DIRECT CLIMATE COOLING INITIATIVE
OUR TEAM
Fleur Rossdale
Author and Founder DCCI
Fleur Rossdale is a passionate advocate for storytelling to help children discover purpose and adventure through a fantasy world rooted in real-life environmental challenges. She merges imagination with urgency—translating the harsh truths of climate change into empowering narratives that young minds can understand and act upon. Fleur has established a Charity and Community Fundraising vehicle through the DCCI School Awards to help climate charities around the world, uniting nations through the love of nature.
Her well-received children's books, The Woodland Sprite Series, use theatre and storytelling to awaken awareness and drive action. Taken by Storm, the first in the series, is now being performed by schools around the world, uniting students through performance, creativity, and purpose. The Farm, the third book in the series, explores critical issues in the food system and showcases real-life regenerative projects that protect soil health and promote sustainable farming. Collaborations include organizations such as JustDiggit, Klim, and Communities EverGreening Africa. Fleur’s remarkable career establishing unprecedented, internationally acclaimed design exhibitions, propelled British Design and craftsmanship onto an international stage. She championed timeless design, protected dying trades, and curated excellence with a keen eye for cultural legacy. Today, she channels that same visionary spirit into climate action - bridging education, the arts, and sustainability through the DCCI School Awards, with children leading the way. Her leadership continues to inspire a growing global movement, uniting nations through the love of nature and the belief that every child has the power to make a difference.
Wouter Crul
Partnerships
Wouter enjoys tackling great challenges in global supply chains, digital transformation and climate action. As entrepreneur and intrapreneur he has developed the unique skill to ‘think big, act small and do it fast’ to help develop and scale new initiatives. And having some fun along the way, he enjoys the collaboration with change agents that form a great team with a purpose.
He supports DCCI with the development and driving of partnerships. Whether these are climate project partners who are ready to inspire the next generation with their stories, like Klim, Justdiggit and De Jonge Voedselbosboeren or partners who are ready to help scale DCCI to reach 10.000 students annually. He is open for any conversation that can help turn the wheels of impact for DCCI through more media outreach, more schools involved, more students engaged, more inspiring stories told and more funding for global landscape restoration projects. His background at o.a. Unilever, South Pole and Regrow help in connecting DCCI with change makers across the agriculture value chain with the aim to accelerate towards a more sustainable food future and healthier soils.
Copyright of Georgie Gadian Photography
Wendy Gadian
Music Programs
The theatre is a magical arena of creative collaboration – of storytelling, imagination, role-models, characters on a journey and, above all, an opportunity for us to ask the question what would I do if that was me? Wendy is delighted to join DCCI to bring music and singing to the storytelling of Taken by Storm.
Wendy Gadian is a Musical Director, pianist and educator. Her career encompasses performance, teaching, advocacy and consultancy across musical theatre and opera. Between 2008 – 24 Wendy was Director of Music, Principal Lecturer and Course Leader of BA Acting Musical Theatre at the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. Her many shows as MD at Central include Merrily We Roll Along, London Road, Jerry Springer the Opera, Spring Awakening, City of Angels. During this time her musical supervision and consultancy includes: Peter Pan; Ella Es Colombia (MISI Producciones Colombia); The Pacifists Guide To The War On Cancer (National Theatre & Complicite); Associate MD Jerry’s Girls (Menier Chocolate Factory). Theatre Shows pre-Central as Musical Director include: A Chorus Line; 70 Girls 70 (National tours); Divas at the Donmar (Clive Rowe at the Donmar Warehouse); Hello Dora! (Dora Bryan) NT & national tour; Maria de Buenos Aires (UK National Opera Festivals); Half A Sixpence, Little Shop of Horrors, Sound of Music (regional); Royal Shakespeare Music Department staff. Film includes: Chuck Chuck Baby (singing/ acting through song coach). Recent masterclasses (2024/25) at: National Opera Studio (Diverse Voices & Discovering Opera); Young Vic Theatre (Making for Musical Directors); Royal Northern College of Music; Guildhall School of Music & Drama; Universities of Oxford and Durham. Recent producers showcase (Musical Supervisor): Lesbian Pirates! By Natasha Sutton Williams. Wendy holds a Visiting Professorship from the Universidad de Rosario, Colombia; an Honorary Research Fellowship (University of London) and the honorary title of Ambassador for Women in Theatre from the Musicians’ Union. Whilst at Central Wendy founded the Andrew Lloyd Webber Associate Musical Director Fellowship (in collaboration with the ALW Foundation) and is co-founder of Ladies of the Stave (an organisation which provides networking opportunities, support and training for female identifying Musical Directors). Future projects include: Musical Director for Clive Rowe in cabaret at The Crazy Coqs, London (September 2025) & Musical Supervisor for Cinderella at Hackney Empire (Christmas 2025)
.png)
Brooke Peterson
School Engagement
With extensive experience working in education, Brooke has worked in higher education through roles at the University of Oxford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
After moving to Belgium, she shifted her focus to K-12 international schools and has worked with the International School of Brussels (IBS), Finalsite, the Common Ground Collaborative (CGC), the Association for the Advancement of International Education (AAIE), The Swiss Group of International Schools (SGIS) and the International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC) among others.
Aglaia Ponomareva
Arts Programs
Connecting Creativity with Climate Action
We are delighted to welcome Aglaia Ponomareva to the DCCI School Awards team. With a wealth of experience in art consultancy and curation, Aglaia will contact Art Departments in participating schools to discuss how student artworks can be selected for recognition and auction, either online or during the Awards Evening itself.
Each school will be paired with a local established artist, who will engage with pupils and contribute a piece of their own work to support the fundraising effort. Together, students and artists will raise funds for the environmental project their school has chosen to champion, bringing creativity to the heart of the DCCI School Awards.