STEPHEN SYKES
CONSULTANT
Admitted as a Solicitor: 1992
CONTACT DETAILS
Tel: 0344 880 8000
Email: stephen.sykes@djblaw.co.uk
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
Environment
Climate
ESG
Stephen is an extremely experienced environmental, climate and ESG law specialist.
Stephen has over 30 years’ experience. Stephen initially started off practising law at a UK Top 30 firm, before founding a market-leading environmental insurance MGA where he was the Legal Director, responsible for designing new environmental insurance polices and negotiating bespoke terms, often for large and complex redevelopment sites across the UK. Stephen has also established and accelerated the growth of several environmental enterprises; he was the founder and chairman at Argyll Environmental, the Global Head of Environment Liability Solutions at WSP, the Chairman at ESI, the Chairman at Ashfield Solutions Group and the Co-founder of the Castle Debates.
Stephen is a former Chair, Vice Chair and one of a handful of Honorary Members of the UKELA, where his leadership was recognised by former Supreme Court Justice and former UKELA President, Lord Carnwath, as being ‘’strong and innovative’’. Stephen also is a Visiting Fellow at Birkbeck College’s Centre for Innovation Management Research.
WORK HIGHLIGHTS
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As Founder and Legal Director for a market-leading environmental insurance MGA, Stephen was responsible for designing new environmental insurance policies and negotiating bespoke terms, often for large and complex redevelopment sites across the UK.
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Stephen was the Founder and Chairman at Argyll Environment: one of the UK’s leading providers of contaminated land and flood risk desktop reports for landowners, property developers, banks and professional advisors.
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At WSP, as Chairman Stephen focused on innovative business, combining remediation and long term insurance to mitigate risks associated with complex contaminated sites.
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Stephen provided strategic guidance to the UK’s leading hydrogeology consultancy as the Chairman at ESI.
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As Chairman at Ashfield Solutions Group, Stephen provided strategic guidance to contaminated land advisors, specialising in de-risking large and complex sites across the UK.
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Stephen established a voluntary organisation promoting environmental education.
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Provided environmental risk management advice re contamination and flood defence liabilities associated with NW Europe’s largest regeneration site in 2020.
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Assisted leading environmental data venture, Groundsure, with the development of climate searches for the UK commercial and residential property market and the establishment of the duty for solicitors to warn and advise clients about climate risks to land and buildings.