People

Dr. Helena Ganczakowski has 23 years of experience at Unilever and a further nine as a strategic consultant for other global businesses, and as a Non-Executive Director for Croda, Greggs and People Against Dirty (a sustainable household cleaning business). She brings marketing and management skills to Croda Foundation, as well as challenge and support in strategy development. She also has on the ground experience from the early part of her career working on community and sustainability/conservation projects in Latin America and Africa. Helena has a PhD in engineering from the University of Cambridge. 

Stuart Arnott was appointed as a Croda Foundation Trustee in May 2021. With a technical background graduating as a Chemical Engineer, Stuart gained extensive operational experience in his 33 years at Croda having joined as a graduate trainee and going on to serve 10 years as an Executive Committee member. He has wide-ranging managerial expertise and leadership skills gained from being a UK Site Director, then leading European manufacturing teams, President of Global Operations and finally as President of Sustainability prior to his retirement. 

Camilla Knox-Peebles has 25 years of experience in the international humanitarian and development sector. Since 2019, Camilla has been Chief Executive of Amref Health Africa UK, an organisation focused on developing strategic partnerships and raising funds to strengthen health systems and increase access to healthcare in Africa. Previously, Camilla held senior roles at Oxfam including leading Oxfam’s work on food security, livelihoods and social protection. She has lived and worked extensively in Asia and Africa and is a Trustee of the Innocent Foundation and on the Steering Group of Groundbreakers – the network for Women Charity CEOs in the UK.

Veronica Santana de Freitas Blanco has been a Lead Application Scientist for Croda Pharma since 2019. She has successfully managed and executed multiple research and innovation projects in collaboration with cross-functional teams. With a background in industrial pharmacy, Veronica also has a PhD in Dentistry in the area of Pharmacology, Anesthesiology and Therapeutics. She has collaborated with renowned researchers from international institutions and has published several peer-reviewed articles in prestigious scientific journals.

Phil Ruxton has been Croda's Chief Sustainability Officer since 2021, but he has been with the company since 1994 when he joined as a graduate. Since then, he has worked in both England and the United States in areas across the business. Phil was very involved in Croda’s launch of the 1% Club in the mid-2000’s, providing all employees with 1% of their working year to take part in volunteering activities, a program that is still in operation today. Additionally, he helped Croda develop and implement its sustainability strategy from the first public sustainability report in 2007 to the 2020 launch of its Commitment to become Climate, Land and People Positive by 2030.

Rommel joined Croda Foundation in April 2021 as Executive Director.  His professional experience is in business development, service design and change management.  As an acknowledged expert in corporate, government and charity partnerships, Rommel spent 20 years negotiating and delivering complex mutually beneficial partnerships.  During his career he has worked for organisations such as Cancer Research UK, Save the Children, Drinkaware and Thomson Reuters Foundation.  Rommel is also an independent non-executive director with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Nazia has over 15 years of experience in the voluntary sector and 10 years of experience in grant-making and philanthropy. She has worked for a family-run foundation and a children’s foundation assessing and monitoring grants as well as safeguarding the integrity of the grant making process. Nazia has a PGCertificate in grant making, philanthropy and social investment.

Jenny Berriman is seconded to Croda Foundation as the Finance Manager. Jenny has been working in finance for Croda for 8 years, currently working as a Senior Treasury Analyst for Croda International.

Ben Smitton has a wide range of experience in grant-making, having previously worked in local government for Richmond upon Thames Council and delivering the Tesco Bags of Help scheme. He is also a geography graduate from the University of Birmingham. 

Hattie Holt is seconded to Croda Foundation as Communications Manager. She said: “As a cancer survivor, I have witnessed the difference that charities make first hand, which is why I am thrilled to be the Communications Manager for Croda Foundation. The Foundation is truly changing lives, and there are so many stories of success to be shared.” 
Hattie joined Croda as content writer and editor in 2021, following almost a decade working in newsrooms across the UK. Hattie graduated from Loughborough University in 2012,and is an NCTJ qualified journalist.

Joe Smith is seconded to Croda Foundation as finance assistant. He assists in month end accounts and general accounting queries for the Foundation and is currently studying his AAT level 4, and looking to move on to CIMA upon completion. Joe enjoys playing football and spending time with his family in his spare time.

Hana Graybill is seconded to Croda Foundation as the Digital Associate. She oversees all digital platforms, including the website and social media accounts. Hana joined Croda in 2021 as part of the graduate scheme, completing placements in Community Engagement, Beauty Care Sustainability, and Regional Sustainability. Currently, she is a Marketing Associate with the North American Consumer Care team. Her background is in communication and corporate social responsibility.

Georgina Howard-Weston is seconded to Croda Foundation as the Digital Associate. Georgina joined Croda in 2022 as a Marketing Associate with the EMEA Pharma team. Following academic studies in sports and clinical physiology, Georgina worked as a cardiac scientist in the NHS. Georgina also competes as an elite level distance runner over distances from 5 km to marathon, racing nationally and internationally.

Esra Kaya is our HR Business Partner. At Croda, she is the Head of HR for Turkey, South Africa, North Africa, Poland, UAE and Tunisia. She has more than 20 years of experience in HR positions responsible for production and sales and management teams in the chemical, pharmaceutical and crop protection industries. As an ACC ICF accredited coach, mentor, she works in various associations, especially PWN (Professional Women Network) as a participant in social responsibility projects for women leadership.

Catherine Dines is our Executive Assistant. She has worked at Croda for more than 10 years supporting the executive leadership team.

Hazel Whitaker is Croda Foundation's Senior Risk and Financial Adviser and the Chair of our Audit, Risk and Finance Committee. She is a Chartered Accountant with 26 years of experience working as Head of Risk & Assurance and other senior finance positions in Croda, and a further 14 years working in other multinational businesses. She brings governance, risk, assurance, business process and financial skills to the Croda Foundation Boardroom as well as challenge and support in identifying strategy. Hazel has also been a member of the Audit Committee at the Royal Society of Chemistry and holds Board positions at three other local charities.