Esther holds a Master’s degree in Marketing from the University of Applied Business Administration in Vienna, Austria and an Advanced Certificate in Strategic HR Management from the ILR School at Cornell University.

She has over ten years of experience in marketing, HR and training/development. Esther gained her professional experience in the field of Corporate Training for several multinational organizations and as a Marketing Manager in the pharmaceutical sector.

Esther has been instrumental in developing Presidio’s professional training processes. She leads Presidio’s consultant-based activities, from building the group of consultants with whom Presidio works, to ensuring their projects are successful and rewarding.

Terry is an experienced corporate finance executive and director with a broad base of experience and impressive achievements in senior management, corporate finance, turnaround management, strategic business development and deal leading M&A.

He joined our UK partner co, EMC, in April 2003, bringing a diverse background and experience of corporate finance and corporate management. In addition to his depth in corporate finance activity, some of Terry’s major achievements over the years have also been at the cutting edge of corporate recovery and turnaround, working on both sides of the fence for both lenders and corporate clients and producing positive results for all concerned. The raising of development funding, strategic planning and development, retirement planning and business sales are all part of the corporate challenges with which Terry has supported and assisted recent clients.

Terry’s career began in the world of corporate finance working in the City of London with one of the world’s leading international banking groups. He held senior management positions within the group over 18 years, dealing with domestic and international corporates, syndicated and asset-backed finance, acquisitions and disposals with individual transaction values ranging up to £700 million involving major corporations and PLCs.

In the late 1980s Terry joined the bank’s Global Recovery Unit to deal with the plethora of problems that were beginning to emerge as the ‘80s bubble burst with a range of major corporates facing new challenges. When one of its major borrowers fell into difficulties, Terry was instrumental as lead bank in developing and implementing the standstill, recovery and turnaround operations that dealt with the company’s 40-plus lenders and the £1.6 billion of group debt. It was then the biggest successful standstill and recovery play in the UK market and established a format which has subsequently been adopted and developed by others.

After five years of leading the banking side of the recovery operation, Terry was invited to join the board of one of the two remaining key group subsidiaries with a view to enabling the flotation or sale of the company. Two years later, an institutional buyout for £187 million was completed.

Focusing more now on the South-East of England, Terry has subsequently enjoyed working with a range of companies, organisations and private clients requiring a broad range of commercial, financial and management support, all of them benefiting from his extensive experience and personal commitment to the most challenging corporate tasks, situations and management.

Delivered Lead Adviser Services & Assignments

• Business sales for a range of different business sectors
• MBO development, negotiations, funding for companies in a variety of business sectors
• M&A transactions, deal development and negotiations in a variety of sectors
• Business planning, start-up and second stage investments across a variety of sectors
• Recovery and turnaround leadership

Recent assignments include

• Business review, strategy planning, turnaround management and disposal of business – Importer/Distributor
• Turnaround and recovery assistance – construction services, exhibition design
• Business sales – distribution, healthcare, recruitment, hydration and construction
• Restructuring and demerger – TV and film production
• Development, negotiations and closing of MBO’s – UK food distributor
• Bank fundraising – commercial property portfolios, nursing home development
• Business planning, development finance — hotel and licensed on-trade
• M&A transactions with UK and international businesses
  Retained non-exec and interim management support

Industry sector experience includes:

Biometric Security, Climate Control, Healthcare, Building Consultancy, Specialist Food Services, Print, Publishing, PR & Marketing, Sports Events Management, Hotels, Nursing Homes, Film Production Equipment, Pubs & Leisure, Gaming Industry, Water and Hydration, Financial Services, Insurance Broking and Specialist Insurance, Wholesale Distribution, Waste Management, Residential Developments.

A​n entrepreneur and angel investor with experience​ in the development ​​industry. Kareem has an MBA from London Business School and a BSc in finance from Georgetown​ University​. He ​is the CEO of Foodie Brands and Managing Partner of Mina Ventures, ​a family office with ongoing investments in early-mid stage companies since 2004. ​He has invested in companies based in the USA, Canada, Brazil, and UAE across sectors including Food Production & Retail, Healthcare Technology, Alternative Energy & Sustainability, Telecom​ Infrastructure​, Live/Recorded Entertainment, and E-commerce.

Lonny Simonian has over 25 years of professional experience in the electrical design and construction industry and has worked on several multibillion USD federally funded domestic projects, as well as numerous public and privately funded projects around the world. This has including extensive experience in project & construction management, project controls and administration, and design and construction engineering on several US government advanced technology projects. He holds a Master of Science in Engineering degree from University of California, Berkeley with an emphasis in Construction Engineering and Management, a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), and an Advanced Project Management Certificate from Stanford. Professor Simonian is also a Professor in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED) and graduate course instructor in the College of Engineering at Cal Poly.

Professor Simonian is a licensed Professional Electrical Engineer in the State of California and a Project Management Institute certified Project Management Professional. Professor Simonian’s previous experience includes positions as an Engineering Group Supervisor at Bechtel National and Senior Project Manager for Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. Professor Simonian was a past recipient of a NSF/DOE fellowship, conducting Smart Grid research at UC Berkeley Lab on Energy Information System Dashboard Integrating Wireless Sensing Devices with Wired Metering and Controls. He is the principal or corresponding author of over three dozen peer-reviewed papers.

Professor Simonian is currently conducting research for ELECTRI International, the research foundation for the National Electrical Contractors Association, on Quality in Construction – Improving productivity and reducing rework by establishing a Built-in Quality (BIQ) program, and recently completed work on another ELECTRI grant Applications for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Electric Utility Construction. Professor Simonian previously completed a co-funded ELECTRI and National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) grant on Electrical Distribution and Construction – Developing an Agile Supply Chain Partnership. Prior research includes a grant from the Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) on a Guide to Applying Reliability Based Decision Making to Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance (ITM) Frequency for Fire Protection Systems and Equipment and a report for the National Institute of Standards and Technology via the FPRF on Smart Grids and NFPA Electrical Safety Codes and Standards.

Michael Suppaner, with a wealth of experience spanning over 35 years, is a seasoned expert in technical operations and business development. Michael has worked in the cement, energy and waste management industries, with a focus on innovation and industry 4.0 technology optimization. In addition, he has successfully founded and managed companies in Austria, Japan, and Malaysia.

Throughout his career, Michael has shown considerable skill in the optimization of processes and technologies of the cement, steel, lime, and non-ferrous metals industries – making him instrumental to those seeking to advance their operations in these areas. He has helped businesses across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East achieve success by leveraging his unique insights.

Michael’s extensive knowledge of both cement manufacturing and combined waste management has established him as an authority in this field; with expertise in dealing with political difficulties for proper waste management in developing and semi-developed countries. He has implemented alternative fuels and renewable energies from waste materials, and his understanding of municipal and industrial waste processing has allowed him to optimize waste management processes across various industries.

In addition to his technical prowess, Michael possesses excellent business development, sales, and marketing skills. His background in crisis management and consolidation has proven invaluable in helping businesses navigate difficult situations and come out stronger.

Michael’s career is anchored in his education – he studied Applied Geological Sciences at Montan University Leoben in Austria, and served in the Austrian Army as an Officer of Reserve, achieving the rank of First Lieutenant. He is fluent in German and English, with a basic understanding of Japanese.

Jourdan has over 20 years of sustainable project development experience and has been investing in early-stage venture for more than ten years. Prior to Presidio, Jourdan was Senior Advisor at Alpin Innovation Labs (Masdar City) — a strategic sustainability/innovation consultancy for the built environment with more than $500 Billion in projects under advice. Alpin was, among others, elected as the Best Places to Work and a signatory of the UN Women’s Empowerment Principles.

Jourdan is originally from San Francisco, California and has lived, worked, and studied across the globe including: London, Hong Kong, Dubai, Paris, and Vienna. His advisory clients include organizations such as multiple sovereign wealth funds, royal family offices, federal ministries, Citi, HSBC, Deloitte, Nike, Akamai Technologies, Salesforce, Mars, and Bloomberg.

At Presidio, he is focused on bridging cultures and investments to ensure optimal outcomes for clients, founders, and stakeholders.
In addition to his role at Presidio, Jourdan works with early-stage EMEA venture funds and technology companies both as board member and as strategic advisor. His experience includes cross-border M&A at Alpin and in partnerships. Furthermore, Jourdan has been involved with Habitat for Humanity for 20 years as a volunteer, speaker, and advisor.

Jourdan earned his Bachelor of Science from the California Polytechnic (Cal Poly) college of Architecture, where he was a pioneer in sustainable development. He subsequently earned his MBA from London Business School. In addition to continuing education at MIT in the field of Artificial Intelligence, he is a graduate of INSEAD’s International Directors Program with a focus on Corporate Governance.

Jourdan has spoken at or contributed to Columbia University, The UNDP, The Economist, and TEDx.