Meet the EcoSki Team

Rachael Westbrook

Rachael spent a fun-packed 20 years in London working as an associate director in Knight Frank's Retail Investment Department, an asset management executive at Hammerson PLC, head of property at Virgin Active Health Clubs — enjoying many entertaining ski trips in between — before taking on her penultimate challenge in 2009 (one she describes as the most rewarding and grounding commitment yet) motherhood.

Although she enjoyed working as a freelance property consultant during this time, it was in 2018, when taking her young family skiing for the first time, that Rachael’s next challenge struck.

“I realised kitting out a family of five for a ski holiday was very expensive, environmentally damaging and hugely wasteful, too. I thought there must be a better way of accessing kit that we may only use for one week a year,” says Rachael, who began skiing as a young child in the Scottish Highlands.

“I wanted to help change the way we consume, both now and in the future. To help people understand the hugely negative impacts of our clothing choices and to make it easier — so it eventually becomes the norm — to share, re-wear and repair. I wanted to give skiers the option to not only buy more sustainably-produced ski kit in one place but, crucially, to be able to rent it and buy pre-owned instead of always thinking new.”

Isabel Howett

With what she describes as “too many” years' experience in the media in London and Sydney, Isabel upped sticks and travelled the world with her backpack, spending much time in South America before settling down in Stamford, England, renovating properties. Isabel has seen first-hand glaciers retreating, deserts expanding and lived day-to-day life in a drought-ridden landscape.

Isabel joined the EcoSki team at the outset and says: “Travel has shaped my life and my passion towards protecting our planet. Thankfully I can put my hand to whatever is required these days, which is exactly what we need here at EcoSki.”

Steve Jones

After starting his career in systems and integration for PC and Apple, Steve started creating Ecommerce websites 15 years ago, specialising in ecommerce modelling, user behaviour and strategic positioning. He has consulted for the likes of Aston Martin, O2, Rolex and a range of blue chip companies.

Steve lives in an eco-house in Rutland, with a living roof, that he designed and partially built himself.

“I do a lot of outdoors landscaping — my day job is IT but the other half of me is very practical and I’m really aligned with the EcoSki mindset and belief system,” he says. “I’m also patron of a project with Unilever, producing the world’s first corporate sign that glows without electricity — we’ve worked hard to find a carbon-neutral neon light that won’t burn LEDs through the night for no one to see.”

Steve adds: “I wouldn’t call myself a keen skier but I did go once, by accident (my girlfriend sent me!) and had a wonderful time.”

Peter Holtmeyer-Cole

Peter worked for Cotswold Outdoor and Snow+Rock for 28 years, managing a store in Manchester, before running the buying teams for many years. He has been lucky enough to ski in Scotland, France, Canada and Finland, enjoying ski touring, cross-country skiing and cruising the pistes with his family.

Peter joined the EcoSki team in April 2022 and says: “Skiing is a great opportunity to see spend time with friends and family in beautiful places — but we need to do everything we can to ensure the glaciers and mountains are in good shape for future generations.

“I joined Ecoski because I think that it’s important for customers who are going skiing to have choices about how they buy or rent their clothing and accessories.”

Abi Butcher

Abi is a freelance journalist with more than 25 years’ experience writing for national newspapers and ski magazines from the Daily Telegraph to National Geographic Travellers. She’s a qualified ski instructor and lives for her time on the mountains, having skied around the globe in far-flung destinations that include Siberia, Japan, Chile, Canada, the US, South Korea and Arctic Norway as well as extensively in Europe.

Abi started working with EcoSki in early 2020, joining the team officially in June 2022 and says: “I’ve long had an interest in preserving the natural world and how we can drive sustainable consumer habits and responsible tourism — investigating the devastating effects of over-tourism in Sri Lanka in 2016 and the damage wrought by lithium mining in the Atacama in 2017 were major turning points for me. Helping drive that change through my writing and work with EcoSki go hand-in-hand and I’m passionate about everything this wonderful platform aims to achieve — and is already succeeding in doing so.”

Fran Forman

Over the past 15 years in marketing, Fran has worked with brands and businesses including Volvo, G4S, Anglo American and Deloitte, raising their profile through sponsorship and events. The majority of these have been in the world of sport giving Fran international experience working across a number of different markets. She joined the EcoSki team in summer 2022 and says: “I love the variety that comes with this job and working with some amazing brands, clients and partners all driving change.

“I feel passionate about EcoSki and helping to educate our consumers on the changes we all need to make. I adore the mountains and watching my three children learn to ski and appreciate the great outdoors drives me to protect it.”

Stephanie Dunckley

Steph has worked in retail for nearly 30 years and as a buyer enjoyed developing various clothing and home product ranges for John Lewis and Next.

Steph is a keen family skier and after an introduction through a mutual friend to Rachael immediately appreciated Ecoski’s environmental mission. She joined the team in autumn 2022 and says: “There's no better holiday than a ski trip with family or like-minded friends who want to ski hard and enjoy a few vin chauds at the end of the day...”