Meet the team
At Cognition Energy, we pride ourselves on having a small and friendly team of experts who are dedicated to providing unparalleled battery testing services. Our team brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion to every project we work on.
Our team has
873
Square metres of labs
96
Years of experience in the battery industry
39
Years of higher eductaion
15
cups of tea going cold each day
CEO
Tom Cleaver
Tom co-founded Cognition in 2018 and gets involved in a bit of everything; from trade shows, to cell testing to CellPod design. He has 10 years of prior management experience, half in defence, half in the battery sector.
He's got a young family at home and when he's not reading Spot the Dog or doing DIY, he tries (fails) to read history books.
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Operations Director
Liz Kirby
Liz joined the team in 2024, with over 10 years experience leading the business and innovation teams at the Science and Technology Facilities Council. She has a chemistry DPhil, expertise in intellectual property and experience as non-exec director for a number of hardware start-ups.
In her spare time she goes canoeing and enjoys being outdoors with her family
Communications Manager
Kelly Martin
Kelly has been with the team since 2021 to complete all office related tasks. With a background in Project Management, she has experience in ensuring projects get done on time with the quality expected by customers.
In her spare time she enjoys being out in the garden in her vegetable patch, and with her young family.
HR & Finance Manager
Laura Beckett
Laura joined the team in January 2023, bringing with her 17 years administration and business management experience. Laura has worked across various different industries covering Finance, HR, Office and Purchasing management.
In her spare time Laura enjoys spending as much time as she can by the beach or doing anything crafty. She also volunteers at a local girl guiding group.
R&D Manager
Ismail Mossallam
Ismail is an experienced mechanical engineer with background in design and R&D, his career includes several industries. He holds a master’s degree in Product Design and Development from Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, Germany.
In his spare time Ismail enjoys tennis, running and pub quizzes.
Testing Services Manager
Geraint Minton
Geraint joined us in 2022, bringing more than a decade of experience in the battery field from both academic and industrial R&D settings. This encompasses electrochemical modelling, cell test data analysis and software development for data processing.
Outside of work he enjoys travel, photography and climbing.
Mechanical Manufacturing Engineer
Rares Giurca
Rares is a talented team member with over 20 years experience in manufacturing, including 15 years as a Process/Production Engineer. He is an integral part of the team and gets involved with everything from creating test fixtures to putting up shelves in the kitchen area.
In his spare time, he likes to ride his motorbike and build and paint miniatures.
Operations Manager
Hayley Kearney
Hayley is an extremely talented member of the team with 38 years experience in the Battery Industry. This includes manufacturing battery packs for customers including the M.o.D & Homeland security, as well as working with seawater batteries for Search & Rescue.
In her spare time she enjoys watching true crime documentaries.
Battery Test Engineer
Mauro Malizia
Mauro joined the team in 2022, with a PhD in Physics and an extensive background in electrochemistry, energy conversion and storage, having spent most of his academic career at the Technical University of Denmark and at the University of Cambridge.
In his spare time Mauro likes to travel and play volleyball.
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Battery Test Engineer
Martin Browne
Martin joined the cell testing services team as an experienced engineer with over 15 years worth of experience working with battery systems in formula 1 and commercial R&D. This included both cell testing & analysis and managing cell testing facilities.
In his spare time he likes to ride his motorcycle, garden and spend the weekends fishing.
Electrical Engineer
Gavin Cox
Gavin joined the business in March 2023 as a key member of our Cellpods development team. He has ten years experience in electronic product development and previously studied BEng Electronic Engineering at the University of Central Lancashire.
In his spare time he enjoys skiing, making things and working on his classic car, his MGB.
Design Engineer
Max White
Max is an experienced engineer with a HND in mechanical engineering at Newbury college. Previous experience includes an apprenticeship in the aerospace industry, with a variety of roles such as CNC machinist, technician, and design engineer.
In his spare time his likes to rock climb, snowboard, kayak, read, and play piano.
Test Technician
Emma Mason
Emma has worked in the Battery Industry for 25 years. This includes both production and manufacturing for major industry players, including producing lithium battery packs for the M.o.D. Emma ensures the smooth operation of our testing facility.
In her spare time she loves to go out with her camera and take pictures of wildlife.
Manufacturing Technician
Siobhan Wright
Siobhan is our Apprentice Technician, working with the CellPods team. She is currently studying her Level 3 Engineering Technician Qualification at the MTC Apprenticeship programme.
In her spare time she enjoys cooking and trying her different recipes! She also loves to spend as much time outdoors as possible.
Chief Office Dog
Lola
Lola joined the business in 2022 and is now an integral member of team.
Jobs include lying in the middle of the corridors (testing our surrounding awareness), making a mess with chew toys (testing our ability with the vacuum cleaner), and chasing the rabbits on the farm (testing our stamina level).