Our international team of passionate professionals with in-depth TMT expertise can help you solve your most challenging business issues. Our capabilities include strategy, corporate finance, economics, organisational change, and project management.
We have blended together a group of professionals recognised in their respective fields:
Strategy/business consultants with experience at CxO level
Financiers with expertise in acquisitions, VC/PE deals, and startup investments
Corporate executives from leading TMT organisations
Entrepreneurs with a successful track record in creating and exiting tech firms
Economists and lawyers with proficiency in shareholder value management, input-output analysis, and corporate governance
Our sectorial expertise lies in the TMT sector, in such areas as digital innovation, artificial intelligence, IoT, spectrum auctions, and wholesale telecom.
Our international network of affiliates revolves around major tech hubs and our experience spans across developed and emerging regions, such as Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.
Thus, we are well equipped to advise our clients in their challenging journeys within their fast-changing industries .
London, Paris, Beirut
Etienne has 22 years’ experience in strategy and corporate finance consulting in the Telecom, Media and Technology sector, in both developed and emerging markets. He is also an affiliate of Xona Partners and HOT TELECOM, and started his consulting career at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Etienne has successfully delivered 90+ complex assignments and helped corporations and private equity firms make value enhancing and preserving decisions related to investments, growth, regulation and business transformation. This included strategic and industry reviews, spectrum auctions, target screening and valuations, commercial due diligence, acquisition planning and integration, and performance improvement.
Etienne has a passion for TMT convergence, digital innovation, and technology startups. His recent fields of research include the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, 5G, and edge computing. He is also a Board Member for the Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of London.
Along with his MBA, CFA, and MSc Eng credentials, Etienne is qualified in project and programme management.
Montreal, London
Isabelle is President and Founder of HOT TELECOM, an innovative and creative telecom research and consulting firm supporting Tier-1 and Tier-2 operators on a global basis, particularly on the subjects of International and wholesale.
Isabelle has worked with many of the world’s telecom service providers to help them define their transformation strategy. She has published several articles and reports on the subject and has spoken at numerous conferences around the world to share her views on the future of the international telecoms business.
She is also passionate about encouraging the involvement of women in technology and science and conducts multiple panels and interview with leading women globally. She is a member of the Youth and Women Entrepreneurship ESBN taskforce which is a working group created by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for the Asia Pacific (ESCAP) to promote the active engagement of the business sector in addressing the issues of sustainable and social inclusiveness in business.
Isabelle holds a Bachelor degree in Engineering, an MBA in Finance and has over 24 years experience working globally.
London
Simon Greenman has over twenty years of leading digital transformations and growing online media and marketplace companies through technology, data science and artificial intelligence. He is co-founder and partner in Best Practice AI, an advisory that works with corporates, startups and private equity firms to accelerate their adoption of practical ROI AI solutions.
Simon co-founded one of the early internet success stories, MapQuest.com, that used advanced decision algorithms. As Chief Digital Officer, he led the digital transformations of Dex Media, a Carlyle directory and local marketing services company, and European Directories where he grew digital revenues to €300M. Most recently he was interim CDO and CMO at Bowers & Wilkins and prior to that he was CEO of HomeAdvisor Europe, an IAC company transforming the home services space. Earlier in his career he consulted or worked for brands including AOL, Charles Schwab and Accenture.
Simon is highly active in the early stage eco-system as Co-President of the Harvard Business School Alumni Angels of London, an advisor at DN Capital, and as an angel investor and mentor. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA (Hons) in Computing & Artificial Intelligence from the University of Sussex.
San Francisco, Vancouver, Hong Kong, Dubai
Dr Riad Hartani is the co-founder of the consultancy Xona Partners advising technology and business leaders. His areas of expertise are in mobile communications, internet eco-system, ad network and artificial intelligence.
Riad has been involved in a string of technology startups in the Silicon Valley as founder and key executive. Earlier, he held senior engineering and business roles, and consulted with lead organizations in the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia.
Riad holds two Engineering degrees and a Master degree, a Doctorate and Post-doctorate in Computer Science from the University of Paris, and the University of California, Berkeley (all with highest honors) and completed the Executive Education in Business at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Toronto
Frank is a telecom industry strategist and thought leader with a passion for bridging the technology-market divide. A wireless industry veteran of 20 years, he is co-founder of the advisory firm Xona Partners and of BLiNQ Networks, a provider of Fixed Wireless Access Solutions.
Frank has previously held senior product management and business development positions at Redline, Metawave and Ericsson where he launched innovative wireless solutions. He consults on the technology, market and economics of wireless networks, spectrum, and infrastructure solutions.
Frank holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, and an MSc in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from the University of Toronto, Canada.
London
Nadia has extensive experience in finance, with a focus on debt structuring and asset-backed securities. After working in the City and on Wall Street for a decade, she co-founded Postscriptum, a diversified venture business with broad interests in start-up and special situations in the energy sector. In addition, she was acting CEO for Retna, a media company where she co-developed and implemented software for managing both back office processes and image-recognition systems. She was also employed as a consultant by the World Bank where she led a team working on climate investing, and reported to the Committee for Scaling up Renewable Energy in Low-Income Countries (SREP).
Nadia subsequently co-founded the Harvard Business Angels of London which she chaired for a number of years. Nadia now runs a secured lending business through Capshore Partners, while managing her own holdings of early-stage businesses, with interests in medical technology, education and renewable energy. She is actively engaged with several of these companies in an advisory and non-executive capacity. For the past few years she has also given her time as a mentor for the Said Global Entrepreneur Challenge and the Althea-Imperial Program.
Nadia has an MA from Oxford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
London
Susan is an insightful, positive leader focused on making simple changes to enable team focus, drive, commitment and productivity. Her broad experience across old and new economies and a wide range of operating environments has given her deep intuition about how to enable growth.
Susan’s experience includes six years as founding Chairman of Chop'd, the integration of Seattle Coffee Company into Starbucks UK, roles in seven startups, supporting Three in re-setting the strategy for their network joint venture MBNL, and leading delivery of television for TalkTalk and the rebrand of ntl:Telewest to Virgin Media. Her strengths are in establishing product/market fit, making sure innovations are actually delivered and iterated, and ensuring a company is prepared to operate and grow at pace. She's also a very good coach.
Susan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Masters in International Affairs from Columbia University, and a B.A. in History from Wesleyan University.
London
Stuart Newstead is a digital expert and has consulted across the telecoms, IT and media sectors in over 20 countries. His clients include telco providers such as Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone Group, Artificial Intelligence companies such as Squirro and [24]7.ai, media companies such as BBC and Guardian Media Group, regulators such as Ofcom and ComReg, financial firms such as Elliott Advisors and DFJ Esprit plus a range of startups.
Before founding the independent consultancy Ellare in 2002, Stuart was VP of New Business Products and Business Partners at mobile operator Telefónica O2. Previously, he was General Manager of Commercial Operations at BT Wholesale.
Stuart is a Director of early-stage software company Qorteq, is a member of the Oxfam Multimedia Advisory Board, a member of the Brunel University MBA Advisory Board, and a Global Leader for the Gerson Lehrman Group Telecommunications Council. He is also a frequent independent Chair at conferences and industry events and was Chair of an Olympics Committee – the Mobile Experience Group – for London 2012.
Stuart was educated at Cambridge University, England, and at Yale University, USA.
Milan
Marco is a seasoned Finance and Operations professional with extensive international management experience, including a background in audit, transaction services, and M&A advisory. He possesses strong leadership, problem-solving, and technical skills, as well as strategic, business, and commercial acumen. He has a proven track record of managing challenging projects, working efficiently under pressure and prioritizing with attention to detail. Marco also has an excellent ability to lead and motivate international teams. As a general manager, he has led transformation processes of both business and finance functions.
Marco is currently the COO/CFO of a digital startup that provides pricing and supply chain efficiency solutions, which leverage prescriptive AI. Throughout his career, he has held various other roles, including Group CFO/COO & Investor Relations for an Italian listed Group in Media and Entertainment, General Manager of a marketing company, European Finance Lead of a US listed Asset Management firm, strategic management consultant in operational excellence and post-merger integration, and Audit and Financial Due Diligence consultant for a Big4 firm.
Additionally, Marco serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for a digital start-up and as an active Board of Director member for publishing/events, fashion/design, and chemical/plastic companies. He is also a Qualified Auditor and a Member of the Board of Statutory Auditors (Collegio Sindacale) in Italy.
London
Dr Andrew Black has extensive experience in corporate finance, corporate and investment strategy, company valuations, risk and compliance analysis, and corporate governance. He has in depth knowledge of the telecom, technology, and financial services sectors, as well as the oil and gas, commodity, consumer goods, defence, and automobile industries. He is currently the Managing Director of Digit Ltd, a management and financial consulting company, which links specific economic and financial information into analysis and provides bespoke solutions to complex management, economic and financial issues.
Andrew has previously worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers, where he was a key person in the area of Shareholder Value Analysis and Value Based Management, authoring several books on the subject. Earlier he worked in investment banking and in industry, and as an Economic Advisor for the British Government.
Andrew is a trained economist and holds a Ph.D in Economics from London University. He has taught economics, business strategy, and valuation at the University of Warwick Business School and at the London Business School. He is a research fellow at the Global Policy Institute, and has written papers for Chatham House, the Society of Business Economists, and the Federal Trust.
London
Gil is a senior international business development executive, with over twenty years' experience with blue chip and independent companies in the media, entertainment, and consumer products industries. His areas of expertise include international distribution, sales & marketing, general management, licensing, and artists relations.
Gil is the founder and managing director of Riverside Media, a business consultancy specialised in international business development for media and entertainment clients, including Virgin Radio, Cinedigm, BBC Worldwide, RCS Mediagroup, Centum Books and Bioworld.
Gil started his career in marketing with FMCG giants L’Oreal and Danone, before joining CIC Video International where he looked after 35 territories and developed the MTV and Nickelodeon brands. After spending a few years as a magazine publisher and business developer with UK publishing house Emap, he joined WWE home entertainment licensee Clear Vision where he expanded their reach beyond the UK to over 20 territories worldwide. Gil holds a MSc in Management from EM Lyon business school.
London
Martin is a management consulting director with over 20 years of international consulting and business development experience in finance, banking and cross sector in full project lifecycle of shared services and business process outsourcing, strategic, operational and regulatory change, and post-merger integration and separation programmes. He has hands-on experience of the critical role technology plays in enabling these initiatives.
Martin has deep expertise in feasibility assessments, performance improvements, organisational strategies, target operating / business model designs, business and process modelling, reengineering and transformations, project and programme management.
Earlier in his career, Martin led the UK Shared Services / Business Process Outsourcing & Offshoring consulting practice at Logica and was an executive member of the European team involving practice promotion, collateral development, staff recruitment and management, international board level business development. Martin has also worked at KPMG and PA Consulting. He holds an MA in business administration from the Silesian University.
