People - Ingenious

REAL ESTATE

Tom Brown

Managing Director, Real Estate

Tom Brown

Managing Director, Real Estate

Tom.Brown@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4085

Tom leads the origination, assessment and management of investments within the real estate sector.

Tom is the lead contact as part of Ingenious’ membership of the UK Green Building Council, showing the team’s commitment to supporting a sustainable built environment.

Prior to joining Ingenious, Tom spent 27 years at The Royal Bank of Scotland working extensively within the real estate finance sector, supporting developers and investors. More recently, Tom was a key member of the bank’s Capital Resolution Division, negotiating the divestment of a portfolio of the bank’s non-core real estate lending. Assets included residential, commercial and hotel-backed loans in locations across England and Scotland.

Howard Sefton

Managing Director, Real Estate

Howard Sefton

Managing Director, Real Estate

Howard.Sefton@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4253

Howard is responsible for origination, assessment, and management of debt investments within the real estate sector.

Prior to joining Ingenious, Howard spent 9 years at The Royal Bank of Scotland working extensively within the real estate finance sector. More recently, Howard spent 2 years working at Deutsche Bank, as part of the European Real Estate Credit team, covering a multitude of asset classes and loan types.

Howard is a graduate of the University of Birmingham and began his career on the Graduate Scheme at Royal Bank of Scotland. He has worked almost exclusively in the real estate lending sector.

Andrew Bidwell

Investment Director

Andrew Bidwell

Investment Director

Andrew.Bidwell@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4099

Andrew has responsibility for the ongoing management of the real estate loan portfolio book. He has over 14 years’ experience in real estate lending and prior to joining Ingenious, worked as a Relationship Manager at Lloyds Banking Group looking after a portfolio in excess of £350m.

Andrew Lipscombe

Investment Director

Andrew Lipscombe

Investment Director

Andrew.Lipscombe@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4142

Andrew has over 14 years’ experience in real estate finance with previous roles at RBS, Santander and Pluto Finance. During this period he has specialised in residential and commercial development. With experience of having closed in excess of £900m of property transactions for FTSE listed property companies all the way to private investors.

Dimitriy Williamson

Investment Director

Dimitriy Williamson

Investment Director

Dimitiry.Williamson@theingneiousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4105

Dimitriy has over 11 years of experience in the real estate and construction industries, having held roles at Capita, Naismiths, and Currie & Brown. He has specialised in bank and fund monitoring, working with a range of high street banks, specialist lenders, and funds. Over the course of his career, Dimitriy has monitored projects across the residential, hospitality, student accommodation, and industrial sectors, with a total GDV exceeding £1bn in the UK.

Within his time at Ingenious, Dimitriy has contributed to both the project management team and, more recently, the origination team supporting commercial, residential, and industrial projects.

Wensde Clement De Grandprey

Head of Legal and Business Affairs

Wensde Clement De Grandprey

Head of Legal and Business Affairs

Wensde@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4288

Wensde is the head of legal and business affairs for the real estate pillar specialising in real estate finance transactions.

Prior to joining Ingenious in 2016, Wensde worked as an associate at DLA Piper and as a director in various transaction management roles at The Royal Bank of Scotland supporting the origination, restructuring and exit of real estate loans and assets.

Annabelle Mansilla

Senior Legal & Business Affairs Executive

Annabelle Mansilla

Senior Legal & Business Affairs Executive

Annabelle.Mansilla@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4262

For several years, Annabelle acted for a variety of real estate lenders and investors at leading City law firms before joining Ingenious in 2018. Annabelle is involved with all legal aspects relating to the structure, execution and exit of real estate lending transactions and well as assisting with management of the real estate portfolio loan book and matters relating to internal fund management.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Nick Jones

Head of Business Development

Nick Jones

Head of Business Development

Nick.Jones@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4332

Nick is an experienced leader with a strong track record in developing people and building successful teams. With over 30 years in the advisory market, he has held senior roles at Aegon, Old Mutual, and Octopus Investments. Throughout his career, Nick has shaped effective strategies across areas such as tax-efficient planning, asset management, and platform distribution. Known for delivering consistent results, he has led teams to achieve high levels of performance.

Since joining Ingenious in 2024, Nick has been building the distribution team and leading engagement with the advisory community.

Phil White

Business Development Manager

Phil White

Business Development Manager

Phil.White@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 7591339983

Phil worked for Abbey National between 1991 and June 1998 and then Canada Life Ltd for 26 years.

Phil is experienced in working with adviser firms to support with Group Risk Insurance and mainly Onshore and Offshore investments and trusts for Inheritance Tax planning.

Steve Lawrence

Senior Internal Business Development Manager

Steve Lawrence

Senior Internal Business Development Manager

Steve.Lawrence@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4330

With 28 years of experience in financial services, Steve has built a strong reputation as a trusted advisor to financial professionals across a spectrum of financial instruments. Throughout his career, Steve has specialised in delivering customised solutions that address the unique needs of both their businesses and clients. Steve is centred on collaborating closely with advisers to ensure their clients receive the most effective and tailored financial advice.

Jay Jethwa

Associate Business Development Manager

Jay Jethwa

Associate Business Development Manager

Jay.Jethwa@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4333

Jay has a comprehensive knowledge of financial services, working for a major bank and insurance company with over 30 years of experience. Recognised for having a high level of business acumen in addition to having outstanding interpersonal skills, leadership, and a strategic mindset.

George Hooper

Associate Business Development Manager

George Hooper

Associate Business Development Manager

George.Hooper@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4334

George has over six years of experience in business development and has established himself as a trusted partner to financial advisers and wealth planners. His primary focus is on providing tailored solutions that meet the specific needs of their businesses and clients, specialising in the inheritance tax space.

Sarah Wakefield

Business Development Manager

Sarah Wakefield

Business Development Manager

Sarah.Wakefield@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+ 44 2073 194 340

Sarah is an experienced and qualified Business Development Manager with over 25 years in financial services, including 15 years specialising in business development for Canada Life, Blackfinch, Oxford Capital and Seneca Partners.

Sarah has helped advisers and clients to deliver tax-efficient investment solutions, with particular focus on Inheritance Tax (IHT) planning. Passionate about helping clients preserve wealth and achieve their long-term financial goals.

LEADERSHIP & GROUP

ESTATE PLANNING

Neil Blackley

Chairman, IEP

Neil Blackley

Chairman, IEP

Neil.Blackley@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

Neil is the independent chairman of Ingenious Estate Planning, responsible for providing judgment and advice on issues of strategy, performance, resources and standards of conduct. Previously, he was chairman of the Media Advisory Board for Apax Partners, and was on the board of Freud Communications, a leading PR agency. Prior to that, Neil worked as European media analyst at James Capel, Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch.

REAL ESTATE

Tom Brown

Managing Director, Real Estate

Tom Brown

Managing Director, Real Estate

Tom.Brown@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4085

CLIENT SERVICES

Sarah Cruickshank

Client Services Director

Sarah Cruickshank

Client Services Director

Sarah.Cruickshank@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4033

Sarah holds a range of operational and project responsibilities across the business which are focused on ensuring that all of our clients receive the highest standards of service.

Sarah joined Ingenious in 2006 as group company secretary, a role which has given her far-reaching exposure to both business operations and the investment opportunities offered by Ingenious. She has worked on a number of key operational projects and added leadership of the Ingenious Client Services Centre to her responsibilities in August 2013, before becoming the division’s client services director in 2015.

Prior to joining Ingenious in 2006, Sarah was a senior manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers where she advised clients and managed team members in the delivery of company secretarial professional services. Sarah qualified as a chartered secretary with Deloitte, holding roles within its client-facing company secretarial team between 1995 and 2001.

LEGAL

Matt Grasso

Group Legal and Business Affairs Director

Matt Grasso

Group Legal and Business Affairs Director

Matt.Grasso@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4082

Matt is the Group Legal and Business Affairs Director of Ingenious. He is responsible for providing legal and business guidance to senior management on a wide variety of contracts, transactions, and contentious matters. Matt oversees the drafting and negotiation of contracts, develops strategies for mitigating commercial legal risk and manages legal staff as well as external legal and commercial advisors.

Matt joined Ingenious’ media team in 2014 as a Senior Legal and Business Affairs Executive after working for eight years in the litigation department of a top US law firm in New York. Matt initially managed complex, high value projects at Ingenious and his responsibilities expanded to include fund administration, product development and legal and business lead on various media transactions and disputes as well as legal support for infrastructure funds.

BUSINESS SYSTEMS

David Johnson

Business Systems Director

David Johnson

Business Systems Director

David.Johnson@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4150

David is responsible for all of Ingenious’ business systems, which includes implementing and managing our core Microsoft Dynamics system and related business processes. His background is in financial services, starting his career at Brooks Macdonald Asset Management where he held the roles of business analyst, project manager and subsequently lead developer. David graduated from Aston University with a degree in Computing for Business.

LEADERSHIP

Patrick McKenna

Founder

Patrick McKenna

Founder

Patrick.McKenna@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4007

Prior to joining Ingenious in 1988, Patrick was chairman and chief executive of The Really Useful Group and, before that, was a partner at Deloitte. Patrick is chairman of a number of companies. He is chair of the advisory board of the Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship (ICCE) at Goldsmiths.

Patrick was previously a board trustee of NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) and a trustee of the British Council.

TECHNICAL

Simon Palmer

Group Technical Director

Simon Palmer

Group Technical Director

Simon.Palmer@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

Simon has overall responsibility for the tax affairs of Ingenious’ managed investment funds and services and of Ingenious’ group companies. Simon previously spent 21 years with Ernst & Young, including 8 as a partner, and 5 years providing tax consultancy services. Simon started his career as a tax inspector with the Inland Revenue (now HMRC) and was a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation.

COMPLIANCE

Dane Persson

Compliance Manager

Dane Persson

Compliance Manager

Dane.Persson@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4086

Dane is the Compliance Manager at Ingenious, where he is responsible for overseeing the firm’s compliance with regulatory requirements and internal policies. His role includes maintaining and developing the compliance framework, advising on FCA regulations, supporting risk and governance initiatives, and ensuring the business operates within an effective control environment. Dane also serves as the Firm's Data Protection Officer (DPO) and ICML’s Money Laundering Reporting Officer (MLRO), with responsibility for managing financial crime risk and ensuring compliance with data protection legislation.

Prior to joining Ingenious, Dane worked at the Financial Ombudsman Service, gaining valuable experience in complaint handling and regulatory interpretation within the UK financial services sector. Before relocating to the UK, he spent nine years at PSG Wealth in South Africa as a Legal and Compliance Officer. He is an admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa and has extensive experience advising on legal, regulatory, and compliance matters in the financial services industry.

LEADERSHIP

Duncan Reid

Chief Executive Officer

Duncan Reid

Chief Executive Officer

Duncan.Reid@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4014

Duncan has overall responsibility for the group’s fund raising, investment and operating activities. He is also a member of the Ingenious audit and risk committee, and the boards of number of investee companies.

Duncan has been with Ingenious since its first day of operations. He started his career in the music business before obtaining an engineering degree at Imperial College and qualifying as a chartered accountant with Touche Ross (later Deloitte). Duncan has been with the business from its foundation and is a member of the Real Estate Investment committee.

LEADERSHIP

Peter Shawyer

Chairman

Peter Shawyer

Chairman

Peter.Shawyer@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 319 4304

Peter is the chairman of Ingenious. He joined Touche Ross & Co (later Deloitte) where he qualified as a chartered accountant and became a partner. He held numerous senior leadership positions including managing partner and was a member of Deloitte UK, European and Central European Boards. On leaving Deloitte he held senior roles across the banking sector. He was a board member of HSBC Bank, M&S Bank, and chairman of HSBC Jersey.

COMMUNICATIONS

Martin Smith

Special Adviser

Martin Smith

Special Adviser

Martin.Smith@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

Martin is a special adviser on public affairs and corporate communications. He formerly chaired the Young Vic Theatre Company and the advisory board of Creative Central Asia, and has worked with Patrick McKenna on numerous social investment, philanthropic and education projects. He was a founder member of the UK’s Creative Industries Council and is a Visiting Fellow at Goldsmiths in the University of London. Prior to joining Ingenious, Martin was a partner at Brunswick Group LLP and ran his own consulting business.

FINANCE

Pieter Vorster

Chief Financial Officer

Pieter Vorster

Chief Financial Officer

Pieter.Voster@theingeniousgroup.co.uk

+44 207 7319 4049

Pieter is the chief financial officer of Ingenious and chief investment officer for Ingenious Estate Planning, responsible for the investment strategy and governance of investments. He has previously held various senior roles within the organisation, since joining in 2007 and served on the board of Ingenious Asset Management until it was sold to Tilney in 2016.

Prior to joining Ingenious, Pieter spent a number of years in investment banking at Credit Suisse and qualified as a chartered accountant with KPM.

The information on this page is correct as at the time of writing, but may be subject to change.