Chris is the founding partner and CEO of Ciesco. He has over 25 years of experience in media, marketing and technology and has lived and worked in London, New York and Brussels. Throughout his career he has worked with management teams and businesses globally.

Prior to setting up Ciesco, Chris has held senior regional positions at some of the leading companies within the sector. He was the Global Head of M&A for McCann WorldGroup, the Chief Operating Officer of EMEA for McCann Erickson and prior to joining McCann he had previously managed the North American Operations of Initiative Media and the International Operations of Foote Cone & Belding. He also gained exposure to working with some of the leading global brands, from the large auto groups such as Chrysler and General Motors to the technology giants, Samsung and Microsoft.

Chris is a practitioner from the industry having operated across all disciplines of digital, media and marketing, with specific sector experience in the technology-enabled media and marketing space. He has managed and evaluated hundreds of businesses across the globe during his corporate career. He is able to use the knowledge, experience and contacts this has brought him to the commercial advantage of Ciesco’s clients.

Zoja leads Ciesco’s activities in the German market. Zoja has held senior level positions within the industry across Advertising and Media, most recently he was the Group CEO of Dentsu Aegis Group Germany. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President Content Marketing at _wige Media AG, a technology and media company, where he was responsible for digital strategy and transformation management.

Zoja also held prominent roles at top organisations, such as CEO at DAVINCI Selectwork (part of Omnicom), Director Global Management at DaimlerChryslerMediaAlliance (JV with Omnicom), Head of TV at Optimedia (Publicis) and Group Head of Media Buying at Mediacom (WPP).

Colin is a strategic marketer and consultant with over thirty years’ experience working agency, client and consultancy side having built and managed blue-chip brands and businesses with an emphasis on commercial & financial planning, business development, marketing strategy and communications, and digital acceleration.

Colin has been involved in growing and selling advertising businesses throughout his career, and has proven ability and success in managing global client businesses, most significantly with Vodafone at WPP. He brings a wealth of capability and learning to the Ciesco team with his deep experience and understanding in building and managing agency resources to deliver best practice and profitability. Colin’s deep insights into agency and client thinking extends into multi categories and sectors on a global basis, including Technology, Mobile Telecommunications, Financial Services, Pharma & Healthcare, Leisure & Travel and FMCG.

Adriana leads Ciesco’s day to day corporate finance work both originating and working on a wide variety of transactions. Prior to joining Ciesco, she spent 5 years at Pall Mall Capital, a London-based investment banking boutique, handling corporate finance advisory and M&A transactions, as well as working on Equity and Debt placements across a wide range of sectors (business services, leisure, infrastructure, technology, consumer products, etc.). Her earlier career included US experience where she worked on US and international assignments at Brown Gibbons Lang & Company, a leading Midwest investment banking firm, as well as acting as a Project Manager for a London-based global consultancy firm specialising in business intelligence services.

Adriana has a MBA degree in Banking & Finance from Case Western Reserve University (US), as well as an MA in International Economic Relations.

David is a Partner at Ciesco. David brings a depth of strategic and operational finance experience from PE backed start-ups through to the best-known names in technology and innovation. He has a track record of delivering excellent commercial results through his financial insight and business partnering skills.

Prior to joining Ciesco, David was a Group CFO at AudioBoom. At AudioBoom he was a full board member responsible for financial strategy and reporting and led two successful public fund raise rounds totaling £7 million.

David’s previous roles include EMEA Director of Finance at WideOrbit, US Digital Technology company, where he was responsible for the launch of the EMEA region. David integrated 3 subsidiaries into the WideOrbit systems, acted as interim COO for the French subsidiary, including relocating the Paris office.

David also held senior Finance roles at Apple, Flashbay and Hewlett Packard.

As a Partner at Ciesco, Alan brings experience gained in a long and successful career combining time as an investment banker, a commercial Chief Financial/Operational Officer and effective Non-Executive Chairman.

Having raised funds for over 100 companies in public & private markets and taken the lead in numerous M&A transactions, Alan offers Ciesco clients an impressive range of contacts and a proven ability to bring assignments to a successful conclusion.

After graduating from Pembroke College Cambridge, Alan qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PwC. He then joined the world of investment banking and for the next 20 years he worked in equity research, capital markets and corporate finance roles for some of the UK’s best known mid-cap brokers as well as global banks.

The most recent phase of Alan’s career has involved working for a private equity group in a series of financial and operational roles for its international portfolio of businesses, and acting as NED and NEC with London listed business. Most recently he worked as the CFO of a newly established and rapidly growing sustainability services and solutions provider involving equity fundraising to support the group’s expansion & conducting 11 acquisitions across the UK, USA, Germany, UAE, China and the Philippines.

Aika is an Associate Director at Ciesco. Since joining the firm, Aika has been working on cross-border and domestic transactions. She has also been instrumental in the company’s origination efforts and contibuted to Ciesco’s market intelligence.

Ciesco clients benefit from Aika’s comprehensive understanding of the sectors, strong project management skills and timely and objective commercial and financial analysis that further informs M&A decision-making.

Aika holds an MSc degree in Accounting & Finance from London School of Economics and a BSc degree with Honours in Business Management from King’s College London.

Stefan is an Associate at Ciesco. Stefan has a strong understanding of the technology and media sectors. Since joining the firm, Stefan has worked on several transactions including the sale of Mediaxplain to Serviceplan Group and the sale of Rightspend to LDC Private Equity.
Stefan has strong skills in project management and financial and commercial analysis. He has worked directly with a variety of stakeholders, including entrepreneurs, private equity investors, company management teams and large multinationals.

Stefan has also been working closely with the market intelligence team, conducting industry-specific research.

Prior to joining Ciesco, Stefan gained experience in the UK with a private equity fund and a family office.

Stefan holds an MSc degree in Finance and Private Equity from the London School of Economics and a BSc degree with Honours in Banking and International Finance from Cass Business School.

Eliza recently joined Ciesco as an Analyst. Currently, she supports the dynamic team with in-depth financial, industry and marketing analyses using her quantitative and research skills acquired from both past internships and academic studies.

Prior to joining the company, Eliza has gained her experience at Invenio Corporate Finance, Deloitte and B.B. Energy.

She graduated with an MSc in Finance and Accounting from Imperial Business School. She also holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Economics and Finance from Queen Mary University of London.

Maximilian is an Analyst at Ciesco. He supports senior practitioners in M&A processes from the very beginning through to the execution of transactions.

Prior to joining Ciesco, Maximilian gained experience at Deutsche Bank and within asset management division at DWS, both based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Maximilian holds a BSc degree with Honours in Economic History from the London School of Economics.

Sarah brings to Ciesco over 25 years’ experience of driving business growth through effective use of insight technology and creativity. Her most recent role was as Customer Director at Value Retail, the world leader in luxury outlet retailing, where she was responsible for Customer Insights, CRM and Customer Experience. Prior to that Sarah was Managing Director at a boutique marketing consultancy emnoss where she was responsible for rebuilding the business after the departure of the fonder as well as delivering high end consultancy projects for clients as diverse as Co-op, Waitrose, BP and Camelot.
Prior to that Sarah has worked in both client side and agency roles including a 14 year spell in Wunderman UK in a variety of roles which culminated in her operating for nearly four years as their COO.

Gordon heads up Ciesco’s talent management both internally and for clients. Prior to joining Ciesco Gordon was the Managing Director of RI Consultancy Services, a leading European recruitment group and has had 30 years exposure to executive search, recruiting senior executives for his clients as well as helping them to retain, reward, manage and develop their human capital. He is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD. Gordon has extensive knowledge of the marketing communications and media sectors and has recruited or consulted for many of the leading global marketing services and media groups. He has also worked for leading independent agencies and businesses in custom publishing, advertising, marketing, PR, media buying, TV and film.