For our founder, Lucy Hughes, that realisation didn’t come from theory. It came from the ocean. Seeing the contrast between thriving marine environments and those choked by pollution made one thing impossible to ignore: materials designed for moments are lasting for centuries. Nature doesn’t work like that. It creates things with purpose, designed to perform, then safely return. That shift in perspective became the foundation of everything that followed.
Waste is a resource. Seafood processing generates millions of tonnes of byproduct rich in natural polymers, materials already designed by evolution to bind, protect, and structure. We build on that to create a new class of materials that are plastic free, high performing, and designed to break down safely.
From the start, we designed for integration. Our coatings and films work within existing manufacturing processes across packaging and agriculture, allowing businesses to replace problematic plastics without disrupting the systems around them.
As MarinaTex evolved, so did the scientific platform behind it. Craig Sterling joined as Co-Founder and CEO, bringing decades of experience commercialising materials science and life sciences businesses, along with an expanded scientific and product development team. Together, Lucy and Craig helped drive the development of MarinaTex’s technologies from early breakthrough concepts toward scalable, real-world applications.
Today, we’re working with industry partners to bring these materials into everyday use. Our focus is performance, scalability, and real-world impact, not future potential, but solutions that work now.
We believe the future of materials is circular by design. By harnessing natural polymers, we are turning waste into value. The future of materials is circular, and it starts here.
Founder & COO
Lucy founded MarinaTex in 2020. A product designer turned materials entrepreneur, she has led the company from a James Dyson Award winning concept to an investable platform company with TRL5 technology, multiple Innovate UK grants, and active pilot programs with global packaging partners. She is a 2025 Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Fellow.
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Craig leads MarinaTex’s commercialization strategy, partnerships, and capital plan. Over three decades, he has scaled life sciences and advanced materials businesses from early-stage technology through to global deployment, with senior leadership roles at Omscientia, Rigaku, deCODE Genetics, Emerald Biostructures, and CuanTec. At MarinaTex, he is focused on global brand partnerships, investment readiness, and building a next-generation materials platform.
CTFO · Chief Technology and Financial Officer
Lawrie combines 30 years of green chemistry and materials innovation leadership with deep capital experience. He has raised over £50m for advanced materials and food-tech start-ups, co-founded Mimica Lab (Royal Society of Chemistry 1st Prize 2019), served as founding CTO of It’s Fresh, and held senior international roles at Johnson Matthey. Royal Society Change Maker.
Scientific Advisor
Professor Murat Kaya advises MarinaTex on biopolymer science and scale-up. He is a global authority on chitin, chitosan, cellulose, and biosilica, with prior visiting roles at the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, UC Merced, and the University of the Basque Country. Currently a Professor at Istanbul Technical University and former Head of New Product Development at CuanTec.
Senior Scientist
Sally leads the development of natural polymer coatings and filmspolysaccharide- and protein-based coatings and films at MarinaTex. A biochemist with expertise spanning organic and biocatalytic synthesis, plant cell wall biology, and green chemistry, she previously held research roles at the University of Edinburgh, Wrexham Glyndŵr University, and Mimica Lab. Named Maker of the Year at the 2025 Brighton Changemaker Awards.
Operations & Executive Manager
Dawn leads operations at MarinaTex, with a foundation in psychology and a track record across business operations, project coordination, and stakeholder management. She brings the structure and calm execution that turn a research-led team into a scaling commercial business.
Product Development Scientist
Nicholas leads product development at MarinaTex. With a doctorate in Materials Science earned through an industrial partnership in France, and years bridging lab science with commercial application across circular economy companies, he turns natural polymer chemistry into market-ready prototypes alongside our partners.
