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Kershaw Partners have had over 30 years of experience in the Event Industry

We have all founded and run event businesses over the past 30 years, so we have a solid understanding of this industry and we have seen the difference between success and failure. We are excellent at seeing the strategic picture, doing practical “make it happen” planning and working our extensive contact network and knowledge.

Mike Kershaw

PARTNER

Mike Kershaw is one of the UK Event Industry’s leading business advisors. A 35 year industry veteran, he is the former Chairman of leading integrated events group Concerto and ex President of the International Live Events Association.

Having led a business that owned companies across the industry spectrum, from large scale catering (Create) to event planning (Ultimate Experience), live events, entertainment, restaurants, venue finding, event staffing, technical production, structures and several venues he is uniquely positioned to help all types of event businesses in strategy, growth and exit.

Richard Dean

PARTNER

Richard, was International VP Marketing for global sports marketing business IMG, before spending 20yrs building & managing strategic consultancy & ROI specialist Sponsorship Science.

During his marketing career, Richard has managed, bought & sold businesses in the entertainment, travel, research, property & estate agency industries.

Richard’s expertise is in business growth planning, marketing & exit strategy.

David Watt

PARTNER

David is an expert on Business Development and Lead Generation through social media, specialising in LinkedIn.

Prior to Kershaw Partners, David worked in the leisure, sport and entertainment Industry for 20 years, principally as a business developer and marketer. He has extensive knowledge of the sports events hospitality sector.

Having helped drive the development of Quintus Events, he ran the hospitality and events programme for the Ryder Cup between 2004 and 2010 before becoming Marketing & Communications Director at Spotless International Services. In 2014 he set up the award winning Pubs on Wheels, which he ran until its sale in 2018.

Peter Jackson

Partner

In a previous life was the founder of leading creative live events agency Clive (formerly Concerto Live). Throughout his 20+ years leading the agency Peter set the agenda in the business to deliver impressive year-on-year growth, not only in financial terms but also reputationally, creatively and culturally guiding the business to a top 10 in the UK agency rankings spot.

With client acquisitions and long-term relationships such as Facebook, LinkedIn, BP, BT, Spotify, Indeed, Honda Finance, VWFS, Virgin Media, Pinterest, Slack, Shopify and Irish Life secured during his tenure, he is expert in aligning the creative agency dynamic with the ever-changing needs of client brands and their audiences.

Peter is passionate about the importance of a dynamic, creative and supportive culture in the agency environment, combined with the need to ‘always put the client first’.

In 2019 Clive was acquired by FIRST Global Agency.

Richard Groves

Partner

Richard is an expert in venue and catering sales and operations, event management, strategy & business development.

He launched his first catering company, Richard Groves Catering & Events, working in prestigious central London venues, before merging with two of his clients to form The Concerto Group in 2000. Rebranded as Create Food & Party Design, the catering division grew exponentially by an average of £1 million pounds per annum. Concerto was sold in 2015 when it was turning over £40 million. He is a former President of the UK Chapter of ILEA.

Richard repeated this growth plan at Smart Group from 2014, introducing a special event caterer and several new sole catering venues into the Group. Richard is an expert in venue and catering sales and operations, event management, strategy & business development.

Guy Rodger

PARTNER

Guy has worked in the events and hospitality sector for over 30 years. In 1989 he founded The Ultimate Experience which later became the growth engine for The Concerto Group. As a Director of the Group, Guy was closely involved in Sales and Business Development – developing new projects and sales across venues, catering, teambuilding and private client events.

Since the sale of The Concerto Group, Guy has enjoyed success with a number of businesses in the events and hospitality arena including; Berry Brothers & Rudd, Leading Venues of London, Oxygen Events Services Ltd, Kirtlington Park and Costa Coffee.

Guy unashamedly admits he enjoys working on business growth rather than logistics. Guy brings a contagious level of enthusiasm which inevitably leads to growth.

Kate Disley

Associate Partner

Kate has been working in exhibitions and conferences for over 20 years.  She has been responsible for the successful delivery of brand strategies and campaigns for hundreds of events, including the largest B2B event in the UK, Spring Fair, and the multi-award-winning New Scientist Live.

She now runs her own successful and award-winning event support agency servicing hundreds of event organisers, from Emerald, Informa, Clarion and Reed to corporates, start-ups and launches. Her team are also building a portfolio of media brands of their own.

Kate continues to advise clients on market position, brand strategy and tactical delivery.  She also provides best practice training, templates, and guidance for inhouse teams.

 

David Sharples

Partner

David is a Price Waterhouse qualified Chartered Accountant and holds an MBA from Warwick Business School.  He has worked extensively in the Venture Capital and Private Equity environments and headed his own accountancy and tax practice for a number of years.  Latterly he was appointed Chief Financial Officer of a major cyber security firm.

David’s expertise is in working with start ups and SMEs and in developing appropriate, commercially based financial and management reporting systems to complement the overall strategy of a business.  He is highly experienced in assisting businesses with debt and equity fundraising and is well connected in the market.

 

 

Mark Scholfield

Partner

Mark is an accomplished hospitality professional with 30 years’ experience within 5* luxury hotels, prestigious private members clubs and premium brands.

Having been at the heart of two of London’s major hotel restoration and opening projects, Mark specialises in event management, sales and operations with a hands on and visible approach. He has a proven track record in operating multi-outlet F&B divisions whilst employing, motivating and coaching highly professional teams.

Venues that Mark has worked with include The Savoy, The Hurlingham Club, Berry Bros. & Rudd, Coutts & Co, Rosewood London and The Ritz Carlton, Bahrain.

A member of the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, Mark has advised, amongst others, The British Olympic Association, UBS & Hiscox Insurance on their event management strategy.

Rupert Gather

Associate Partner

Rupert Gather is the founder and Executive Chairman of InvestUK, a specialist advisory firm helping international entrepreneurs and innovators establish successful companies into Britain. Services cover access to relevant visas, investment capital and relocation support.

He has had a distinguished career in venture capital managing investments into innovative and scalable early-stage companies that he has built following active service in the British Army. To date InvestUK has facilitated 400 investments valued at £250m across multiple sectors and created 4,000 jobs in the process.

Rupert is a regular speaker and panelist at international conferences, a TEDx speaker with 750,000 views and a global evangelist for the UK enterprise economy.

He is passionate about education and works closely with the UK Department for Education as an independent trustee focused on improving educational outcomes for disadvantaged children. He founded the IUK Academy to combine his interests in business and education.

Nick Plunkett Dillon

Associate Partner

Nick has worked in the major sports event industry for over 30 years. He started at The European Tour Golf where he was responsible for the staging of the Tour’s key events including the Ryder Cup and PGA Championship before setting up an independent event management company, working as Tournament Manager for the Scottish Open in Loch Lomond.

This was followed by 4 years working as Head of Production at TEAM Marketing in Switzerland responsible for the delivery of UEFA Champions League branding programme and the 2006 FIFA World Cup. He returned to the UK to launch the original fabric frame display system in partnership with CSM Live (formerly Icon) before joining them full time in 2010 to head up their international football division. During this time, he directed multiple branding and signage projects, including 4 FIFA World Cups.

Having worked as both client and supplier, the importance of understanding and appreciating both perspectives has been central to how he works and a key to his success. First and foremost though, he is a passionate believer in the critical importance of rigorous and detailed planning and processes in successfully delivering projects on time and on budget.

The 2 Day Review with Mike Kershaw

The Two-Day Review is a comprehensive analysis of the business’ strengths and weaknesses rated against the Key Growth Factors PLUS a Clear Route Map of the actions needed to enable growth.

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Mike Kershaw has done more than 150 sessions

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We have benefited hugely from the 30+ years experience Mike has in the events industry and he has been pivotal in two transactions that we have carried out, buying The Cavendish Consultancy and part buying We Find Venues. Mike continues to chair our Board Meetings and attending regular Senior Management strategy sessions where he is equally passionate, forthright, innovative and process-driven. He is constantly on the look out for further growth opportunities & I have no hesitation in recommending his services to others.

Alex Hewett

CEO - AOK Events group

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“Working with Mike and David over the two days was the best investment we could have made in our business this year. They provided a different perspective on strategic thinking and also gave us insight into areas we had never considered. We are going to be working with Kershaw partners on an ongoing basis to help grow our business even further.”

Laurie Weitzhorn

Co-Founder - Just Seventy

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Mike joined us late 2016 initially as an advisor and has been fundamental to the business since. Mike was brought in to help scale our business but at the same time improve our commercial processes, reporting and governance. His 30+ years experience has helped us identify growth opportunities and structure various deals that we wouldn’t have been able to complete on without his time and advice. Mike chairs our board meetings and is a mentor to the senior leadership team and a great team motivator. He’s passionate about people, connecting businesses and creating opportunities. He’s a game changer!

Gary Exall

CEO - Metatech

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We found the Two-Day Review incredibly useful as a team to sit down and talk through our goals, ambitions and have honest conversations. I'm very excited for what we'll be able to achieve, having a list of goals that the whole team is working towards feels like a real step forward. We would recommend working with Kershaw Partners. The Two-Day Review is a fantastic way of analysing your business to be able to put a really strong action plan together.

Alix Caiger

Founder - Caiger & Co

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The extensive knowledge of business and advice given by Kershaw Partners has been an invaluable part of setting up my business. Whether it be their attention to detail, patience or constant support, they have been an integral part of getting my business up and running. David has been my right hand man, that in itself deserves a medal! He has been full of encouragement and always there to stop me making any decisions I’d regret!

Harriet Cuming

Founder - Whisp

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The business, the team and the partners are in a great place at the moment and so much of that is down to the work you have done. If someone had showed us where we’d be 2/3 years after our first meeting we would have been delighted in what we have achieved.

Kate Cross

Owner - Caswell House

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Guy Rodger has worked with Oxygen Event Services Ltd for 4 years and has been an asset to the team throughout. His enthusiasm and ambition for our business has helped win new contracts and develop new areas of the business. In addition to creating new opportunities Guy has been a huge support to the development and stability of our company bringing his wealth of skills, experience and knowledge to the table. Straight talking and honest, Guy possesses a level of integrity rarely seen these days. He has been an excellent ambassador of our brand and I am hugely grateful for his support over the years. I cannot recommend Guy highly enough for any task or role that suits his skill set.

Paul Edwards

Managing Director - Oxygen Events

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Guy Rodger has provided invaluable guidance and support for our events business at Kirtlington Park since 2018. In addition to providing a strategy report and overseeing the process of upgrading our operations, he has been a great mentor for our staff. He is keenly aware of the events market place and has been an excellent ambassador for our business.

Peter Buxton

Owner - Kirtlington Park

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Working with Mike and Pete from Kershaw Partners has been fantastic for ISLA. They’ve brought a commercial realism, breadth of experience and structural methodology to the operation that we’ve hugely benefited from. Their down to earth approach and simple, easy to understand modules have helped to transform how we approach the operation and positioning of ISLA. Not only that, but they’re great fun to work with!

Anna Abdelnoor

Co Founder - Isla

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WOO Architects have been working with Mike and Richard since late 2018 and they have been extraordinarily helpful in improving our business, developing our processes and giving us an exciting platform for growth. The past year has been particularly challenging and having Richard at the operational helm as we chartered some choppy waters has been a huge benefit to me personally and the whole team at WOO. Kershaw Partners bring a calm and considered approach to business, focused on helping us achieve our goals and as a result the whole practice is now more financially secure, better organised, happier and more excited about the future than we have ever been. We look forward to working with them for many years to come.

Kevin Owens

Founder - WOO Architects

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A huge thank you to David for all his assistance regarding the TABS framework lead generation programme he has implemented with M&T. It’s been a total eye opener as to what can be achieved, from a far better understanding of our target market demographics, creating more engaging content, that has proven to draw in new contacts already and strategic market positioning. David really is a star and if you do nothing else today – take 5 minutes to reach out to him, you will not be disappointed.

James Abbott

Founder - Mix and Twist

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A huge thank you for everything. Mike, you and Guy are both really are amazing. I absolutely loved having you work with me and am so excited for your guidance for the future.

Sam Kingsley

Founder - Kingsley Events

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David has a fantastic enthusiasm and knowledge that helps event professionals plan and execute effective business development campaigns. I couldn't recommend him enough

Lyle Hastie

Digital Director - Immersive AV

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Kershaw Partners have been an incredible help to Immersive AV over the past year and I couldn’t recommend them more highly. Mike is a superb mentor, coach and business thinker with such varied and valuable experience across the UK Events Industry. Having his cool head and focused business brain has been invaluable as we reset the business for future growth.

Sharon Reynolds

CEO - Immersive AV

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Have just finished working with David on TABS Framework I couldn’t recommend him more. The process we went through to create a positioning and messaging that set us apart in a very crowded marketplace, and the subsequent outreach programme has helped us build a strong pipeline of future business.

Chris Ablett

Founder - Stage Engage

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I have spent a lot of money on consultants in the last two years, and other than the money I have spent with Kershaw Partners, the rest of it was a waste. Without a doubt it was the best two days we have had as a business and the debrief document that we received will be integral to our ambitions and the way we communicate with our team going into next year. Put simply it was just very, very good.

James Middlehurst

Founder - Kalm Kitchen

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Just to say thank you for the past two days. They were inspiring! It’s amazing the power of vision, belief and a clear plan. I had been feeling completely exhausted and had lost all motivation, and by contract last night a fresh spark was ignited, and I was awake most of the night adding notes to my to do list, Really enjoyed working with you both and excited for the future.

Charlotte Pebbiceard

Founder - PenniBlack

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We have used consultants in the past, but none who have walked the walk and are so grounded. The process gave us the reassurance that we were doing a lot well and that the problems we had were not insurmountable and were opportunities moving forward. We would definitely recommend the 2 Day Review to anyone who has established themselves in the Event Industry and is looking to take things to the next level. Kershaw Partners are so well connected so for us the process was well worth it.

Taran O'Doherty

Co-Founder - Yahire

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Guy from Kershaw Partners has really helped us to take a step back and imagine our venue hire business from the client's perspective. His strategic guidance and pragmatic approach has helped us to make some key business decisions to help us drive up commercial revenue.

Rosie Baker

Director Commercial and Operations - The Foundling Museum

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Mike Kershaw and his team took the time to understand our event operations and then, bringing their extensive industry knowledge and experience to the table, made some very helpful recommendations as to how we could improve in the future. They were a pleasure to work with and I would recommend them to others looking for advice and support with events strategy.

Michael O'Dwyer OBE

Secretary & Chief Executive

Feel free to contact us with any question

We are looking to work with AMBITIOUS AND ENTHUSIASTIC entrepreneurs who will benefit from our personal approach, our experience and our business networks.

Phone: 0333 577 8622

Email: info@kershawpartners.co.uk