Simon Keeling, MBA, Joint Chairman of Corbett Keeling, graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Engineering and has an MBA from Cranfield School of Management. He has worked in investment banking for the last 20 years. Prior to joining Corbett Keeling in 1995, he was at Hambros and Barclays de Zoete Wedd where he worked mainly on financings and sales of businesses.

Jim Keeling, ACA, Joint Chairman of Corbett Keeling, graduated from Oxford University before qualifying as a chartered accountant with KPMG. He was a member of KPMG’s corporate finance division when it was first set up, advising on buying, selling and funding UK businesses. He founded Corbett Keeling in 1993. Jim is Non-Executive and Chairman of the Faculty of Corporate Finance of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. He has extensive knowledge of private equity.

Nicholas Angel, joint founder of Present Value (www.presentvalueltd.com), previously worked in the business-to-business arms of Unilever & SC Johnson and has a strong background in business process improvement and marketing strategy/implementation. Most recently he was global innovation and marketing director at JohnsonDiversey. He works with Corbett Keeling primarily on chemical/manufacturing sector transactions involving household and business-to-business finished product.

Douglas Blausten, FRICS, graduated from Cambridge University. He co-owns Cyril Leonard (www.cyrilleonard.com), a surveying, real estate and asset management services firm that operates in Europe and North America. Cyril Leonard has a wide variety of clients including Rolls Royce, Delancey Estates, Clerical Medical and Polo Ralph Lauren. Douglas works with Corbett Keeling on assignments which require both property expertise and corporate finance advice.

Rufus Boyd, MBA, graduated from Oxford University and joined British Rail in 1987. He later moved into Railtrack’s commercial organisation, helping set up contracts with South Central, Thameslink and Gatwick Express. After moving to Australia in 2008, he worked as Deputy CEO at Sydney Metro and as Principal Consultant at Interfleet Australia, returning to England to set up the company’s management consulting division in 2010-11. Rufus works with Corbett Keeling on transactions in the Transport & Logistics sector.

Mike Campbell is the Founder of Campbell Ventures (www.campbell-ventures.com) which advises on growth acceleration and business performance in the engineering & industrials sectors. Campbell Ventures also advises Chinese companies on international expansion strategies. Mike was previously Managing Director of Ferranti Capital, advising on cross-border Chinese M&A deals in the engineering, industrials and technology sectors. He has significant experience of due diligence and works with Corbett Keeling on transactions in the engineering & industrials sector.

David Cheesman, working with Paul Collins, co-founded equiteq (www.equiteq.co.uk), which specialises in advising consulting firms on increasing their value before sale. After an early career in IBM, David had previously become Paul Collins’ first employee at World Class International (WCI), which together they built to a successful exit in 2002. With Corbett Keeling he focuses mainly on the sale of consultancy sector businesses.

Paul Collins co-founded equiteq (www.equiteq.co.uk) which specialises in advising consultancy businesses on increasing their value before sale. He is a renowned speaker on the growth and sale of consulting firms. Prior to equiteq, he led the growth of World Class International (WCI) from £4m annual revenues in 1995 to £63m in 2002 when it was sold at an enterprise value of £50 million. He works with Corbett Keeling mainly on the sale of consultancy sector businesses.

Andrew SM Dean, MBA, joint founder of Present Value (www.presentvalueltd.com), has 16 years of multidisciplinary pharmaceutical industry experience. He was previously Business Development Director at Alliance Pharma plc responsible for acquisitions of brands, companies and novel technologies, and before then was Marketing Development Manager at Schering-Plough with responsibility for launching flagship brands. He works with Corbett Keeling primarily on pharma sector transactions.

Chris Eddis graduated from Cambridge University with a first class degree in Modern Languages. He co-founded Mornington Capital (www.morningtoncapital.com) in 1998, having spent the previous 12 years at investment banks Goldman Sachs and J P Morgan. Throughout his career he has specialised in the property, hotel and leisure sectors, taking responsibility for major international financing projects. He collaborates with Corbett Keeling primarily on property sector transactions.

Chris Geldard is a former managing director of companies in the ports and wider transport sector. He has 30 years experience in the sector including as a senior executive with Associated British Ports, the UK’s largest port owner. His unusual, detailed knowledge across road, rail and sea transport has enabled him to deliver a wide variety of successful projects over many years. At Corbett Keeling he focuses on transport/logistics sector deals.

Simon Gibbs qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloittes and joined NM Rothschild in 1986 working in corporate finance. He was appointed CEO of mini conglomerate Gieves Group in 1996 and then audio book publisher Chivers Communications in 1999. Following Chivers’ sale to BBC Worldwide, he became MD of BBC Motion Gallery until 2010. He is currently International MD of digital video service provider Thought Equity Motion and focuses at Corbett Keeling on the TMT sector.

Milton Guffogg is a retail sector specialist with extensive experience of completing transactions as principal having been CEO at greetings card group Celebrations, retail director at furniture group Courts, retail/leisure director at NAAFI, and director of retail/food services at Woolworths. He combines this with advisory expertise, having worked for SB Capital specialising in mergers, acquisitions and insolvencies and previously at Hawkpoint before working with Corbett Keeling.

John Herring qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloitte. He is a non-executive director of a number of companies, including JD Wetherspoon plc, the listed managed pub operator, and EAT the private equity backed sandwich retailer. He has worked in corporate finance for the last 20 years, having been a corporate finance director at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson where he had particular exposure to advising small and medium sized quoted companies.

Curt Hopkins, MSc from Georgia Tech (USA), was UK Managing Director of Vodafone Business Services as well as holding senior executive positions at Fujitsu and Nortel. Prior to that Curt was CFO of emerging market telecoms start-up, Nursat, which grew to be the leading Central Asian internet service / enterprise network provider. He is currently CEO of Consilium Ventures, specialising in mid-market technology buyouts, and with Corbett Keeling focuses on TMT sector transactions.

Freddie de Lisle graduated from Oxford University prior to becoming, in 1984, an executive search consultant specialising in insurance.  He founded his own firm in 1989 and is now a director of Stanton Chase, where he leads the insurance and life and pensions recruitment practice. His clients include major insurance groups - both underwriting and broking. He has done assignments across Europe and the Americas and works with Corbett Keeling on financial services sector transactions.

Dr Graham Maile gained his PhD from Cambridge University. He has worked in technology and consulting including at Philips Telecommunications, PA Consulting and Generics Group. He is now a director of Plextek (www.plextek.co.uk), one of the largest independent electronics design houses in Europe, where he has worked for a variety of funding institutions prior to them investing. At Corbett Keeling he focuses on technology transactions.

James McGrigor graduated from Oxford University and has worked in consulting for the last 20 years, initially at Bain & Co. Since then, he has focused on both financial advisory and general consulting activities. James owns The McGrigor Corporation (www.mcgrigorcorp.com), which provides general consultancy in the healthcare and financial services sectors. He works with Corbett Keeling on corporate finance assignments in those sectors.

Simon Poole was Commercial Director at financial services group TSB and Head of Strategy at insurer ITT London & Edinburgh prior to becoming Head of Insurance at KPMG corporate finance. In 2002 he set up Membership Solutions (www.membershipsolutions.co.uk) to complement the corporate finance advice given to clients with sales/marketing opportunities. He works with Corbett Keeling on assignments in the financial sector requiring corporate finance advice.

Lee Shorten worked with Nokia and Ericsson on the development of the very first smart phone technology as well as in the UK defence and aerospace markets, prior to becoming UK Managing Director for Avaya where he oversaw the turnaround of the UK business and integration of Nortel.  Lee’s current activities include: coaching executives; helping technology-based companies identify key areas of improvement; and advising on Corporate Finance as part of Corbett Keeling's TMT team.

Christopher Tite is a partner at Lawrence Graham LLP and co-founder of UK Port Advisers.  He specialises in advising ports worldwide on their ownership, operation, development and regulation.  He has particular experience of port transactions including mergers and acquisitions, buyouts, joint ventures and privatisations.  He is the consulting editor to Halsbury's Laws of England on Ports and Harbours.

Tim Wait was group managing director of Howard Tenens, the major UK logistics services provider.  He has also worked in senior roles in property development for the Berkeley Group and retail for Aldi International.  He focuses at Corbett Keeling on assignments which require a combination of logistics, property and corporate finance expertise.

Niels Westberg is a director of Brabazon Fox Limited and co-founder of UK Port Advisers.  He has 20 years' experience of both the public and private elements of the port industry.  In addition, he has experience of government, having worked in Whitehall for a number of years.  He specialises in UK ports policy and strategy, port and harbour design and development including marine environmental, regulatory and operational issues.

Tony Williams has held directorships at UBS, Morgan Stanley, ING Barings and at Tarmac plc. In 2002 he founded Building Value Ltd, an independent advisory business specialising in construction, building materials, real estate and support services (www.buildingvalueltd.com). Tony is also Non Executive Chairman of Watts Group PLC and a Non Executive Director of both Prosperity Minerals Holdings Ltd and ikon Consultancy Ltd.

Geoff Wood-Hill, MBA, is an engineer with more than 20 years' experience in operational and corporate finance roles.  He worked for a number of manufacturing companies, including Wellman plc, EIS Group, TI Group and Smiths Group LLP, before joining Ernst & Young (E&Y).  During his eleven years at E&Y he specialised in M&A, due dilligence and advisory work with a broad spectrum of quoted and private equity backed businesses.

Paul Woodhouse has worked in the insurance sector all his career, becoming in 1998 Managing Director of JH Minet Reinsurance Brokers, one of the leading reinsurance brokers in the world. Following Minet’s acquisition by Aon, he was Managing Director of retrocessional reinsurance at leading independent Lloyd’s broker Ballantyne McKean & Sullivan. Since then he has worked in executive search.  He collaborates with Corbett Keeling on insurance sector corporate finance transactions.