Senior Leadership Team
Phillipe de Wilde
Group Chief Executive
Phillipe qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1995 and spent more than 10 years in various roles at KPMG, including leading Transaction Services in Wales and Operations Manager for the Assurance team in Bristol.
He led the acquisition of Roperhurst in 2008 and IEP in 2017, as well as the establishment of Plastratum in 2018.
Martin Whiteley
Group Projects
Martin started with Roperhurst in 1993 and over the course of more than 30 years has worked on a wide variety of complex plastic projects in the UK and overseas, including dual containment and high purity pipework, fume scrubbers, ductwork and process lines.
He has been Managing Director of Roperhurst since 2021.
Steve Barnes
Group Commercial
Steve has huge commercial experience within the construction and plastics sectors, having held senior roles in Encon and Vink before joining IEP in 2021 as Managing Director.
In that time he has overseen their relocation to the current Hazelton site, as well as playing a lead role in the acquisitions of Red 14 and Marcol.
Mike Taylor
Group Technical
Mike leads the team at Plastratum and is an experienced chemical engineering professional with a HNC focused in Applied Chemistry.
With more than 20 years experience at Gee & Co, Mike has a demonstrated history of working in the mechanical/industrial engineering industry, skilled in Chemistry, Water Treatment, Engineering, Project Engineering, and Commissioning.
Angel Ramos
Ductwork Projects
Angel joined Roperhurst in 2013 as a graduate engineer and now leads the group’s major ductwork projects, overseeing projects in the water industry, construction, pharma and healthcare.
A chemical engineering graduate with a masters in water science and technology, Angel is a member of the BESA National Ventilation Committee, the sole plastic specialist on the committee.
Business General Managers
Rich Baker
General Manager – Marcol Fabrications
Rich joined Marcol in 2001, and has worked on the shop floor and on site before progressing through the ranks to become General Manager.
A respected technical mind, his hands-on experience means that he is acutely aware of the technical competence required to deliver a successful project.
Carol Austin
General Manager – IEP/Red14 Plastics
Carol is hugely experienced having worked in the plastics industry since leaving school, including roles at Ensigner before joining IEP in 2014.
She leads the IEP and Red14 teams in Hazleton, where production varies from point of sale products through to some of the group’s largest plastic ductwork projects.
Carl Morgan
General Manager – Roperhurst
Carl is a highly experienced plastics specialist having almost twenty years in a major European business.
Highly qualified in process improvement and lean methodology, he joined Roperhurst in 2025 to spearhead our investments in culture and efficiency.