a readiness to tackle challenges head-on.
We are always on the lookout for kind, collaborative, and motivated individuals who want to support us in making environmental impact. If this sounds like you, click below to see our opportunities for joining the team!
