Partner. Advise. Invest.

Richard Briance is a founding member of PMB Capital with many years of experience in the banking world. He was previously Chief Executive of Edmond de Rothschild Limited, the UK subsidiary of the Geneva-based banking group (2010-2015). He was Chief Executive and latterly Deputy Chairman of Hawkpoint Partners (1999-2010).

Prior to joining Hawkpoint Richard had twenty-five years’ international investment banking experience, as Chief Executive of WestMerchant Bank, Vice Chairman and global head of fixed income at UBS and Managing Director at Credit Suisse First Boston. He has served on the board of Mint Hotels and Oxford Analytica.

Richard has a wealth of experience in the charitable sector, having served as a trustee of Policy Exchange; as Chairman of Trinity Hospice, the UK’s oldest hospice; as a trustee of Floreat Education and on the board of trustees at the London Children’s Ballet. Richard is Chairman of the Kensington and Chelsea Foundation.

Richard is married to Lucille, who founded London Children’s Ballet over 25 years ago. He has four grown up children and divides his time between London, Gloucestershire and Nantucket (sadly not much of his time).

Benno von Buchwaldt is a Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer at PMB. Since joining our firm, he has materially contributed to reviving the merchant banking model to better serve business owners, industrial families, and entrepreneurs.

Prior to joining PMB, Benno worked at J.P. Morgan in Mergers and Acquisitions and at EQT, where he focused on majority buyouts in the German Mittelstand

After graduating in 1973 from Trinity College, Cambridge with a degree in Modern Languages, he joined the merchant bank Morgan Grenfell, initially as an equity research analyst before moving into portfolio management. He held various positions at Morgan Grenfell including Head of the US and Head of Asset Management, before becoming Deputy Chief Executive in 1988 and Chief Executive in 1989.

Following Deutsche Bank’s acquisition of Morgan Grenfell in 1990 he was responsible for the bank’s Global Investment Banking business from 1993, joining the Board of Managing Directors of Deutsche Bank in 1996. In 1998 he took responsibility for Deutsche Bank’s Global Asset Management business.

He left Deutsche Bank in 2000 and was the Founder and Chairman of Beaumont Capital Management, a hedge fund and high net worth asset management business. Beaumont was acquired by Schroders in November 2001. He was Chief Executive of Schroders plc from 2001-2016 and was appointed Chairman in April 2016.

Previous outside positions include Chairman of the Investment Board of the Cambridge University Endowment Fund, a member of the Advisory Committee of the IMF Staff Retirement Plan and a member of the FCA Practitioner Panel.

Joff is the Chief Executive of PMB Capital and a Managing Director. Joff joined the Founders of PMB Capital at the company’s inception in 2015. He has executed many of the firm’s corporate finance mandates and was heavily involved in the development and successful launch of its private equity business, PMB Invest.

Prior to PMB, Joff worked at BlackRock Private Equity Partners in New York, London and Zurich. Whilst at BlackRock, he was seconded to the Texas Teachers Retirement System (TRS) investing from their direct private equity programme. Joff started his career in investment banking with Goldman Sachs in London in the UK M&A team. He has an MA in Business & Economics from Trinity College, Dublin.

Joff has a North American wife, Jamie, two children and two disappointingly small dogs.

Katherine Ireland (Kate) began her career at Goldman Sachs in M&A, before helping to open the London-based office of Centerbridge Partners, a $22bn private equity and credit fund manager. She subsequently helped lead growth equity investments in fintech, software, and digital consumer businesses for Palamon Capital Partners, a pan European mid market private equity manager, and Sprints Capital.

During 2020, as part of the covid-related government support and response, Ms. Ireland worked for UK Government Investments, advising the UK Treasury.

She subsequently set up her own advisory business, working with private equity, family offices, and portfolio companies. She has sat on the boards of several companies, including Onyx Insight (previously owned by BP Launchpad, now Macquarie), focusing on predictive analytics solutions for the renewables industry; Feelunique, an online beauty retailer acquired by Sephora in 2021; and Currencies Direct (now Redpin Holdings), a fintech enabling cross border payments. She is currently an advisor to Samos Energy, and is on the board of Verde Magnesium, a greenfield project in critical metals.

She sits on the advisory board of the Center for Development Economics, based in Williamstown, MA.

Ms. Ireland has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Williams College, MA. She is a US / UK dual national and serves on the membership committee of the Pilgrims Society. Ms. Ireland is also an avid tennis player and skier.

Christoph Ladanyi’s focus area at PMB Capital is on corporate finance, alternative assets and direct investments.

Previously he was founding partner of Edmond de Rothschild Private Merchant Banking LLP (2012-2015). Before that he was Managing Director of and Head of the European Private Wealth business of Lehman Brothers (2004-2011) which he successfully transferred to Barclays Wealth where he continued as Managing Director. Before that he was Head of the Technology Group within the Invetrsmt Banking Division of Lehman Brothers (2000-2004).

Prior to that he was Managing Director in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs in London and Frankfurt (1990-2000) responsible for Business Development and Relationship Management I n the DACH region; and Vice President in the Investment Banking Division of Merrill Lynch in New York (1985-1989).

Christoph has structured and implemented numerous direct investments in the alternative asset space in sectors such as Bio-tech, Software, Alternative Energy, Forestry and the Art Market both for clients and on his own account. He sits on several boards and advisory committees.

After graduating in 1987 with an MSc in Economics from the University of Louvain, Simon joined merchant bank Schroders as an equity analyst. His core focus was primarily equity research, principally covering industries within the consumer spheres, and the companies that comprise them.

His extensive research publication record led him to service major institutional investors across the world and undertake advisory roles in Mergers & Acquisitions and Equity Capital Markets. Simon ran equity research and sales teams at Kleinwort Benson, Bankers Trust, Bear Stearns and Jefferies, and founded several investment banking operations abroad between 1996 – 2006.

In 2013, Simon shifted his focus to private equity as a director of Adrien Invest, a private Belgian investment group. He is also a member of the Board of Planet First Partners (GP) and an Executive Director of Pamber Capital Ltd.

Vikram joined PMB as an advisor in 2019, bringing with him a wealth of experience from a long-standing career.

Prior to advising PMB Capital, Vikram held the position of Chairman of the Shell Group in India (1994-2012). Vikram began his career with the Indian Civil Service (1978-1980), after which he joined Phillips Petroleum in London (1980-1984), before returning to India as an advisor to Oil India (1984-1988).

Vikram currently serves as an independent director of several companies including Thomson Reuters Founders Share Company, Larsen and Toubro Ltd, Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd, Colgate Palmolive India Ltd, and Apollo Tyres.

Vikram was the Executive Chairman  of Brookings India and Senior Fellow of the Brookings Institution from 2012 to 2020 when Brookings India transitioned to the “Center for Social and Economic Progress“ , of which he is currently the Chairman. He also sits on the Board of Overseers for the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and on the Global Advisory Board of Macro Advisory Partners.

Konstantin Mettenheimer advises international business owners, families and investors on strategic and investment issues long term and with a keen eye for business and family issues alike. He offers an uncommon blend of successful leadership and advice and sits on the board of some privately owned businesses and private trust companies.

Konstantin was previously Chairman of Edmond de Rothschild Group in Germany and partner of Edmond de Rothschild Private Merchant Banking LLP, London (2013-2015). Prior to that he was global chairman (Senior Partner) of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, the international law firm with 5,000 employees. Under his leadership the firm almost doubled profit per share. He had joined the firm in 1986.

With an MBA from Wharton and as a qualified lawyer and tax adviser in Germany he combines a deep knowledge of commercial and legal issues. He received his doctoral degree at Goethe University Frankfurt in 1987. He is Chairman of Common Purpose Germany and member of the Kuratorium of the Goethe University Frankfurt. He was awarded the medal of honour by Bucerius Law School in 2008. Married, with three children, Konstantin also served as an officer in the Bundeswehr and the US National Guard.

He speaks English, French and German, and is married to Dorothée, a practicing lawyer. Together they have three children and share a passion for horses – Dorothée favours dressage, whereas Konstantin is very much a cross-country and hunting man.

Ian Molson was born and grew up in Montreal, Canada and is currently a director of a number of private equity, investment and other companies which include Cayzer Continuation PCC Ltd, Central European Petroleum Ltd (Deputy Chairman), Healthpoint Capital LLC, JCB Service and RM2 (Chairman).

Ian served as Chairman of The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and The Royal Marsden Hospital Charity from 2010 to 2016. From 1999 to 2004, he was deputy chairman of the board and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Molson Inc., a Canadian public corporation founded in 1786. Between 1977 and 1997, he was employed by Credit Suisse First Boston, one of the leading investment banking and securities firms in the world. From 1993 to 1997, he served as co-Head of their Investment Banking Department in Europe, a position which encompassed all corporate finance, corporate advisory, mergers and acquisitions businesses in Europe, Russia, Africa and the Middle East.

He graduated from Harvard University (BA Honors) in 1977.

Alan is an experienced investor in FinTech through Adfisco where his portfolio includes Funding Circle, Ebury, Cleo, Tide and more.

He is also the co-founder and Chairman of VC firm MMC Ventures, one of the leading VC investors in UK. Alan spent 28 years at McKinsey & Co where he was head of the financial services practice in the UK, Europe and Middle East. He was also a Board member of the McKinsey investment office.

Alan has an MA in Law from Trinity College, Oxford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School and is a qualified barrister.

Javier joined PMB Capital in January 2023 after previously completing internships in Private Equity at Tresmares Capital and Q-Capital. Javier holds a master’s in finance (MSc) from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and First Class Honours Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Durham

Richard joined PMB Capital in April 2022 after previously completing an internship with the firm in 2018. Prior to joining PMB, Richard worked at Evercore in Private Capital Advisory, focusing on M&A and fund transactions in private capital markets.

He holds a master’s in Law (Magister juris) from the University of Vienna, and two master’s degrees from IE University in Madrid in Economics and Computer Science.

Richard is married and lives between London and Vienna. He undoubtedly has the most boring dual nationality in the world, being both Austrian and German.

Charles joined PMB Capital in 2019 having previously spent four years at PwC in London.

Whilst obtaining his Chartered Accountancy qualification, he specialised in the mid-market space, working with a variety of clients, from private equity backed early growth businesses to FTSE 250 constituents.

Since joining PMB, Charles has successfully executed a range of M&A advisory mandates and forms part of the PMB Invest fund team along with being Finance Director of the business. He graduated from the University of Exeter.

John is the Chief Business Officer of PMB Capital and has 25 years of experience serving in several private equity, operating, and corporate finance roles.  John previously worked in private equity at Health Enterprise Partners and DLJ Merchant Banking (Credit Suisse).  John also served as the CFO of Time Link International Corp., a New York-based provider of enterprise software solutions.  He started his career as an M&A analyst at UBS Warburg.

John is a board member of the Newport Global Summit (Chair), Culturunnners (Chair), Texas Gulf Bank, the Blaffer Museum, and the Blessed Foundation.  He has also produced several global art initiatives and documentary films, including the Antarctic Biennale and Culturunners Healing Arts Initiative.  John holds a BBA in Finance, a BS in Economics from Southern Methodist University, and an MBA with distinction from Columbia Business School.

John lives in London with his wife, Céliane, and son, William.

Michael P. Schulhof advises PMB Capital in the aerospace, media and technology sectors. Mickey served as the President and Chief Executive of the Sony Music Corporation from 1990-95, and is presently the Chairman of GTI Holdings, a New York based private equity and advisory firm. He currently sits on several boards, including Airworks, Anyclip, Ziff Davis, Nova Medical Centres, AirLivery, Xerys Capital and Biolog ID.

Mickey’s experience in technologically driven fields comes from his STEM background, having trained as a physicist with 27 published papers and 1 patent. He received an honorary doctorate from Grinell College, in addition to his Ph.D. from Brandeis University.

Mickey serves on the Board of Trustees of the Solomon R Guggenheim Foundation and the Brookings institute, and is a member of the Council of Foreign Relations. Mickey has received the Officier de la Legion D’Honneur in recognition of his work promoting commerce and understanding between the U.S. and France.

Dominic has a long history in private equity. He is currently an active private investor based in London.

Dominic was founder and managing partner of the mid-market private equity firm, Englefield Capital from inception in 2001 until its sale in 2010 to the Brenninkmeijer family. Prior to founding Englefield Capital he was a partner of Warburg Pincus & Co. and co-head of their European business for many years.  As an investor, he has been involved in most sectors of the economy and invested in businesses at all stages of development. As a board member, Dominic has played a role on more than 50 boards based in the UK, France, Germany, Denmark, Holland, Italy, Ireland, China and the U.S.  He started his career at Morgan Stanley in London.

Dominic graduated from Oxford University with an MA in Latin and Greek Literature and Philosophy, and has an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.  In addition to his business activities, Dominic is Deputy Chair of The Anna Freud Centre serving child and adolescent mental health.

Al-Noor is a veteran Chief Information Officer, Board Advisor, and Entrepreneur with more than 30 years of experience driving digital strategy and transformation for global enterprises. Al-Noor was appointed as an Independent Director at TATA Motors on May 1, 2022. Prior to joining Prudential plc in 2016, Al-Noor was chief strategy officer of Calypso Technology, Inc. a global application software provider. From April 2010 to June 2013, he was the executive vice president and general manager at Misys Banking, a mid-size software company that serves the financial services industry.

From May 2004 to March 2010, he served in various executive roles at British Telecom, most recently as chief executive officer for BT Innovate and Design and Chief Information Officer of BT

Group plc. Prior to British Telecom, Al-Noor was Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer and Chief e-commerce Officer for Qwest Communications. Al-Noor has also served as Chief Information Officer at UBS and prior to UBS, as global head of operations at Credit Suisse First Boston.

Al-Noor was also the founder and from 1998-2001, Group CEO of WebTek Software, one of the most successful software houses in India. Al-Noor holds a BSc in Electronics from the University of London, is a Chartered Financial Analyst, and has been multi-year recipient a of the CIO 100 Award, CIO Insight IT Leader of the Year 2009, and the British Computer Society CIO of the Year

Amanda joined PMB Capital in September 2023 as a Office Manager, leveraging her background in Production Engineering to enhance office operations and support team efficiency. Known for her organisational skills and attention to detail, Amanda ensures a smooth productive work environment. Outside of work, Amanda enjoys practicing yoga, hiking in nature, reading and cooking which reflect her commitment to personal growth and wellness.

George joined PMB Capital in January 2023, working across both PMB Invest and Advisory. Prior to joining, George was Head of Finance at a B2B software business and then worked for a family office on their direct private equity investments.

He started his career at Credit Suisse in the UK Investment Banking team.

He graduated from the University of Edinburgh, and before that grew up in the United States.

Jens is Managing Director of Oxford Investment Opportunity Network (OION), Development Director SQW Group and Senior Advisor, Oxford Economics.

Previously, he was Managing Director UK of Oxford Economics, Executive Director of Oxford Analytica and Executive Director UBS.

Jens holds a MA in PPE and an MSc in Economic History, both from the University of Oxford. Jens is a trustee of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Director of Venturefest Oxford, Visiting Business Fellow at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at Oxford University, a governor of St Clare’s, Oxford and a Trustee of Charity Mentors Oxfordshire. He is a member of the Society of Business Economists (SBE).

Having started his career in Geneva at a family wealth management firm, Alessandro did a spell at Drexel Burnham Lambert and Private Merchant Bank, Robert Fraser & Partners after which he worked for a family office originating, executing, and managing investments in multiple sectors such as natural waste recycling, fish farming, and oil and gas exploration. With over twenty-five years in the financial services and banking industries, Alessandro spent fifteen years, latterly as a Partner, with third-party alternative investment distribution firm, Anchor Asset Management.

More recently, Alessandro was a Senior Advisor for Canaccord Genuity across their three Divisions of M&A Advisory, Capital Markets and Wealth Management in the UK and Europe, as well as strategic advisor with Amius, a leading provider of bespoke structured products in the soft commodities space and their managed ETF portfolio offering.

He is currently Industrial Advisor with InvestIndustrial, a leading family-controlled European PE which is active in numerous sectors including consumer, hospitality, and design, with notable assets such as B&B Italia/Floss/Louis Poulsen, Chicco/Artsana, Sergio Rossi and the PortAventura Park Resort. He is Vice-Chairman of the British style-setting interiors brand OKA, as well as director of Morgan Motor Company, Chairman of Universal Clinics (a holding company for several pan-European fertility clinics) in addition to other portfolio companies in the bio-polymers and fast food sectors.

He is also Strategic Advisor to a large Italian family investment vehicle with particular emphasis on strategic PE investments and partnerships, alongside a network of other like-minded family investors. He is a member of the Advisory Council of Inherent Group, a New-York-based, privately held Impact Investor in both private and public markets. He is advising MiddleLand, a US-European Food and Ag Tech investment group. Finally, he sits on the GP Board Strategic Advisor of the cyber-security and cloud innovation investor C5 Capital.

Alexandra joined PMB Capital in January 2023 as an Operations Manager, she previously worked as an Operations Manager in a Data and Analytics environment.

Originally from Finland, where she studied Art and Psychology, Alexandra enjoys travelling in her spare time.

David Wheeler has more than 45 years of investment banking experience with a particular focus on the TMT sector. He founded the EMEA TMT groups for three major investment banks: JPMorgan, Lehman Brothers and Credit Suisse. He served in senior roles at Credit Suisse/CSFB from 1996 to 2023 including as Co-Chairman of the European Investment Banking Committee and Vice Chairman of the EMEA Investment Banking Division. He is currently a Senior Advisor to Committed Capital, a UK growth equity investor.

He has had an active career outside of investment banking including serving as Senior Advisor and Chairman of Bartons Family Capital, Lead Independent Director and Chairman of the Executive Committee of OSN in Dubai (at the time, the largest media company in the MENA region), Board Member of DK Group (now Silverstream Technologies), Chairman of the Advisory Board of Ozone Networks (India’s first independent WiFi operator). Additional roles include  Board member and Chairman of the Nominations Committee for Miniweb Interactive Ltd from 2007-2011, Vice Chairman and Board Member of the European Competitive Telecommunications Association, and Board Member of Deutsche Telekom Mobile Netherlands.
David was a Trustee on the Board of Bowdoin College from 2003-2023 including serving as Vice Chair of the Board and  Chairman of the Development Committee.

David received a Bachelor of Arts, Summa Cum Laude from Bowdoin College and a MBA in Finance from the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania.

He is a dual UK/US citizen and after 40 years of living in London, is now a Connecticut resident.

Cynthia Wu is Executive Director of the Shin Kong Life Foundation, which received the National Civic Service Award for best NGO in Taiwan in 2006. In that same year, the People’s Republic of China recognized Wu as one of the 100 Most Outstanding Chinese Women of the Year. Previously, she worked as a research analyst at Merrill Lynch in London and as a chairman’s assistant in the Shin Kong Financial Holding Company. Cynthia holds an MBA, an MA from the Courtauld Institute and a BA from Wellesley College. She is a Trustee of the Institute for Philanthropy and a Young Global Leader in the World Economic Forum.