Meet the People at the DB Group

Lorraine Clinton
Chair

Wayne Zakers
Chief Executive Officer

William Kendall
Non Executive Director

Victoria Ball
Non Executive Director

Michael O’Neill
Non Executive Director

Ed Boyle
Non Executive Director

Martin Coles
Group Finance Director

Hayley Pelling
HR Business Partner

Tony Sheridan
Group Commercial Manager

Deirdra Bartholomew
Marketing & Commercial Services Manager

Marta Diez-Garcia
Technology Manager

Darren Nolan
PUDLO Technical Manager

Mo Aljan
PUDLO General Manager

Mark Clark
Cemfree General Manager

Lorraine Clinton
Chair
Lorraine is an experienced, portfolio Chair and Non-Executive Director, and also operates her own business providing Board, CEO and business mentoring services, operational excellence and governance support. Her key interest areas are strategy definition, major change management and stakeholder engagement. Previously Lorraine spent twenty years in global manufacturing and construction with Pilkington plc.

Wayne Zakers
Chief Executive Officer
Wayne joined the DB Group as CEO in June 2016. A Chemical Engineer by background, he started his career with the chemicals arm of a multi-national oil and gas company. His early career was spent in operations management and engineering, and led to Chartered Engineer status. A desire to develop his career in a different environment and with new challenges led him to move to a premium supplier of construction chemicals. His role grew from General Manager to Vice President level in sales & marketing, and in running the international export team, selling into four continents.
When approached about the CEO role at DB Group, Wayne was struck by the enthusiasm and passion of the team, as well as the support and long-term commitment of the shareholders. The high service levels offered in the waterproofing business, based around the famous PUDLO brand, stood out and were highly valued by the customer base. The ability to significantly reduce the environmental impacts of the construction industry through the Cemfree technology was an important factor in Wayne’s decision to join the company.

William Kendall
Non Executive Director
William read law at Cambridge University and completed an MBA at INSEAD. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University College Suffolk. In his twenties he had short careers as an army officer, a barrister and an investment banker. Over nine years he built up The New Covent Garden Soup Company before selling it to a public company. He and several colleagues then bought the embryonic Green & Black’s from its founder and grew it to an international brand which they sold to Cadburys in 2005.
William and two partners formed Nemadi Advisors in 2000 to advise and finance early stage businesses. He is advisor to and director of many organisations, both public and private including Cawston Press, a fast growing premium soft drinks brand, Samworth Brothers, a large, family owned food manufacturer and, main market listed investment trust, Keystone. He is a Trustee of The Grosvenor Estate and director of Wheatsheaf, the holding company of Grosvenor’s non-property businesses.

Victoria Ball
Non Executive Director
Victoria has sat on the board of DB Group (Holdings) Limited since January 2017 and previously worked in-house, helping to launch Cemfree. She has also worked for Interbrand, a division of global communications giant Omnicom, developing brand strategy for a number of multimillion and multibillion dollar companies. She was also VP of branding and marketing for a UK/US battery startup, shaping the communications for their successful Series A raise of $10 million. A graduate of Cambridge University, Victoria conducted postgraduate research at Oxford University and King’s College London, and has studied nine languages. She has lived and worked in Asia, the USA, and Europe, and is a regular speaker and commentator; from International Women’s Day events to conference keynote addresses and for TEDx.

Ed Boyle
Non Executive Director
Ed started his career as an accountant in 1972 for Chrysler UK before taking on accountancy roles for various companies within the construction industry. He is now Company Secretary and Finance Director for the Altro Group, a role that he embarked on in 1984 and still relishes today.

Deirdra Bartholomew
Marketing & Commercial Services Manager
Deirdra joined DBG in 2006 and has been a key figure in advancing the growth of the organisation, seeing it go from strength to strength whilst holding overall responsibility for group marketing activity and commercial services. Deirdra also plays a prominent role within the Senior Commercial Management team, contributing to internal sales performance, customer services and supporting the relationship management of key accounts. In 2018, Deirdra achieved member status (MCIM) at the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Martin Coles
Group Finance Director
Before joining DB Group, Martin trained as a Chartered Management Accountant and worked in numerous sectors. He has gained all-round experience in financial management, planning & analysis and costing. Martin has also lectured on professional accountancy courses and took up the opportunity to be an author for two educational publishers. After joining a stock exchange listed company as financial controller, and subsequently promoted to Finance Director, he played a major role in several business acquisitions. After this he was Finance Director at Sylmar Technology, and together with the MD completed a successful MBO at the height of the financial crisis.

Tony Sheridan
Group Commercial Manager
Tony joined DBG in September 2018 bringing with him nearly 20 years of construction industry experience. After completing a degree in civil engineering at University College Dublin he spent the first part of his career working as a structural design engineer in Ireland. He then went on to complete a full time MBA in Dublin in 2010 before coming to the UK to work in several commercial and general management roles within the ready-mix concrete industry. Tony leads the commercial function in all divisions at DBG.

Adam Gittins
Cemfree General Manager
After completing post-graduate research studies in Materials Science at the University of Birmingham, Adam accepted a position in Australia working for one of the largest building materials companies in the world.
He spent five years in Australia and held positions in both operational and commercial capacities before transferring back to the UK as Major Projects Manager for a leading ready-mix concrete supplier. Most recently, Adam held the position of Regional Operations Manager before joining DB Group as Cemfree General Manager in early 2019.

Hayley Pelling
HR Business Partner
Hayley Pelling was appointed to DB Group’s senior leadership team in 2020 in the role of Human Resources Business Partner.
She has 15 years’ human resources experience in a variety of industries from manufacturing to scientific and not-for-profit. She carries full responsibility for the HR function at DB Group, including developing employees and teams across all levels of the organisation.
She is CIPD qualified, having gained a postgraduate diploma in Human Resources Management at Anglia Ruskin University and is also qualified in IOSH Managing Safely.

Barney Worrall
General Manager MPS Concrete Solutions
After spending 15 years in television news as a journalist, producer and director, Barney made the switch to the world of construction by joining a waterproofing contractor and manufacturer based in London. In his 20 years as Commercial Director he oversaw the company’s growth into the largest independent manufacturer/installer of bituminous hotmelt and mastic asphalt in the UK.
Barney, who joined MPS in May 2021 brings a wealth of experience in securing partnerships and collaborating with many of the UK’s top 50 Contractors, gaining and maintaining industry accreditations and improving competitiveness through improved business processes.

Darren Nolan
Technical Support Manager
Darren joined DB Group in 2012 as part of the PUDLO Site Support Team. His qualifications include a University Certificate in Concrete Technology with the University of Derby and he is an Associate Member of the Institute of Concrete Technology. In 2018 he passed the Certified Surveyor in Structural Waterproofing course at the Property Care Association, gaining his CSSW qualification.
He now leads the Site Support Team, training new starters, carrying out final inspections and dealing with day-to-day issues that occur on PUDLO sites as well as the PUDLO Technical Team, offering technical support and guidance throughout a project’s lifespan.

Mo Aljan
PUDLO General Manager
Mo joined DB Group in 2022 as the General Manager for PUDLO. He brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge amassed over a number of years within the construction industry, holding both senior technical and commercial roles. More recently Mo has held the position of Head of Infrastructure in UK&I for one of the largest construction material manufacturers globally. His proficiencies in programme and project management were furthered of late following the completion of his masters at the University of Warwick in 2021.

Marta Diez-Garcia
Concrete Technologist
Marta studied chemistry (BSc+MSc) at the university of the Basque country in Spain. Her first approach to construction materials was through the analysis of the degradation of Middle Ages wall paintings. Marta studied for one year in Florence and worked in the cultural heritage conservation laboratories at the university. After that she did a master in “environmental pollution and toxicology” researching how environmental factors in coastal areas would affect the conservation state. She then furthered her career in construction materials doing a cotuttele PhD thesis on advanced materials under the Euskampus umbrella.. During her thesis she worked on the synthesis of crystalline tobermorite using a new flow process based on supercritical water, demonstrating the possibility of producing this material within few seconds instead of hours. This product was proved to be acting as seeds on cement pastes, accelerating the hydration on early ages. After the completion of the doctoral thesis she started working as inorganic chemical researcher in the global research laboratories of a multinational cement manufacturer. During the 3 years she gained experience on the cement industry and improved her laboratory skills using different analytical techniques such as XRD-Rietveld, XRF, calorimetry… In 2021 she joined DBG as concrete technologist to keep developing the products of the company, specially cemfree.

Michael O’Neill
Non Executive Director
Michael is an Investment Director with Grosvenor which he joined in 2015, and represents the company on several Boards. He joined from Europe’s largest cleantech private equity fund where he managed all elements of the deal process and represented the firm at several of the portfolio companies. Prior to this Michael was an Investment Analyst at an entrepreneurial, family-office backed, clean-power investment business operating across Europe. Prior to his investment roles, Michael was a Strategy Consultant with Accenture, working with clients in the Utilities and Energy sectors on major transformation projects.
Michael is a CFA Charterholder and graduated with a first-class Engineering, Economics and Management degree from Oxford University.
Board Members
Lorraine Clinton – Chair
Lorraine is an experienced, portfolio Chair and Non-Executive Director, and also operates her own business providing Board, CEO and business mentoring services, operational excellence and governance support. Her key interest areas are strategy definition, major change management and stakeholder engagement. Previously Lorraine spent twenty years in global manufacturing and construction with Pilkington plc.
Wayne Zakers – Chief Executive Officer
Wayne joined the DB Group as CEO in June 2016. A Chemical Engineer by background, he started his career with the chemicals arm of a multi-national oil and gas company. His early career was spent in operations management and engineering, and led to Chartered Engineer status. A desire to develop his career in a different environment and with new challenges led him to move to a premium supplier of construction chemicals. His role grew from General Manager to Vice President level in sales & marketing, and in running the international export team, selling into four continents.
When approached about the CEO role at DB Group, Wayne was struck by the enthusiasm and passion of the team, as well as the support and long-term commitment of the shareholders. The high service levels offered in the waterproofing business, based around the famous PUDLO brand, stood out and were highly valued by the customer base. The ability to significantly reduce the environmental impacts of the construction industry through the Cemfree technology was an important factor in Wayne’s decision to join the company.
Martin Coles – Group Finance Director
Before joining DB Group, Martin trained as a Chartered Management Accountant and worked in numerous sectors. He has gained all-round experience in financial management, planning & analysis and costing. Martin has also lectured on professional accountancy courses and took up the opportunity to be an author for two educational publishers. After joining a stock exchange listed company as financial controller, and subsequently promoted to Finance Director, he played a major role in several business acquisitions. After this he was Finance Director at Sylmar Technology, and together with the MD completed a successful MBO at the height of the financial crisis.
William Kendall – Non Executive Director
William read law at Cambridge University and completed an MBA at INSEAD. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University College Suffolk. In his twenties he had short careers as an army officer, a barrister and an investment banker. Over nine years he built up The New Covent Garden Soup Company before selling it to a public company. He and several colleagues then bought the embryonic Green & Black’s from its founder and grew it to an international brand which they sold to Cadburys in 2005.
William and two partners formed Nemadi Advisors in 2000 to advise and finance early stage businesses. He is advisor to and director of many organisations, both public and private including Cawston Press, a fast growing premium soft drinks brand, Samworth Brothers, a large, family owned food manufacturer and, main market listed investment trust, Keystone. He is a Trustee of The Grosvenor Estate and director of Wheatsheaf, the holding company of Grosvenor’s non-property businesses.
Fiona Emmett – Non Executive Director
Fiona is Director of Finance at Wheatsheaf Group, a UK based business which directly operates, invests in and helps to develop businesses and which has investments across the food, agriculture and energy sectors. Through the activities of over 2,500 people across 34 countries, Wheatsheaf aims to reduce waste, using raw materials more efficiently and have less reliance on harsh chemicals. In her role Fiona is responsible for the strategic and operational finance and accounting function. Fiona joined Wheatsheaf in 2012 having previously held the position of Finance Director at The Chester Grosvenor Hotel. She is a qualified Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) and holds a diploma in Corporate Treasury (AMCT).
Victoria Ball – Non Executive Director
Victoria Ball worked at DB Group after graduating from Cambridge University, where she read Middle Eastern Studies. She conducted postgraduate studies at Oxford University in Sustainable Development and then joined one of the world’s largest brand consultancies, where she specialised in devising strategy to launch new products and determine optimal brand architecture. Victoria now runs her own business which trains clients to develop skills such as confidence, empathy, emotional intelligence and leadership. She is a consultant for Debrett’s, the authority on social and professional behaviour. She has lived and worked in many countries and speaks several languages.
Ed Boyle – Non Executive Director
Ed started his career as an accountant in 1972 for Chrysler UK before taking on accountancy roles for various companies within the construction industry. He is now Company Secretary and Finance Director for the Altro Group, a role that he embarked on in 1984 and still relishes today.
Senior Management
Wayne Zakers – Chief Executive Officer
A Chemical Engineer by background, he started his career with the chemicals arm of a multi-national oil and gas company. His early career was spent in operations management and engineering, and led to Chartered Engineer status. He worked in financial, commercial and procurement roles, his last role being business manager for a portfolio of solvents businesses.
A desire to develop his career in a different environment and with new challenges led him to move to a premium supplier of construction chemicals. His role grew from General Manager to Vice President level in Sales & Marketing, and in running the international export team, selling into four continents. Before joining David Ball Group Wayne spent four years as VP Europe, including manufacturing operations in Denmark, Spain and the United Kingdom.
When approached about the CEO role at David Ball Group, Wayne was struck by the enthusiasm and passion of the team, as well as the support and long-term commitment of the shareholders. The high service levels offered in the waterproofing business, based around the famous PUDLO brand, stood out and were highly valued by the customer base. The ability to significantly reduce the environmental impacts of the construction industry through the Cemfree technology was an important factor in Wayne’s decision to join the company.
Martin Coles – Group Finance Director
Before joining DB Group, Martin trained as a Chartered Management Accountant and worked in numerous sectors. In his early career these included engineering, capital goods distribution, hygiene rental and a government ‘quango’. He gained all-round experience in financial management, planning & analysis and costing.
At the age of 34, in a quest to widen his experiences, Martin trained as a secondary school teacher. He taught A-level students and lectured on professional accountancy courses. He also took up the opportunity to be an author for two educational publishers.
Back in industry, Martin joined a stock exchange listed company as financial controller, and was subsequently promoted to Finance Director where he played a major role in several business acquisitions. After this he was Finance Director at Sylmar Technology, and together with the MD completed a successful MBO at the height of the financial crisis.
Martin was attracted to DBG because of the huge growth opportunities both in the UK and worldwide and he looks forward to seeing the company go from strength to strength.
Tony Sheridan – Group Commercial Manager
Dr Kostas Koutselas – Group Technology Manager
Kostas has extensive technical experience in concrete and admixtures, as well as a strong record of delivering innovative concepts and identifying market technical needs within concrete technology. The technical, commercial and development aspects of his role here at DBG create a unique opportunity for Kostas to utilise his know-how and expertise to help create new products for DBG to introduce to the market.
Oliver Minett – Group Operations Manager
In this role, Oliver is responsible for the integration of sustainable production and procurement into our company working practices. He oversees the sourcing of equipment and materials as well as international export and importing of products. Furthermore, Oliver is responsible for new product development in conjunction with Technology, Commercial and Finance functions. He oversaw the planning and execution of the company’s transition from offices in Bar Hill to its new site in Bourn – which involved managing stock on both sites – without any disruption.
Oliver has a BA Hons in Management from Anglia Ruskin University. He is also IOSH qualified for managing safety.
Group Resources
Deirdra Bartholomew – Marketing & Commercial Services Manager
Liam Leonard – Technical Standards Manager
Liam joined DBG in 2008. His role is to support all the brands across the DB Group as Technical Standards Manager and manage the technical team. Liam plays an important part in building on the Group’s relationships with clients and is also involved in new product development. In 2016, Liam became an Associate Member to the Institute of Concrete Technology after successfully completing his Certificate in Concrete Technology and later that year, Liam qualified as a CSSW Certified Surveyor in Structural Waterproofing. He represents PUDLO on the PCA Waterproofing Steering Group and has recently become an examiner for the CSSW examinations.
Soresh Meeda – Bourn Site Operations Manager
Matt Smith – PUDLO Commercial Manager
Michael O’Neil – Non Executive Director
Michael is an Investment Director with Grosvenor which he joined in 2015, and represents the company on several Boards. He joined from Europe’s largest cleantech private equity fund where he managed all elements of the deal process and represented the firm at several of the portfolio companies. Prior to this Michael was an Investment Analyst at an entrepreneurial, family-office backed, clean-power investment business operating across Europe. Prior to his investment roles, Michael was a Strategy Consultant with Accenture, working with clients in the Utilities and Energy sectors on major transformation projects.
Michael is a CFA Charter holder and graduated with a first-class Engineering, Economics and Management degree from Oxford University.
Marta Diez-Garcia – Concrete Technologist
Marta studied chemistry (BSc+MSc) at the university of the Basque country in Spain. Her first approach to construction materials was through the analysis of the degradation of Middle Ages wall paintings. Marta studied for one year in Florence and worked in the cultural heritage conservation laboratories at the university. After that she did a master in “environmental pollution and toxicology” researching how environmental factors in coastal areas would affect the conservation state. She then furthered her career in construction materials doing a cotuttele PhD thesis on advanced materials under the Euskampus umbrella.. During her thesis she worked on the synthesis of crystalline tobermorite using a new flow process based on supercritical water, demonstrating the possibility of producing this material within few seconds instead of hours. This product was proved to be acting as seeds on cement pastes, accelerating the hydration on early ages. After the completion of the doctoral thesis she started working as inorganic chemical researcher in the global research laboratories of a multinational cement manufacturer. During the 3 years she gained experience on the cement industry and improved her laboratory skills using different analytical techniques such as XRD-Rietveld, XRF, calorimetry… In 2021 she joined DBG as concrete technologist to keep developing the products of the company, specially cemfree.
Discover More About the DB Group

Tel: +44 (0)1954 780687 | Email: sales@dbgholdings.com
DB Group, Wellington Way, Bourn Airfield, Cambridge. CB23 2TQ

Tel: +44 (0)1954 780687
Email: sales@davidballgroup.com
DB Group, Wellington Way, Bourn Airfield, Cambridge. CB23 2TQ
