Who we are

Dr Joanne Tippett (Director)

Joanne is a lecturer in Spatial Planning at the University of Manchester, based in the Centre for Urban and Regional Ecology (CURE), School of Environment and Development. She is a member of the Institution of Environmental Sciences (MIEnvSc) and has Chartered Environmentalist status. She is also a Director of the UK Systems Society and holds a PhD in ecological planning from the University of Manchester.

Joanne has undertaken a wide variety of community planning projects (across the UK and overseas). These have ranged in scale from a school of 5 hectares, to a rural development centre of 150 hectares, to an urbanised river valley covering over 5,000 hectares. She has wealth of experience in designing and delivering training courses, and has lectured in ecological design and strategic planning for sustainability in the UK, Germany, Australia, the USA, Lesotho and South Africa - including workshops for Milliken Industrials, Robert Mondavi Winery, Hewlett Packard, CIWEM and the Environment Agency.

Joanne is the lead inventor of Thinkit. She is responsible for research and development, the delivery of consultancy services (such as facilitation and training) and overall company management.

Dr William Tippett

Until his retirement in 2004, Bill was Director of Development at Milliken Carpet Europe. His career spanned many aspects of technology and marketing within textiles, in both the UK and USA. He led the Milliken initiative on life cycle analysis and environmental management. He now acts as a consultant on bringing sustainable development into the built environment, for organisations including the Building Research Establishment and the European Carpet and Rug Association. He is also a Director of Spruce Carpets, a charity dedicated to the socially responsible reuse of carpets.

Bill has been involved in Thinkit since the early stages. He is largely responsible for materials innovation and marketing.