Strand Hanson | About Strand Hanson

Ritchie Balmer

Head of AIM Advisory

Ritchie read Economics & Management at Keble College, Oxford University. Following university, Ritchie joined the Natural Resources investment banking team of RBC Capital Markets in London, before moving to Gleacher Shacklock, the M&A advisory house, in 2010.

He joined Strand Hanson in October 2012, focusing on advising on equity capital markets and M&A transactions predominantly within the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Technology sectors. Ritchie is a CFA charterholder and a member of the CFA Society United Kingdom.

ritchiebalmer@strandhanson.co.uk

Christopher Raggett

Director, Corporate Finance

Christopher has over 15 years of experience in energy and corporate finance. Prior to joining Strand Hanson, Christopher was CEO of UK based incubator fund, Green House Capital Group. Until September 2023, he sat on the executive committee of finnCap Group plc – an AIM quoted financial services firm incorporating capital markets, M&A, private capital and debt advisory services – where he was also Head of Energy and Natural Resources and Co-Head of Corporate Finance. Prior to joining finnCap, Christopher was a solicitor at a multi-national US-based law firm. In September 2022, Christopher was appointed to the board of net-zero energy consultancy, Energise Ltd.

ChrisRaggett@strandhanson.co.uk

James Bellman

Director, Corporate Finance

James graduated from Bristol University with a B.Sc in Economics & Finance and joined Strand Hanson in July 2011.

He is an AIM Qualified Executive and has over a decade of experience advising domestic and international clients on both equity capital markets and M&A transactions, predominantly in the technology, natural resources and healthcare sectors.

jamesbellman@strandhanson.co.uk

Harry Marshall

Analyst, Corporate Finance

Harry has a BSc honours in Finance, Accounting and Management from the University of Nottingham, graduating in 2022.

Prior to joining Strand Hanson, Harry worked in the Funds Management department at LendInvest, a specialist UK Real Estate lender, as a Fund Junior Associate.

Harry joined Strand Hanson in April 2024 as an Analyst within the Corporate Finance team.

harrymarshall@strandhanson.co.uk

Daniel Arques

Director, Debt Capital Markets

Daniel joined Strand Hanson in November 2022 to help build a Debt Advisory practice.

Daniel brings close to 20 years of experience from Debt Capital Markets from both origination and distribution, most recently as a founding partner of Stockholm-based CapIntro Nordic having focussed on specialty lending and sponsor led debt transactions in the Nordics and the UK.

Previously in his career, Daniel worked as a Manging Director and Head of Nordic Credit Sales with Stifel, ABG Sundal Collier and Oppenheimer & Co

danielarques@strandhanson.co.uk

Barnaby Hayward

Associate Director, Corporate Development

Barney joined Strand Hanson in January 2024 as an Associate Director in Corporate Development and has 10+ years experience working in the Natural Resources sector.

Prior to this he worked in Equity Capital Markets at finnCap Group and Cavendish, raising money for and advising UK listed businesses. He has also worked for Tavistock in Financial PR & IR, where he was advising AIM-listed mining and oil and gas companies on their financial and corporate communications.

Barney has previously worked in-house at an AIM listed, Nigerian Oil & Gas company. He has obtained a mining for bankers certificate and an honours degree in business management.

barnabyhayward@strandhanson.co.uk

James Spinney

Head of Capital Markets

James read Politics and Philosophy at Durham University before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers, he later joined the Corporate Finance practice of Ernst & Young.

At EY, James gained extensive experience of cross border transactions, working in New York, Moscow and Johannesburg, as well as being involved in a number of high profile transactions within Europe.

James joined Strand Hanson in 2008 and has advised on both M&A and equity capital market transactions, was appointed Head of Capital Markets in 2019 and Managing Director of Strand Hanson in 2022.

jamesspinney@strandhanson.co.uk

David Asquith

Manager, Corporate Finance

David graduated from the University of York in 2012 with a degree in Economics and Politics. David joined the Deloitte London office in 2015 and qualified as a chartered accountant in 2018. He then moved into the Equity, Capital Markets team, where he assisted clients with IPOs and equity fundraisings.

David joined Strand Hanson in July 2022 as a Manager with the Corporate Finance team.

davidasquith@strandhanson.co.uk

Charlie Hammond

Analyst, Corporate Finance

Charlie graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2019 with B.A honours in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Immediately thereafter, he undertook an internship programme with Strand Hanson, later joining as an Analyst within the Corporate Finance team in June 2020.

charleshammond@strandhanson.co.uk

Imogen Ellis

Analyst, Corporate Finance

Imogen graduated from the University of Bristol with a degree in Philosophy and Theology in 2020.

Thereafter, she was based in Kenya working on the business development of several renewable energy projects.

Imogen joined Strand Hanson in January 2022 as an analyst within the Corporate Finance team.

imogenellis@strandhanson.co.uk

Ana Ercegovic

Analyst, Corporate Finance

Ana graduated from Queen Mary University of London in 2021 with LLB Honours in English and European Law. As part of her degree, she spent one year at Bocconi University of Milan, where she read European and International law. Ana is fluent in Italian and Croatian.

Ana joined Strand Hanson in January 2022 as an analyst within the corporate finance team.

anaercegovic@strandhanson.co.uk

Edward Foulkes

Analyst, Corporate Finance

Edward graduated from Pembroke College, the University of Oxford in July 2020 with a master’s degree in Engineering Science. Since graduating Edward completed an extended internship at a London investment bank in the Investment Banking Division.

Edward joined Strand Hanson in March 2021 as an analyst within the corporate finance team.

edwardfoulkes@strandhanson.co.uk

Abigail Wennington

Associate, Corporate Finance

Abigail read law at the University of Winchester, and completed her LPC at BPP University, being admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales in 2018. Abigail has a background of assisting with a wide range of corporate and commercial transactions and has previous in-house experience with a specialist bridging lender.

Abigail joined Strand Hanson in June 2021 as a Senior Analyst within the Corporate Finance team.

abigailwennington@strandhanson.co.uk

Simon Raggett

Chief Executive

Simon joined Strand Hanson from Greig Middleton & Co in 1999. He became Chief Executive in 2006 and led the management buy-out of the business in 2009.

Simon has been responsible for the Company’s international expansion through the development of global strategic relationships. He acts as lead adviser to a broad range of domestic and international clients, sovereign wealth funds and global private equity investment organisations.

Simon is active, as a senior adviser, in ECM, M&A and proprietary transactions.

simonraggett@strandhanson.co.uk

Rory Murphy

Director – Head of Natural Resources

Rory qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG prior to joining Greig Middleton & Co’s corporate finance division.

He joined Strand Hanson in November 2001, having worked latterly for Charterhouse Securities Limited and then ING Barings. He is experienced across a broad spectrum of sectors and has advised on flotations, secondary fundraisings and merger and acquisition transactions. He is particularly focused on the oil and gas sector and has advised international oil companies with assets throughout the world.

rorymurphy@strandhanson.co.uk

James Harris

Director – Head of Corporate

James has over 25 years investment banking experience, having worked at Robert Fleming, Société Générale and Arbuthnot Securities, before joining the corporate finance team at Strand Hanson in 2004.

James acts as lead adviser to a broad range of domestic and international clients, covering IPOs and secondary fund raisings, restructurings and Mergers & Acquisitions.

jamesharris@strandhanson.co.uk

Simon Wharmby

Non-Executive Director

Simon has been an institutional and corporate stockbroker for some 35 years with Sheppards, Charles Stanley and Corporate Synergy. Graduated 1969 University of East Anglia with a degree in economics and sociology.

He co-authored a North Sea Oil & Energy review for some 20 years prior to concentration on a broader range of new AIM issues. He is a member of the Securities Institute, a former LSE member, as well as being a Director of Albany Capital, and Letchworth plc.

simonwharmby@strandhanson.co.uk

Warren Pearce

Managing Director, South Africa

Warren completed an honours degree in Business Science at the University of Cape Town before joining Strand Hanson in February 2000.

Warren provided M&A, Takeover Code and equity financing advice to listed and private companies in the UK before establishing the regional office in South Africa in 2008. Since 2008, Warren’s role has been focused on developing Strand Hanson’s African presence, including the cultivation of an extensive network of client companies, investors, advisers, governmental and quasi-governmental agencies and industry bodies.

warrenpearce@strandhanson.co.uk

Matthew Chandler

Director, Corporate Finance

Matthew graduated from Bath University with B.Sc. (Honours) in Business Administration and subsequently qualified as a chartered accountant with Ernst & Young.

He then joined Capita Corporate Finance Limited, advising a diverse range of unquoted clients on acquisitions, disposals and venture capital backed transactions. Matthew has been a member of the executive team at Strand Hanson since March 2001 and advises on all types of M&A and ECM corporate transactions.

matthewchandler@strandhanson.co.uk

Richard Tulloch

Director, Corporate Finance

Richard graduated from Bristol University with a first class honours degree in civil engineering in 2000 following which he joined ING Barings in corporate finance, before joining Arbuthnot Securities in 2004.

Richard has advised on a large number of transactions from primary and secondary fundraising to general M&A advice including disposals, acquisitions and UK public offers across a wide variety of sectors. Richard joined Strand Hanson in September 2009.

richardtulloch@strandhanson.co.uk

Iek van Cruyningen

Director, Strand Ventures

Iek has over 17 years’ experience in the investment banking industry, working in London, New York and Los Angeles. Iek has a broad range of sector and transaction experience and was formerly at SilverWind Securities.

Prior to that, Iek worked for Libertas Capital for over 6 years where he joined to help establish the securities operations in London before becoming Head of Libertas Americas. Prior to that Iek worked in various equity capital market roles at HSBC, Enskilda Securities, Merrill Lynch and Smith New Court.

iekvancruyningen@strandhanson.co.uk

James Dance

Head of Mergers and Acquisitions

James graduated from Bristol University, in June 2006, with a BSc Honours in Biochemistry. After graduation, James joined Smith & Williamson where he qualified as a chartered accountant in 2009. He then moved into Transaction Services, gaining experience in financial modelling and valuation, followed by two years in the Corporate Finance department.

James is a CFA charterholder and a member of the CFA Society United Kingdom. James joined Strand Hanson in December 2012.

jamesdance@strandhanson.co.uk

Jack Botros

Manager, Corporate Finance

Jack graduated from Bristol University with First Class Honours in Theology in 2011.

He then went on to earn an MA in Theology from Oriel College, Oxford University, graduating with Distinction in 2012. Prior to joining Strand Hanson in 2014, Jack worked in the finance department at Candy & Candy before going on to perform a similar role at an AIM quoted technology company. Jack is a CFA charterholder, having passed each level at the first attempt.

jackbotros@strandhanson.co.uk

Miles Lewis

International Advisor, South America & Caribbean

Miles started his career as a derivatives trader, becoming Head of Equity Derivative Sales for Credit Lyonnais Securities in 1994. Thereafter, he moved into venture capital, spending 10 years with Compass Investment Management as Managing Director of their technology investment and advisory business,Compass Venture Management.

He then joined Strand Hanson as a Director and focused on technology and renewable energy until 2006 when he decided to focus on his personal investments in waste to energy technology. Miles has been an early stage investor, adviser and founder of a range of companies across a broad spectrum of industries. In 2009 he moved to Buenos Aires, where despite the challenging business climate of the time, he acted as a consultant to agribusiness, insurance and property/hotel investors.

mileslewis@strandhanson.co.uk

Juan Carlos Reynal

Consultant, Latin America

Juan Reynal is an independent financial adviser and originator for investment banks in the southern Latin American region. He has worked over the years with top institutions such as Consultatio and Banco Macro in Argentina. He has recently been a local associate for the M&A advisory house, STS Capital Partners and, since 2010, has been director of the local firm South Capital Group, dedicated to providing advisory services to companies, both private and public in Argentina. He has cultivated a broad network of contacts in the agribusiness, oil & gas and mining sectors but has experience in advising in a large range of sectors.

juanreynal@strandhanson.co.uk

Rob Patrick

Manager, Corporate Finance

Rob graduated from the University of Sussex with a First Class Honours in Economics and Finance. There, he was awarded the MacQuitty Prize for the top-performing student across all arts, humanities and social science degrees in 2019, and was also awarded a CISI qualification. During summers, Rob undertook various internships, including with an oil and gas company, Buried Hill, and with Strand Hanson in 2018.

Rob joined Strand Hanson in September 2019 as an analyst within the corporate finance team.

robpatrick@strandhanson.co.uk

Richard Johnson

Director, Corporate Finance

Richard joined Strand Hanson in May 2022 from Arden Partners, following over 20 years in the Corporate Finance departments at Grieg Middleton & Co and its successor companies, Arbuthnot Securities, Westhouse Securities and Stockdale Securities.

He has broad sectoral experience advising on IPOs, equity capital fundraisings and M&A transactions, including clients in the TMT, Oil & Gas and Leisure sectors, with operations both in the UK and overseas. Richard is an AIM Qualified Adviser.

richardjohnson@strandhanson.co.uk

Robert Collins

Associate, Corporate Finance

Robert graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 2017 with a master’s degree in Economics. After graduation Robert worked in Audit at UHY Hacker Young where he qualified as a chartered accountant in 2021.

Robert joined Strand Hanson in June 2021 as a Senior Analyst within the Corporate Finance team.

robertcollins@strandhanson.co.uk

Rory Harding

International Advisor, South America & Caribbean

Rory is an experienced business development professional and originator. He has raised and introduced financing for businesses and developed projects in a variety of sectors; including manufacturing, energy, agriculture and mining. Prior to moving to Guyana, he worked in Africa for eight years where he built very strong political and commercial relationships in the West African region.

In 2011, Rory founded a mining services company, which until 2016, provided mining services to a TSX listed gold producer. Rory has also been involved in a number of projects in petroleum infrastructure, power production and mining exploration.

Rory has also spent time in Mexico working on a gold project and in Kenya, with an agricultural project. Rory has implemented business development for International Energy Trading Houses for whom he arranged local content partners and facilitated import of clean petroleum products and bunker fuels into the WAF market. Rory has also been the representative for two Chinese SOEs, with infrastructure projects currently under development.

Most recently, Rory has been running a west African representative office for Strand Hanson and has now moved to Guyana where he continues to represent Strand Hanson for South America & the Caribbean.

roryharding@strandhanson.co.uk

Stuart Thomson

International Advisor, Middle-East – Dubai

Stuart has over 25 years of international business experience, including from 1989 to 2001 as the Chairman and Managing Director of Professional Investment Consultants (PIC) based in Dubai. PIC grew from a start-up office and two consultants to sixteen offices and over one hundred consultants worldwide. Since 2001, Stuart has held numerous executive positions on various company boards within the Middle East,UK and Australia.

He offers clients his extensive knowledge and network of international connections. Stuart’s strong business management capabilities and entrepreneurial style bring a wealth of skills to identify growth opportunities and offer appropriate introductions to relevant contact parties in the Middle East region. Stuart has assisted with the transaction of capital raisings on various AIM and ASX mining listed companies with project values well in excess of US$400m.

sthomson@montpelliercorp.com

Geoff Pollard

Director, Strand Hanson Asia

Geoff is an experienced finance professional with over 20 years experience in senior commercial roles at companies including Duke Energy, BP and Morgan Stanley.

Having moved to Singapore in 2007 Geoff later established Telok Partners where he worked with regional and global clients, advising on business and transaction structuring, capital raisings and strategy.

He has also worked closely with asset managers and investors to structure and establish private equity and hedge funds, including redomiciling funds between jurisdictions.

Geoff holds a bachelor’s degree in Business from Monash University, Melbourne, and a Master’s degree in Applied Finance from Macquarie University, Sydney. He is an Australian citizen and permanent resident of Singapore.

Krishan Rattan

CEO, Strand Hanson Asia

Krishan has spent the better part of two decades questioning the microstructure of financial intermediation from a variety of perspectives. His professional career spanned a variety of capital market roles across New York and London.

In his last job as the Global Head of the Alternative Capital Solutions group at Societe Generale in London, Krishan was tasked with delivering a new revenue stream to a globally recognized equity derivatives platform. This role involved the conception, hiring and delivery of a global team of senior professionals. The business delivered in excess of USD 200 million in revenues to the bank and continues to be a class leading cross asset financing platform to this day.

Prior to Societe Generale, Krishan also spent time in the emerging markets business at Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse, in a variety of trading and solutions roles.

During his banking career, Krishan was involved in a number of innovative, industry first transactions including the first long dated structured bond issuance by an African sovereign, design and implementation of the first market access index in South Africa and bespoke investment management solutions for large asset managers in Scandinavia.

Since 2012, Krishan has been an entrepreneur within financial services. During this phase, he has been involved with the conception, capital raising, and implementation of an ECB regulated challenger bank, River Bank which is headquartered in Luxembourg. He was also involved with the creation and growth of a non-bank liquidity provision firm focused on the global foreign exchange markets.

Krishan maintains close connections with his alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley where he serves as a member of the steering committee for the business school with a particular focus on the design and updating of curriculum as related to financial economics. He is also actively involved in the creation of a UC Berkeley campus in India. Krishan is also an active member of the Young President’s Organization (YPO) which he has been associated with since 2017 as a member of the Greater London chapter.

The Lord St John of Bletso

Chairman

Anthony joined Strand Hanson in April 2014 and was appointed as its Chairman in January 2015. In addition, Anthony chairs its African business.

Anthony qualified as a lawyer in South Africa and obtained a Masters in Law from the University of London before going on to work as an oil analyst at County Natwest and thereafter as a senior consultant to Merrill Lynch.

Anthony was Chairman of Spiritel PLC between 2004-2012 and has also been a Non-Executive Director of Regal Petroleum plc, Sharp Interpak Limited and Pecaso Group Inc. He has also served on the advisory boards of Infinity SDC, Chayton Capital and Ariya Capital with a focus on Agriculture and African business opportunities. He is currently a Non- Executive Director of Albion Ventures LLP and Chairman of the Governing Board of Certification International.

anthonystjohn@strandhanson.co.uk

Angela Hallett

Chief Operating Officer

Angela has almost 20 years’ investment banking experience, having joined the corporate finance team at Strand Hanson in 2000 from Arthur Andersen in Australia where she qualified as a chartered accountant.

Angela has extensive experience of all aspects of public company work, including IPOs, fundraisings, Takeover Code work, the Listing Rules and the AIM Rules. She advises a number of UK and international companies, primarily focused on the Natural Resources and Services sectors.

angelahallett@strandhanson.co.uk

Constantine Chikosi

Senior Adviser to the Board

In a career spanning 19 years with the World Bank Group, Constantine has held various operational, strategy and management roles within the World Bank Group delivering development solutions for the Bank’s client countries through analytical work, high level policy dialogue with governments and advising the Board on forward-looking initiatives. He oversaw a threefold growth of the World Bank’s investment portfolio in Southeast Asia and a 40 per cent. improvement in its performance as chair of committees that shaped the Bank’s operational strategy and investment portfolios in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand.

Constantine led the opening of the World Bank Office in Mauritius where he assisted the government in developing policy responses to the 2008 global financial crisis and streamlining the country’s business regulation to reduce the cost of regulatory compliance. Prior to joining the World Bank, Constantine worked for a global mining company as a new business development executive and as Company Secretary for a conglomerate listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Constantine is a lawyer, a Chartered Management Accountant and a graduate of INSEAD Business School.

The Hon Robert Hanson

Senior Adviser

Robert graduated from Oxford University with a degree in English Literature before embarking on a career in international corporate finance, primarily focused on the construction, mining and building sectors.

Robert was an Associate Director of N.M Rothschild & Sons, spending a number of years in China and South East Asia and subsequently became a main board director of Hanson Plc, with a specific responsibility for mergers and acquisitions. He is currently the Chairman of both Hanson Capital Limited and the Hanson Family Holdings Limited and is also a Non-Executive Director of Ivanhoe Mines Ltd and Managing Partner of Millennium Hanson Internet Partners. Robert became the Chairman of Strand Hanson in October 2009.

N.J.R.Wright (Nick)

Consultant

Nick is a Petroleum Geologist by training, with a long career in the international Oil & Gas industry, much of it spent working for Phillips Petroleum Company in the United States, Canada, Norway and the UK. Apart from exploring for oil in basins around the world, Nick has managed non-operated interests in some major North Sea field development projects and has extensive Commercial experience gained as a portfolio manager and strategic planning director. Since 2004 Nick has acted as consultant to a number of Oil & Gas companies, mainly in the areas of project evaluations and A&D, and has provided technical support and advice to various City financial institutions. In particular, he has worked extensively in the AIM market acting as an advisor to Nomads in the Oil & Gas sector.

Frank Moxon

CF, Chartered FCSI, FIMMM, FEI, Consultant

Frank is managing director of Hoyt Moxon, a financial adviser and consultant to companies and professional advisers with an emphasis on mining and oil & gas. A Loughborough University economics graduate, he trained initially as an analyst at Capel Cure Myers then spent 18 years in corporate finance roles at Beeson Gregory, Société Générale, Old Mutual, Williams de Broë, where he was head of corporate finance and head of natural resources, and Evolution, where he headed up the mining team. He was Senior Independent Director of Cove Energy Plc, holds or has held various other non-executive directorships at mining and oil & gas companies listed in London, Toronto and Australia and is a director of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.

Michael Forrest

CGeol, CSci, FIMMM, FAusIMM, FGS, Technical Consultant

Michael has over 20 years experience as a geochemist specialising in field data surveys, databasing, and geological interpretation with the British Geological Survey where he was employed as a senior geologist. For nearly a decade he worked as a mining consultant, principally in the assessment of commodity markets and mining projects, with Mining Journal Research Services where he was deputy head of research. He is now principal at Mining Research advising mining companies and service providers.

Julian Bennett

BSc, ARSM, FIMMM, CEng, Technical Consultant

Julian is a Chartered Mining Engineer with over 50 years in the industry. A graduate of the Royal School of Mines, he initially worked on the Copperbelt of Zambia, both underground and open pit. Subsequently, he joined a London based mining group working on projects in Australia, India and Canada where he was responsible for the underground construction of a new gold mine. He then took up a role with a UK junior gold miner, with developments in Zimbabwe and Ghana. After a brief spell in mine construction contracting, he joined the UK office of a Canadian mine engineering company with projects in DRC and Zambia.

Since 2001, he has been an independent consultant to a number of mining companies, and to investors. His extensive experience has covered gold, most base metals, and gemstones, and he has wide experience in Africa, South America and countries of the former Soviet Union.

Stuart Faulkner

Director – Head of M&A

Stuart read Modern History at St Anne’s College, Oxford University and then, on graduating, joined the investment banking division of Barclays de Zoete Wedd, which was acquired by Credit Suisse First Boston in 1997. He moved to Merrill Lynch in 1998,
where he worked as a Senior Director in the International M&A and UK M&A / coverage teams until 2005, before joining Strand Hanson in February 2006 as Head of M&A.

Stuart has advised a wide variety of UK and international companies, including a number of FTSE 100 companies, as well as activist shareholders and financial sponsors, on LBOs/MBOs, disposals and mergers & acquisitions. Stuart has extensive experience of cross border and UK and Irish Takeover Code transactions, including a significant number of hostile and contested offers.

Stuart is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.

stuartfaulkner@strandhanson.co.uk

About Strand Hanson

Our story

Our people

Board

Simon Raggett

The Lord St John of Bletso

Rory Murphy

James Harris

Simon Wharmby

Constantine Chikosi

Angela Hallett

James Spinney

Executive team

Iek van Cruyningen

Warren Pearce

Matthew Chandler

Ritchie Balmer

James Dance

James Bellman

Richard Johnson

Daniel Arques

Christopher Raggett

Barnaby Hayward

Rob Patrick

David Asquith

Abigail Wennington

Robert Collins

Edward Foulkes

Imogen Ellis

Harry Marshall

Advisers

Michael Forrest

The Hon Robert Hanson

N.J.R.Wright (Nick)

Rory Harding

Miles Lewis

Our approach and culture

Global reach & ventures

CSR

Contact us today