Metis acts as an extension of your organisation
Founded in 2009, Metis believes that extraordinary engineering projects are delivered by equally extraordinary people. Based in Richmond-upon-Thames and Manchester, our civil engineering consultancy consists of highly skilled and passionate engineers, environmental consultants and project managers.
Metis has been a certified B Corporation in the UK since 2022, and officially became an Employee-Owned Business in 2025. This reflects our agile, personal and environmentally sustainable approach. We eschew one-size-fits-all engineering solutions to adapt and meet the specific needs of our clients.
When you partner with Metis, you’re teaming up with a civil engineering consultancy dedicated to prioritising your best interests.
Our Core Values
These values serve as guides for how we interact with stakeholders and approach our work.
Extraordinary
quality of work:
We strive to exceed expectations in every project, ensuring our work is highly valued by both our clients and our team.
Listen, challenge &
commit:
We actively listen to our stakeholders, thoughtfully challenge, and dedicate ourselves to our objectives.
Integrity &
respect:
We nurture strong relationships founded on honesty, trust, and a personal approach.
Sustainability
in every project:
We proactively minimise CO2 and integrate lasting environmental and social improvements in every project for the communities we work in.
Stay nimble &
continuously improve:
We are agile, embrace change, adapt quickly and relentlessly strive for improvement.
Our Leadership Team
Our Commitments
As a B Corporation in the UK and a responsible civil engineering consultancy, Metis takes its duty to the environment seriously. We integrate environmental and social improvements into every project, and our technical leads seize every opportunity to reduce CO2 and amplify environmental benefits. We have also pioneered a tool to calculate embodied CO2 in schemes, actively driving carbon reduction in construction and maintenance projects across the UK and beyond.
At Metis, we also have a dedicated Social Value team focused on making a positive societal impact through our contracts and volunteering efforts. We collaborate with local schools and charities to leverage our insights and services, demonstrating our commitment to making a tangible difference in the communities where we operate.
Accreditations, Partnerships, and memberships
Simon Jones
Managing Director and Co-founder
MEng (Hons) CEng FICE MCIHT MIoD
Simon founded Metis with Luke back in 2009 and is proud of the company’s success and hard-earned reputation. As a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 20 years’ experience across a broad range of disciplines, Simon is responsible for the overall strategy and the performance of the business, all the while not losing sight of our core values.
Having spent the early years of his career balancing work with a place on the British Rowing Team, Simon brings a competitive drive and high-performance culture to the team at Metis.
Simon has two young daughters and loves spending his time outside of work taking them on adventures.
Luke Meechan
Co-founder
BEng (Hons) CEng FICE FIHE MIAM MIoD
Luke is a Chartered Civil Engineer with over 30 years’ experience in civil engineering and infrastructure asset management in the UK and overseas. He takes an active role in the development of our industry. He also nurtures future talent for both Metis and professional institutions, demonstrating ambition for the company, its people, and the clients we work with.
Luke’s ambition doesn’t stop there – as a keen cyclist, he has ridden across South America and completed many stages of the Tour de France to fundraise for charity.
Cath Jones
Director and Company Secretary
MA FCA
Cath, a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ experience in fast-growing SMEs, oversaw Metis’s finance function from the company’s inception until 2025.
As Company Secretary, Cath continues to ensure legal compliance and governance, and oversees the legal side of HR.
Outside work, Cath enjoys running and paddle boarding.
Helen Drysdale
Finance Director
BA (Hons) ACMA CGMA
Helen is a chartered accountant who has worked in finance since 2010. Prior to joining Metis, she served as Group Head of Finance at marketing and communications consultancy Clarity, and had held finance roles at LEWIS Global Communications and Hotwire. She is passionate about working for an ethics-first business.
Helen oversees and reports on Metis’s financial performance, while ensuring sound financial management and controlling the company’s operating budget.
Outside work, Helen enjoys music festivals and exploring new countries.
Dani Parfitt
Operations Director
BSc (Hons) MCIWEM C.WEM MIoD MWES
Having had enough of walking through puddles as a Postie, Dani embarked on a mission to reduce flooding through DEFRA’s River and Coastal Engineering degree. Now, as Operations Director, Dani uses the experience she has gained over the years to do just that. Dani is responsible for the day-to-day running of the business. She ensures that people and projects are well-managed, monitors project performance, and oversees the project pipeline, making sure the necessary resources are in place to meet clients’ expectations. Additionally, she takes the lead on operational HR and the well-being of our people.
Dani’s enthusiasm extends to her spare time, where she is an avid supporter of Crystal Palace FC and plays football herself for Eastbourne Town. When she takes a break, Dani enjoys nothing more than puddle jumping and playing with Lego with her two young daughters.
Ainhoa Gomez Larrea
Technical Director
MEng MSc CEng MICE
A chartered civil engineer with extensive experience in highway design and leading award-winning projects and transformational schemes, Ainhoa joined Metis in 2019 to lead the newly created highway engineering team. She developed and grew a team of talented individuals into the thriving team that it is today.
As the guardian of Metis’ output quality, Ainhoa holds the responsibility of ensuring technical competency within the teams and fostering a culture of continuous improvement among our people. Her role extends to ensuring that Metis maintains its position at the forefront of the industry, utilising our agility to stay one step ahead of the competition. Ainhoa actively directs investments in targeted R&D and technology to further enhance our capabilities.
Outside Metis, Ainhoa enjoys reading, hiking and gardening.
Rob Walker
Commercial Manager
MSc BEng (Hons)
Rob, an Associate and Commercial Manager, brings over 10 years of invaluable experience in the construction industry. He plays a pivotal role in ensuring the seamless execution of our largest contracts, taking the lead in identifying opportunities and managing tenders. Furthermore, Rob is dedicated to ensuring our team members possess the requisite skills to effectively navigate the contracts they work on.
Rob oversees and manages the commercial relationships with our partners, ensuring their longevity, fostering growth, and ensuring mutual benefit.
Outside Metis, Rob can most often be found watching his beloved Arsenal or exploring his home county of Devon on his bike.
Dag Sisay
Infrastructure Management Team Lead
MEng MIHE
Dag, a civil engineer who joined Metis in 2018, has extensive experience working with public sector clients to develop bespoke, innovative asset management solutions.
Passionate about nurturing young talent in the industry, Dag fosters a professionally rewarding environment that encourages continuous learning. He is also committed to advancing an intelligence-led approach to decision-making, showing enthusiasm for developing simple solutions to complex problems, all while maintaining a keen eye for detail and quality.
Outside work, Dag enjoys reading technical specifications, watching YouTube videos of In-Situ Recycling schemes, and playing with Lego.
Matthew Elliman
Highway Engineering Team Lead
BEng (Hons) IEng
Matthew joined the Highways Engineering team at Metis in 2019. He is an experienced engineer who has a passion for bringing engineering solutions to life. For the past 8 years he has been dedicated to developing infrastructure projects throughout London and further afield.
Matthew is highly motivated to deliver exceptional quality in all aspects of engineering, and he possesses a strong enthusiasm for developing solutions to complex problems.
As a driven leader, Matthew is passionate about fostering an environment where his team can succeed and reach their full potential as Engineers.
Outside Metis, Matthew enjoys staying active, travelling, and immersing himself in the outdoors.
William Raw
Water Engineering Team Lead
BEng (Hons) MSc DIC CEng MICE
William is a Chartered Civil Engineer who joined Metis in 2017, where he has since been a valuable member of both our Highways and Water teams. With his extensive experience, William offers clients holistic engineering solutions, priding himself on his meticulous attention to detail and thoughtful approach.
He now leads our Water Engineering team, ensuring it remains at the forefront of industry trends and empowering our talented engineers to deliver extraordinary projects for the environment and local communities.
Outside work, William enjoys exploring his passion for travel and the outdoors.
Approved to operate the ICE training scheme