The Imbiba team combines deep operational expertise with highly focused investment experience.

All of our investments are exclusively focused on the best location-based brands across leisure, education and healthcare. We believe this combination provides a significant competitive advantage to our investee companies.

Darrel Connell, Managing Partner

Prior to joining Imbiba, Darrel was formerly a Director at Foresight Group, a market leading UK lower mid-market private equity firm with £6bn of assets under management. Darrel led the firm's consumer and leisure coverage and was a Non-Executive on the board of multiple high growth consumer businesses.

Darrel is currently a Non-Executive on the Board of Purple Dragon, Pizza Pilgrims and Farmer J. Darrel focuses on sourcing new investment opportunities for Imbiba and transaction execution.

Lizzie Ryan, Partner & Head of Investment

Lizzie has over 15 years’ experience working in M&A and private equity. Prior to joining Imbiba, Lizzie worked at Foresight Group as a Senior Investment Manager focusing on consumer & leisure investments, where she sat on a number of portfolio company boards as a non-executive director, and at Synova Capital and Deloitte LLP where she focused on mid-market transactions.

Lizzie is currently a Non-Executive on the Board of House of Gods and Monkey Puzzle. Lizzie focuses on sourcing new investment opportunities for Imbiba and transaction execution. She is a fully qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA).

Samir Shah, CFO & Partner

Samir has spent his career as a serial Chief Financial Officer of Private Equity backed businesses - having worked for 5 different PE houses. He has extensive experience across luxury health clubs, events and conferences, marketing communications, publishing, fashion retail and entertainment.
He has a proven track record in driving financial growth, operational efficiency, strategic decision-making, refinancing and eventual exits for the businesses. Samir leverages this experience for management teams across our portfolio companies, as well as being CFO of Imbiba.
Prior to joining Imbiba, Samir was CFO at Third Space, a luxury health club operator in London, transforming the business prior to sale to KSL Capital Partners in 2021 delivering a 20x return.

Heidi Duckworth, Operating Partner

Heidi has a background in mid-market private equity, where she was a Director at Montagu Private Equity in London, focussing on management buy-outs in the UK. During a career break to look after her young family, she founded Rock Up Limited, a UK leisure business which she grew over a six-year period to become the UK’s leading fun climbing business with 8 sites nationally. This was successfully sold to an overseas trade buyer in 2023.

Prior to Montagu, Heidi started her career as a strategy consultant at The Boston Consulting Group, where she worked prior to gaining her MBA from Harvard Business School.

At Imbiba, Heidi’s focus is on providing support to the portfolio and she is currently the Executive Chair of Abacus Ark Nursery Schools.

Simon Wheeler,
Partner & Co-founder

A chartered accountant, Simon trained at a Big Four practice before moving into industry with Cadbury Schweppes.

From 1997 Simon was Finance Director of the early Imbiba investments before transitioning to a Non-Executive Finance Director role, recruiting FDs into the respective businesses, ensuring high quality reporting and margin control across all Imbiba businesses. Simon is a fully qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA).

Kieran Sherlock,
Partner & Property Director

Kieran has over 25 years hospitality and leisure experience. Prior to joining Imbiba, he was Property Director for YO!Sushi acquiring over 70 sites in both UK and the US. He brings significant acquisitions experience from his work with Mitchells and Butler, Whitbread and as former Property Director at Black Sheep Coffee.
Kieran provides property expertise to portfolio businesses across site negotiation, management of landlords, lettings, real estate appraisal and site selection.

Andrew Maxwell, Operating Partner

Andrew has a proven track record of owning, operating, and scaling businesses through private equity. With extensive experience on both sides of the Atlantic, Andrew has achieved multiple successful exits throughout his career, including the recent sale of Boojum, Ireland's largest chain of Mexican restaurants, which was acquired by the Azzuri group.
Throughout his career, Andrew has worked across numerous verticals and concepts within hospitality and leisure. He has a deep understanding of operations, strategy, and growth, and sources new investment opportunities and provides support to our portfolio companies.

Alison Wong, Director

Alison brings operational and functional support to our portfolio businesses across finance, procurement, financial due diligence, reporting and administration. She oversees our commitment to ESG and provides board representation across portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Imbiba, Alison has been financial director across multiple leisure brands and was a senior executive at Virgin and Deloitte. Alison is a fully qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA).

Guy Whitfield, Director

Prior to joining Imbiba, Guy was formerly a VP at c*funds, an Amsterdam based boutique placement agent. Guy supported several funds across both Private Equity, Venture Capital, Credit and RE, where he successfully raised capital for funds in Europe, the US and Asia. Prior to c*funds, Guy worked at Liquidnet Europe Limited based in London.
Guy’s focus is on the fundraising and investor relations where he is responsible for maintaining and forming new relationships with a diverse range of investors.

John Connell,
Partner & Co-founder

John is a serial leisure entrepreneur who built and sold two UK pub groups prior to founding Imbiba in 1997 as a specialist investor, focused on the bar, restaurant and hospitality sectors. John has subsequently built and sold 10 leisure and hospitality businesses.

John has been Chairman of numerous Imbiba investments since 1997.

Brian Phillips,
Partner & Chairman of Investment Committee

Brian has over 30 years private equity experience, developing a wide range of businesses, initially at Bridgepoint, before founding Greenhill Capital (renamed Kester). Brian has completed over 40 private equity investments and overseen many more. His leisure market investments include Cafe Rouge, Bella Italia, Vue Cinemas and Rileys, amongst others.

Brian is currently Chairman of Purple Dragon and focuses on sourcing new investment opportunities for Imbiba and deal execution. Brian is a fully qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA).

Fraser Bradshaw, Partner & CMO

Fraser has 30 years' experience in strategic marketing within client companies and communications agencies. As former Managing Director at McCann Erickson, he has worked in UK and international markets developing business and brand plans with a focus on the leisure industry. Fraser is founder and Chairman of digital and creative agency saintnicks.

Fraser works with all Imbiba portfolio businesses on their respective brand, marketing and digital strategies, and demand generation initiatives.

Imbiba Team

The Imbiba team combines deep operational expertise with highly focused investment experience.