Our training faculty have accumulated a wealth of knowledge within the industry and their chosen field, enabling them to deliver high quality, interactive and engaging courses to hundreds of learners each year. Please find a brief overview of each faculty member's background below.
We are looking to grow our training faculty. We are seeking experienced industry practitioners to join our highly specialised group of course directors. If you feel like our members could benefit from your experience and would like to deliver existing content, or to bring something new to our training suite, please contact Natalie Whiley.
Meet our faculty
Leading industry experts, delivering BVCA training courses.
Alex Cochand
Alex Cochand is a Director at SEI Ventures. He was previously a Partner at Q Ventures, heading the investment team. He managed the origination and investment process. He has worked in the venture space for over 9 years and in that time, he has completed over twenty-five transactions. He has a broad range of experience from corporate finance through to launching a CVC and working within tax efficient funds.
Andre Lanser
Andre has delivered courses for banks around the world in the areas of Credit, Corporate Finance, Private Equity, Valuation and Financial Modelling. Andre qualified as a Chartered Accountant, completing articles with PricewaterhouseCoopers.
He started his career with a subsidiary of Commercial Union, involved in the steel manufacturing industry. His experience ranged from systems implementation, credit assessment of the highly risky construction industry customers, heading up the finance functions to successfully turning the business around and then selling the company through a trade sale. He later joined Commercial Union in the investment back-office function, reengineering the investment back-office and later headed up a team that implemented a new investment management system for both the back office and the front office. His career then spanned over 12 years in the Venture Capital and Private Equity arena, where he has gained a vast amount of experience in the corporate analysis and valuation field.
Andre is a specialist in developing and training finance-related courses, including corporate credit-related topics, financial modelling including valuations, leveraged buyouts and M&A, and accounting (with a focus on IFRS ) courses. His training experience spans a period of more than twenty years.
Cat Kipling
Cat Kipling has spent her whole career in and around private equity. Today she helps private markets professionals to speak better, from across the table pitching to conference-style presentations. Given today's in-person/hybrid/online setting, Cat helps her clients to deliver the best version of themselves whatever the format. Prior to founding Just So Speaking, Cat spent a decade in PE investor relations during which she helped to raise over €5.5 billion from a global investor base.
Elaine Coughlan
Elaine has over 25 years of experience in running and scaling technology companies, including successful realisations through IPOs and M&A. Based in Dublin, Elaine was previously co-founder and director of Glonav, a GPS company that was acquired by NXP for $110 million. Elaine served as CFO or vice president of finance for three successful technology IPOs - Parthus, IONA and Smartforce – that realized more than $5 billion in value for investors.
She is currently on the board of Atlantic Bridge portfolio companies FieldAware, WellAir and Swrve (observer). She was named one of Europe’s Top 50 Inspiring Women in Technology, one of Ireland’s Top 50 Women in Technology. Elaine holds an MSc in Corporate Governance, is a qualified Chartered Director and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Eyal Malinger
Eyal Malinger is a Managing Partner at Resurge Growth. Prior to that, Eyal was a Partner and led the equity investment team at Beringea, a UK based VC Fund. Prior to joining Beringea, Eyal led corporate venturing at Countrywide PLC, was Vice President with Oaktree Capital’s European private equity fund and a consultant with McKinsey & Company. Eyal holds an MBA with high distinction from Harvard Business School.
Hayley Hand
Hayley Hand is an Investment Director at Big Society Capital, the UK’s leading social impact investor. At BSC, she leads the impact work within the VC portfolio – working to improve impact practice within venture managers and incorporate learnings on what works best in the VC setting. She has delivered training programmes on impact practice including as a faculty member and advisor for Impact VC. She is a contributor to the Impact VC founder and VC playbooks. She sits on the Impact Advisory Board for Wagestream and the steering group for the Fair by Design Campaign, focused on eliminating the poverty premium in the UK. Prior to BSC, Hayley was a Director at Parthenon-EY, leading CDD for PE clients, across B2B, consumer and education assets.
James Prebble
James is a highly experienced digital consultant with 15 years of extensive digital strategy and transformation experience across a wide range of industries and sectors. A digital expert, he works with businesses to facilitate business change and development through the implementation of digital strategies and processes. James has significant experience supporting digital lead generation, customer strategy and digital service implementation programs for the Retail, FS, Life Science, Leisure and Transportation sectors.
Prior to establishing Palladium Group, James was a strategy director at a top 50 digital agency before a successful digital consultant career working with leading consultancy firms including ATOS, KPMG, Arthur D Little and Deloitte.
A true digital native, he is a respected speaker and trainer delivering highly interactive and engaging workshops for leading UK businesses and training organisations both in the UK and US. His sessions are interactive and hands-on. You’ll leave armed with new tools and techniques that can be implemented directly within the organisations you represent.
James is also an engaging keynote speaker and is often asked to provide keynote addresses at digital summits for audiences of up to 1,000 people. His clients have included L’Oréal, Wella, Ralph Lauren, Zurich, RSA, Sun life of Canada, Argos, JTI and Astra Zeneca.
Palladium Digital Group is the 2018 winner of the Commercial Due Diligence Provider of the year at the Unquote British Private Equity awards.
Jennifer Wilson
Jennifer Wilson is the Founder & CEO of Re:Co Insights, a tech-powered advisory company helping private equity clients accelerate ESG outcomes and value creation in tandem.
Prior to Re:Co, Jenn was the CFO of AIL Group where she led the integration of sustainability into core strategy for the group. Previously, she worked at Bain & Co., the Oxford Smith School of Enterprise & Environment and the Rocky Mountain Institute.
Jenn holds an MSc in Environmental Change & Management from the University of Oxford and bachelor degrees in Environmental Geoscience & Business Administration from Acadia University.
Jon Andrew
Jon works alongside investment teams to support operational value creation within investee companies. He shares best practice across the portfolio supporting management teams as they develop growth strategies and helps them monitor performance.
After gaining a degree in Molecular Biology & Biochemistry at Durham University, Jon qualified as a chartered accountant with PwC and held roles within the Training, Transaction Services and Consulting teams. During this time, Jon designed and rolled out PwC’s inaugural Due Diligence Training Programme across Europe in 1997.
In 2005, Jon joined LDC to focus on performance improvement in its portfolio companies. Over his 15-year private equity career Jon has gained significant experience in a wide range of value creating activities and has particular expertise in driving change through complex integrations, IT implementation programmes, as well as 100-day planning initiatives.
Jon was born in Middlesbrough and because he believes the team chooses you, is a long-suffering Boro fan. He is also an ardent Yorkshire Cricket Club follower and enjoys running and tennis. When not trying to keep in shape, Jon likes to spend time with his three daughters.
Mark Freer
Mark Freer has over 25 years investment experience in both the private equity and growth capital markets, most notably with LDC and BGF. During that time, Mark had the privilege of working alongside a variety of owners and management teams across many different sectors, supporting them in accelerating and achieving their own growth plans.
Since leaving BGF in 2021, Mark continues to work with small and medium sized businesses, both as Chair and in an advisory capacity. Alongside this, he also pursues his passion for training, working with several organisations, such as the BVCA, to share some of the lessons he has learnt over his 25-year investment career.
At other times, you might find Mark sitting at his piano playing some familiar tunes.
Murray Steele
Murray holds Bachelor's and Master’s Degrees in mechanical engineering from the University of Glasgow; an MBA from Cranfield School of Management and an accounting qualification from the Institute of Certified Accountants. He currently delivers NED development programmes for the Financial Times, BVCA and EBRD. Over 10,000 people have attended his NED Programmes both in the UK and internationally.
His practical experience ranges from being a NED of the Airline Division of British Aerospace which had revenues in excess of £1 billion to a nominee director of 3i. He was Chair of Orchard Hotels, a start-up hotel company which he created with a colleague in 1985 and sold successfully to a listed company in 2002. Currently, he is Chair of Octopus Apollo VCT, one of the largest in the UK; Surface Generation, an advanced manufacturing company; spotlite, a social media platform which is a safe space for children and a NED of AUGA Group, Europe’s largest organic food producer, which is listed on the Vilnius Stock Exchange. In total, he has held over 20 Chair and NED positions and led three successful exits.
Rob Maguire
Rob is a highly experienced management consultant with 30 years of extensive purchasing, sales and business experience across a wide range of industries and sectors. He has built a successful consulting business specializing in procurement, sales and commercial management which has seen continued year on year growth for the past 15 years.
Prior to establishing his own business Robert worked for management consulting firms Price Waterhouse and Ernst &Young and held senior operational roles in leading international firms including household product company Reckitt & Colman (now ReckittBenckiser) where he was European Purchasing Manager; power tools company Black& Decker; and automotive companies Rover Group and BMW.
Sheryl Hanson
Sheryl Hanson has been working within the field of business psychology for over 20 years and specialises in personality testing for the purposes of assessment, selection, individual and team coaching, personal development and conflict management. Sheryl also provides training in various areas such as interviewing techniques, reading body language, leadership, influencing and networking. She has extensive experience within the private equity industry and works with well-known VC houses providing management due diligence support, as well as team and one to one coaching. She has also worked with numerous management teams across many varied industries and has been engaged to manage conflict, coach individuals, and work with teams to improve their effectiveness.
Sheryl’s career began as a Search Consultant, before graduating with a first-class honours degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in Occupational Psychology from the University of Nottingham in 2000.
Simon Faure
Simon Faure is the Managing Director of IH International Advisors. Prior to joining IHIA in 2021, Simon spent 16 years at M&G Investment’s private equity team. Simon has over 25 years’ experience investing in private equity and over 27 years' investment experience in total.
Simon has a History degree from University of Southampton.
Steph Kingdon
Steph Kingdon has over 25 years experience as an independent management leadership specialist, delivering a range of leadership and management qualifications to many well-known public sector organisations. Steph has expertise in designing bespoke training packages to address individual and business needs, including mental resilience, positive leadership behaviours and change management.
Steph’s career began in the Health Service before going on to study psychology, gaining a BA (Hons) 2:1 in Psychology and Educational Development from Nottingham Trent University. She is currently finalising her MSc in Management Psychology – a significant qualification that only a small handful of those in her profession hold.