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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Adam Root is the founder and CEO of Matter.
Adam founded Matter to tackle one of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges: microplastic pollution. A mechanical engineer by background, Adam has worked at GE on large-scale industrial projects and at Dyson, specialising in particle physics and next-generation product innovation. In both 2018 and 2019, Adam was named Innovate UK’s Young Innovator of the Year. In 2018, he was selected to represent the UK at the G7 Summit in Canada.
Under his leadership, Matter has secured $10M in Series A funding, achieved B Corp certification, and forged major collaborations with industry leaders, including BSH (Bosch & Siemens) and Paradise Textiles. A pioneer in micropollution filtration, Adam remains committed to developing scalable solutions with global impact.
Nicole Kapel
Chief Operations Officer/ Chief Financial Officer
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Nicole Kapel is the CFO of Matter, responsible for driving financial strategy, performance improvement, and sustainable business growth. With a deep technical background, Nicole plays a pivotal role in ensuring the financial and operational frameworks support Matter’s ambitious scaling plans.
An internationally trained, CIMA-qualified accountant with global experience, Nicole has led finance transformations across multiple industries, specialising in business growth transitions, integration, and sustainability. As Finance Director at EFINOR, she scaled the business from a team of 20 to 300 with 10x revenue growth over 3 years, restructuring core functions and managing complex international supply chains. Following EFINOR’s acquisition by Framatome, as UK CFO, she spearheaded the finance harmonisation across three UK subsidiaries, delivering a 40% cost reduction and balance sheet restructuring.
For Nicole, working at Matter is an opportunity to redefine the status quo and educate everyone she encounters—not just on micropollutants, but on how we conduct business and treat each other.
David Gray
General Counsel
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David Gray is General Counsel at Matter, providing strategic legal oversight across commercial, regulatory, and intellectual property matters.
With a diverse background, David spent 16 years as a Royal Navy Warfare Officer, qualifying as a Mandarin Chinese linguist before transitioning into law. He trained and practiced as a solicitor at Clyde & Co in London and Hong Kong before holding senior in-house legal roles at PCCW (Asia Pacific), Reuters Group (EMEA), and DXC Technology (global), where he managed complex commercial and technology transactions across 40+ jurisdictions.
David is a highly experienced commercial technology and IP lawyer, having led numerous high-value deals involving regulatory, data protection, and competition law challenges. His expertise ensures Matter remains at the forefront of innovation while navigating the evolving legal landscape.
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 Copley is the Chief Technology Officer at Matter, responsible for leading and scaling the technology department, from innovation and engineering delivery, through to intellectual property, product quality and project management. He is responsible for scaling Matter’s technology capabilities to drive impactful solutions.
A chartered engineer with over 25 years of experience, Nic has held senior roles at global organisations, including Group Vice President of Technology and Innovation at Parker Hannifin Corporation, Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Piezo Motion Corporation and Technical Director at KV Limited. At Parker Hannifin, Nic drove innovation across 15 divisions, contributing to 24% revenue growth. He also developed a $15M pipeline at Piezo Motion and led Rotalink’s growth strategy as Head of Business Development.
Known for his energetic and versatile approach, Nic excels in collaboration, communication, and strategic thinking. He is passionate about mentoring the next generation of leaders, believing that fostering young talent is key to sustaining long-term innovation.
Anthony Kolanko
Chief Commercial Officer
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Anthony Kolanko is the Chief Revenue Officer at Matter, responsible for scaling the company’s technology globally and driving commercial growth.
With an MSc in Advanced Product Design, Anthony transitioned from designer to business development professional, using his technical expertise to add value to customer conversations. With over 15 years of experience, he has held senior roles in innovative, high-growth companies, specialising in go-to-market strategy, business development, and scaling sustainable solutions.
As Commercial Manager at Wavin/Orbia, Anthony developed strategies to enter new business segments, focusing on untapped markets. At Hydro International, he led new global business development, generating US$1M in annual revenue and building a $20M sales pipeline.
Driven by Matter’s mission to create impactful solutions for the planet, Anthony ensures the company leads in the fight against micropollution while achieving commercial success. Outside of work, he’s passionate about rugby, having coached international players and competing for England in Touch Rugby.
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!
