Meet the Team

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. 

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. 

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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, Marketing and Purchasing.

In her spare time Laura enjoys spending as much time as she can outdoors, especially by the beach or doing anything crafty. 

Product Engineer

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.

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.

Operations Lead

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. 

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. 

Data Scientist

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.

Apprentice 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.

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.

Battery Test Engineer

Brynn Dachtler

Brynn joined the team in January 2024. He has a Masters in Physics, over 8 years experience in various forms of testing in institutions and businesses and also has 8 years of experience teaching A-levels in Mathematics and Physics.

Outside of work he enjoys spending time with his wife and young son, playing a variety of board games, and relaxing with a nice tea!

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).