What makes us different

Our team is built to help you. We can devote significant time to rolling up our sleeves and making a difference when you need us.

We are experts in supporting companies to make the right choices as they scale. We’ve learnt this through more than two decades experience of working with high growth companies. We like hard work and helping you get stuff done.

  • Managing Director

    Alistair Cairns

    • WORKING WITH

      Other private equity funds, occasionally other families

    • EXCITED BY

      Through the cycle returns, lack of correlation, repeatable value add

    • INTERESTS

      Theatre, Jazz, art, international politics, family

    • PREVIOUSLY

      Bain & Company, Morgan Stanley

    • EDUCATION

      INSEAD (MBA)

  • Chairman

    Anna Margaret Smedvig

    • Working with

      Smedvig Capital & Smedvig Family Office

    • Excited by

      Using technology to disrupt retail

    • Interests

      Fashion, film, Architecture/Design

    • Previously

      L Catterton, Smythson, EC Hambro Rabben

    • Education

      University of Edinburgh (Psychology & Business)

  • Partner

    Cristian Young

    • WORKING WITH

      Veeve & other private equity funds

    • EXCITED BY

      Using technology to re-engineer process and disrupt established business models

    • INTERESTS

      Skiing, Scuba Diving, Travelling

    • PREVIOUSLY

      KPMG

    • EDUCATION

      Nottingham University (Business & German)

  • Senior Associate

    Freddie Kalfayan

    • WORKING WITH

      Yumpingo, proSapient, Adzuna, Antidote

    • EXCITED BY

      Technology, innovative models and great teams

    • INTERESTS

      Sport, film, languages, occasionally signing up for (and then regretting) endurance events

    • PREVIOUSLY

      OC&C Strategy Consultants, JP Morgan

    • EDUCATION

      University of Cambridge (Management/Modern Languages)

  • Partner

    Joe Knowles

    • WORKING WITH

      Infinity, Adzuna, Poq, Masabi, Yumpingo

    • EXCITED BY

      Working with un-stoppable founders to unpick broken markets or navigate markets in flux

    • INTERESTS

      Failing to look smooth on waves and snow – surfing, kitesurfing, skiing with a bit of yoga to recover

    • PREVIOUSLY

      OC&C, JP Morgan, Airbus

    • EDUCATION

      University of Bristol (Mechanical & Process Engineering)

  • CEO

    Johnny Hewett

    • WORKING WITH

      KCT, Simplify, Profile, The Smart Cube, Veeve, Infinity

    • EXCITED BY

      The level of disruption outstanding teams and technology can cause

    • INTERESTS

      Most sports (playing and watching), theatre (definitely just watching)

    • PREVIOUSLY

      Bain & Company, NatWest Markets, Hill Samuel

    • EDUCATION

      Harvard Business School (MBA)

  • Partner

    Jon Lerner

    • WORKING WITH:

      Infinity, The Smart Cube, Poq, Masabi, Heydoc

    • EXCITED BY:

      Application of mobile tech (including edge processing) to big corporate problems

    • INTERESTS

      Mountains (up and down, frozen or not), two wheeled adventures, messing around on boats

    • PREVIOUSLY

      Bain & Company, Argos

    • EDUCATION

      University of Bristol (Electrical & Electronic Engineering)

  • Executive Assistant to CEO & Chairman

    Louise Gammon

    • WORKING WITH

      Anna Margaret & Peter Smedvig and Johnny Hewett

    • EXCITED BY

      South Western Trains actually working

    • INTERESTS

      Reading, baking and applying (normally rubbish) songs to everyday situations

    • PREVIOUSLY

      Private PA for a HNW individual

    • Education

      Royal Holloway University (English Literature)

  • Executive Assistant to the Partners

    Phoebe Carpenter

    • WORKING WITH

      The Smedvig Team

    • EXCITED BY

      The seaside and my beach hut

    • INTERESTS

      Reading, Travelling, Shopping

    • PREVIOUSLY

      Halsion

    • EDUCATION

      Ursuline College

  • Senior Associate

    Peter Duffy

    • WORKING WITH

      Xeneta, Heydoc

    • EXCITED BY

      Finding innovative founders using tech to disrupt the status quo

    • INTERESTS

      All kinds of sport - particularly rugby, running and falling down ski slopes

    • PREVIOUSLY

      OC&C Strategy Consultants

    • EDUCATION

      University of Edinburgh (History), Imperial College London (Management)

  • Partner

    Rob Toms

    • WORKING WITH

      KCT, Simplify, Whip Media, Xeneta, Adzuna, Yumpingo, proSapient

    • EXCITED BY

      Teams and tech that shake up complacent incumbents

    • INTERESTS

      Triathlon, Watching any sport, Driving my truck

    • PREVIOUSLY

      Jardine International Motors, Bain & Company

    • EDUCATION

      London Business School (MBA)

  • Head of Marketing & Founder Network

    Sophie Day

    • WORKING WITH

      Smedvig Team & Portfolio

    • EXCITED BY

      AI revolutionising digital marketing

    • INTERESTS

      Theatre (particularly musicals), Fitness (Yoga & Spinning), Piano

    • PREVIOUSLY

      CQS Asset Management

    • EDUCATION

      University of Manchester (Music)

  • Advisor

    Wanda Goldwag

    • WORKING WITH

      The Smedvig Team

    • EXCITED BY

      AI, Voice activation, Smart machines

    • INTERESTS

      Creating a healthier population, legal matters, cooking

    • PREVIOUSLY

      25 year exec career in loyalty programmes, travel, advertising agencies and finance

    • EDUCATION

      London School of Economics (Economic History)