The Team

As an independent, owner managed business we have the flexibility to deploy the right team to each recruitment process to ensure that the client and the candidates receive the highest level of service. We are passionate about our business and know that the only way to succeed is by exceptional client and candidate care.

Sarah Hunt

Sarah Hunt

CEO and Founder

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Sarah established EquityFD in 2000, with EquityFC, EquityInterim and EquityChair in the following years.

She started life in Manchester (her support for Manchester United continues through thick and thin!) and then moved to London to study Law at University. With little thought as to whether a career as a City lawyer with what is now CMS actually suited her, she qualified as a solicitor and spent 5 years realising that it didn’t!

There then followed a far more rewarding and fulfilling 6 year period at Michael Page in their City division, running a team placing senior finance professionals into banking and FS clients.

It was the combination of these two initial quite diverse career choices that gave Sarah both the knowledge and the inspiration to go out and set up her own business, which she did in 2000 with backing from Invex Capital. The core tenet of the business remains the same today; spending the time to develop a real network of candidates, understanding not just what they can do, but what they want to do, and partnering them with businesses whose aspirations for growth and value match theirs.

Sarah enjoys spending time trying to ensure that the network works for everyone in it. She is at the centre of marketing activities, leading on the many events we take part in or host, in particular our annual summit, The Contemporary FD, our regular roundtable series, the Scale Up CFO and our relationship with the BVCA and with our strategic partners, Smith and Williamson.

Outside of work, Sarah enjoys photography (as is evident with any trip to our offices!), travelling, skiing, football and all forms of performing arts.

sarahhunt@equityfd.com

office no: 020 7493 2703
mob no: 07958 281 515

Robert Draper

Robert Draper

Managing Director

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Robert is an Economics graduate from the University of Sussex and has over 20 years’ experience in financial recruitment both in the UK and overseas, recruiting for both Corporate and SME clients. For the past 15 years Robert’s specific focus has been on recruiting CFOs and FDs for some of the UK’s fastest growing businesses and this is across all sectors including Retail, Technology (including SaaS/IoT), Energy and Leisure. Many of these businesses have external funding (Private Equity/ Venture Capital/ Family Office) and most are working towards an exit transaction, be that a Trade Sale, IPO or further buy-out.

Having joined to establish EquityFC, Robert maintains an oversight and liaison role in relation to that business also.

Outside of work Robert is a keen runner and usually manages to fit in at least two half marathons a year!

robertdraper@equityfd.com

office no: 020 7493 2703

mob no: 07790 901 431

Joanna Adolph

Joanna Adolph

Director EquityFD

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Joanna Adolph joined EquityFD in 2001 to help establish the Equity FD CFO practice. Since then Joanna has successfully partnered numerous entrepreneurial businesses in their search for proactive, commercially minded and solution driven senior finance professionals to help lead the organisation on an exciting and mostly successful growth to exit journey. Joanna firmly adheres to a sector agnostic approach - she enjoys working with both candidates and clients from a range of sector and size. The majority of clients that Joanna has worked with over the past 18 years have been VC/PE backed or founded by entrepreneurs. Joanna enjoys working with both innovative and disruptive start-ups as well as established international organisations.

Previously Joanna spent four years recruiting accountants into the financial services sector for Michael Page Group in London. Prior to her career in recruitment, Joanna worked in the insurance industry, initially with a Lloyd’s broker (Marsh and McLennan) in London, followed by 2 years in Hong Kong as an underwriter for Lombard Insurance Ltd (part of The Continental Group).

Joanna holds a BSc in Psychology from the University of Southampton and a MSc in Industrial Relations and Personnel Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science. In addition, she is IPD qualified. In her leisure time Joanna enjoys keeping fit, reading, current affairs and The Arts.

joannaadolph@equityfd.com

office no: 020 7493 2703
mob no: 07768 807 557

Cindy Casciani

Cindy Casciani

Managing Director

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Along with a colleague at 3i, Cindy was the first person to whom Sarah Hunt presented her new business, EquityFD in 2000. Cindy was that impressed with the focus of mindset as well as experience that she began to refer a number of 3i portfolio companies to EquityFD. It was the beginning of a very successful partnership.

When leaving 3i in 2009, joining EquityFD was the obvious place to go, and Cindy has been here ever since!

EquityChair was set up in 2010 to focus on the recruitment of Chairs and Non-Executive Directors, largely into PE or VC backed businesses. Over the years, the remit has changed and our client base can be cut into three main groups:

PE/VC backed businesses, across all sectors and geographies and across the whole deal life cycle;

Privately owned/owner managed/pre-private equity backed businesses;

Social investment funds and social investment backed businesses.

Outside of EquityChair, Cindy has begun to learn what it is actually like to work as a Non-Executive Director, sitting on the board of the Rio Cinema in Dalston (Cinema of the Year in 2019) and Creative Wick, a creative regeneration agency in Hackney.

Cindy grew up in Walsall, just north of Birmingham, moved to London to go to university and hasn’t left! After university, she joined Harrods before moving to Russell Reynolds Associates’ Technology team. Then followed a wonderful 10 years at 3i placing Non-Executive Directors and Chairs across the 3i portfolio – all sectors, many locations both in the UK and Europe.

cindycasciani@equitychair.com

office no: 020 7493 2703
mob no: 07747 614 563

Louise Hunter

Louise Hunter

Researcher and Office Manager

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Louise is Client and Candidate Relationship Manager at EquityFD and has been with the company since 2003. Her role is focused on generating the results of our unique diagnostic tool – The Equity IQ, which allows all parties involved in the recruitment process to gain a deeper understanding of the specific credentials required to make that successful hire!

She also oversees all client and candidate survey feedback to maintain the company’s service levels, along with all invoicing and accounts-related matters.

Louise graduated with a degree in English Language and Literature from Lancaster University and is also a qualified Integrative Psychotherapist. She has a keen interest in holistic practices and is currently training in sports massage therapy.

louisehunter@equityfd.com
louisehunter@equitychair.com

office no: 020 7493 2703
mob no: 07947 451 482

Alan Greenberg

Alan Greenberg

Non Executive Chairman

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Alan is the non-executive chairman of Equity FD and has been Sarah Hunt's investment and business partner since she founded the business in 2000.

After qualifying as an ACA at Arthur Andersen, Alan established Invex Capital in 1998 after spells in strategic consultancy and corporate finance.
Invex is an investment business that has successfully invested in and exited from a number of UK middle market companies.

Investments have covered numerous sectors including, business services, specialist retail, safety equipment, home improvements and the oil and gas market.

Alan has strong contacts within the private equity, banking and corporate finance community.

Alan graduated from Bristol university and has a degree in Economics and Accounting.

His charity interests include work with the Restorative Justice Council, Brent Adolescent centre and ’45 Aid society.

agreenberg@invexcapital.co.uk

Jo Wilson

Jo Wilson

Director, EquityFC

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Jo joined Equity FC in 2018 to focus on recruiting Divisional Finance Directors, Group Financial Controllers, Heads of FP&A and senior financial management positions into a broad client base including scaling SME , AIM and fully listed PLCs and PE and VC backed companies . Jo enjoys working closely with clients to source candidates with the right balance of technical skills but who are also aligned to their values , culture and strategic goals. Working across the country Jo has particular strength in the regions working with high growth organisations in the South West, North and Midlands.

After graduation Jo qualified as an Accountant (CIMA) whilst working for Rentokil Initial. Since moving into Recruitment Jo’s focus has been predominantly recruiting into the Finance Function, initially with Michael Page Bristol, then as a Manager at Martin Ward Anderson in St Albans. She broadened her experience whilst working for KPMG in their Search & Selection division based in the Birmingham Office.

Jo is a multi-disciplined recruiter with substantial experience resourcing Board Directors, as well as all levels within the finance function. She has a range of expertise in executive search & resourcing, competency-based interviewing, and selection.

jowilson@equityfc.com

mob number: 07894 539 581

Zoe Osborne

Zoe Osborne

Team Support/Office Manager, Equity FC

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Zoe joined Equity FC in July 2019 as Office Manager and a key member of the support team.

Prior to joining Equity FC, Zoe gained extensive experience working in the management consulting, pharmaceuticals and legal industries.

A keen traveller, Zoe spent 5 years living in Sydney, Australia before returning to the UK in 2017 and settling in South West London.

An avid reader, Zoe enjoys losing herself in travel books and medical thrillers and when she's not reading, you'll find her trekking through woodlands and off the beaten track in search of her next adventure.

zoeosborne@equityfc.com

mob number: 07743 495 848

Sophie Gray

Sophie Gray

Team Support

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Sophie joined the team in 2015 and provides a variety of support functions across all of the Equity family ,maintaining contact with our network to ensure our candidates and clients receive an exceptional level of service.

Sophie holds a degree in Dance, a Postgraduate in Education and a diploma in Yoga.

Previously, she worked as a professional dancer and choreographer for nearly 10 years in the West End and with various touring companies. Alongside this, she gained a range of experience providing support to key individuals across all aspects of administration within public and private sector organisations.

Sophie still holds a keen interest in the arts and enjoys teaching yoga and dance in her spare time.

SophieGray@Equityfd.com

Tim Hames

Tim Hames

Writer in Residence

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Tim Hames started his career as an academic. He read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oriel College, Oxford University (1983-1986) and then completed a D.Phil in politics there (1987-1990). He was a Prize Research Fellow in American Studies at Nuffield College and then a Lecturer in Politics for several Oxford colleges specialising in American and British Government.

This relative respectability did not last. In 1996 he started work as a journalist at The Times. Over the next dozen years or so he served as chief leader writer, Comment Editor, a columnist and as the Assistant Editor overseeing the whole newspaper on many occasions. Major incidents which he had to manage included September 11th, 2001 and its consequences and the 2003 Iraq War.

After a brief interlude he switched tack again and became intrigued by private equity and venture capital. He was, initially, Head of Communications and Public Affairs at the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) and then from 2013-2019 acted as the Director General of that organisation. During his time at the helm there, membership increased by almost 50% and the number of events held multiplied four-fold. Best of all he got to know Sarah Hunt and Equity FD.

Like many people, Tim has repurposed life in the light of the pandemic and its possible aftermath. He is now an independent writer, consultant and senior adviser. His main pastime is (well, was) travel. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Travel and Tourism. In that spirit, he today lives in Clacton-on-Sea.