James Hygate, OBE

James is a serial entrepreneur with more than two decades of experience in waste-to-fuels innovation, having founded his first waste-to-fuels company, Green Fuels, in 2003. That business has developed and supplied waste-to-biofuels technology globally and holds a Royal Warrant for the long-term supply of sustainable biofuels to HM the King.

Recognising the feedstock constraints facing the biofuels industry, alongside the urgent need to decarbonise aviation, James went on to co-found Green Fuels Research, a company that has developed several pioneering sustainable fuel innovations. Throughout his career, he has focused on converting difficult waste streams into practical, scalable low-carbon fuel solutions that can deliver real-world impact.

In 2022, following a significant research breakthrough, James co-founded Firefly Green Fuels as a spin-out business to qualify and commercialise a new sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) pathway: sewage biosolids to jet (SBtJ). Under his leadership, Firefly is building an integrated enterprise to help combat climate change by decarbonising aviation - starting with sewage biosolids and expanding towards a broader Wet-to-Jet platform capable of transforming abundant wet biomass into sustainable aviation fuel at global scale.

This game-changing platform can convert wet waste materials, such as sewage sludge, into globally abundant, cost-competitive fuel. It reflects James’ long-held belief that protecting the planet and preserving the benefits of aviation must go hand in hand - and that the most effective climate solutions must be not only lower carbon, but also practical, repeatable, and commercially viable.

Building on this success, Firefly is now moving towards commercial-scale production of its innovative SAF in the UK, with sights set on global deployment in the near future. James’ vision is not to build a single project or narrow technology proposition, but to establish and lead a new category in sustainable aviation fuel and create a repeatable infrastructure platform with the potential to save carbon on a monumental, gigatonne scale.

As Co-Founder and CEO of Firefly Green Fuels, James brings together entrepreneurial drive, deep technical credibility, and a passion for category creation. He is widely recognised for combining innovation with practical delivery, helping position Firefly as a company with the potential to reshape how aviation decarbonises while turning problematic waste streams into valuable low-carbon fuel.

In December 2024, James’ exceptional career was recognised by HM the King when he was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to low carbon fuels as part of the New Year’s Honours List.