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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 is former Chairman of leading integrated events company The Concerto Group & former President of the UK Chapter of ILEA.

A very experienced event professional & venue marketeer, he led Concerto through several acquisitions & the development of numerous venues across London.  Having recruited a new CEO in 2013 he stepped down in 2015 and has set up Kershaw Partners to bring his extensive experience to bear on emerging event companies and venues.

Mike has expert knowledge of the leisure and events world & a superb network. He is a skilled negotiator, collaborator, innovator, leader, communicator, sales driver & motivator.

Curriculum Vitae

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

Peter is the original 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.

With client acquisitions 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 agency environment with the needs of client brands.

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

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

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.

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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Having grown steadily for three years I needed to understand how I accelerated the growth in Caiger and Company for the next three years. The two day workshop with Richard and David was the most useful and eye opening thing I had done since starting the business. The way they explained what I needed to do and the steps that I have to take was just brilliant. I would advise any small business who wants to seriously get ahead to spend the money of this, it is the best money you will ever spend.

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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Thank you Mike & Guy for such a brilliant couple of days. The “Deep Dive” was a very beneficial and useful exercise that we are confident will open lots of doors for our business moving forward. It was an extremely interesting and informative experience and we would highly recommend the process to any business looking to progress to the next phase of their development.

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

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