Carla is an experienced leader across banking, private equity and retail, having held Board-level roles with organisations including Virgin Group, Barclays Bank, and Thomas Cook Group. She brings expertise in corporate finance, post-merger integration, strategy, operations, and business transformation. Now consulting through MCS Advisory Ltd, Carla provides interim strategic, financial, and operational guidance to private, public, and third-sector clients. She is also a non-executive director on other boards and mentors C-Suite leaders. A qualified Chartered Accountant (registered with the ICAEW), Carla combines technical rigour with commercial insight. About MCS Advisory: We treat your business as if it were our own. Every solution is tailored, pragmatic, and designed to achieve exceptional results. With a relentless drive, an engaging style, and a focus on lasting impact, we help clients turn ambition into reality—often in ways that surprise and delight.

Darren oversees VodafoneThree's financial strategy, management and reporting, along with the Procurement, Data & Analytics and Wholesale functions. As CFO of VodafoneThree, Darren is responsible for delivering the £11bn CAPEX commitment that will transform the UK telecoms sector through the creation of the UK’s Best Network. Prior to this he held the position of Chief Financial Officer at Three UK from 2018, having joined the company in 2009, and played a key role in the formation of the new company. Darren previously sat on the MBNL board, overseeing the network-sharing partnership with EE. In addition, Darren has held finance leadership roles at Marks & Spencer Group plc, Warehouse Fashions, Borders Books and Kingfisher plc.

MB Christie is a product and operations leader with over 25 years’ experience as a Product and Operations Leader. She has held senior leadership roles at organisations including the Financial Times, Rightmove, Simply Business, TUI Group, and Tech Nation. MB's executive experience includes serving as Chief Product Officer at Simply Business, Chief Operating Officer at Tech Nation, Digital Product Director at TUI Group, and Product Director at the Financial Times, where she played a key role in leading the organisation’s transition from print to digital. MB currently serves as a Non-Executive Director at MONY Group plc, Finsbury Growth & Income Trust plc, Social Finance Inc, and Open Banking, bringing deep expertise in digital strategy, governance, and scaling innovation. A former journalist, MB began her career as a foreign correspondent for several US newspapers and was named one of Cranfield School of Management’s Top 100 Women to Watch in 2018. MB joined RCK as an advisor due to her passion for innovation and her commitment to helping product leaders strengthen their business cases through R&D tax credits.

Rebecca DeNiro is an experienced Chair and Non-Executive Director with a track record of driving transformation and value creation across PLC, PE-backed and privately owned businesses. She is recognised for her combination of commercial acumen, incisive intellect, and people-centred leadership, as well as her ability to bring structure, governance and long-term strategic focus to high-growth and complex environments. She currently Chairs Ribble Cycles and Ruroc, supporting management teams and investors to deliver operational evolution, organisational capability and sustainable growth. She also serves as a Non-Executive Director at Norcros PLC, Regatta Ltd and Riverford Organic Farmers, providing support on strategy, succession and board effectiveness. Previous NED roles include Clarks Ltd and trustee positions at the Royal West of England Art Academy, where she chaired the revenue development and nominations committees. Rebecca’s executive career included roles as CEO of Pure Electric and Managing Director GB&I of Dyson Ltd.

Rakesh studied Physics at the University of Nottingham and began his career at Marconi, where he secured a patent for his work on military radios. He joined Ultra Electronics in 1989 as Chief Engineer and later moved into strategy and M&A after completing a group-sponsored EMBA at the University of Bath, including a two-year assignment in the USA. Rakesh managed businesses across Ultra’s portfolio spanning defence, aerospace, nuclear energy, cyber, and infrastructure, consistently driving innovation and growth. He served as Chief Executive of Ultra Electronics from 2011 to 2017. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and currently sits on its External Affairs Committee, having previously chaired the Industrial Fellowship Committee. In January 2021, Rakesh was appointed Chair of Kromek Group plc and also serves as Senior Independent Director at PayPoint Group plc and as Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration Committee at Mony Group plc. Rakesh was awarded an OBE in the 2017 Queen’s Birthday Honours and received the Freedom of the City of London in 2018.

Jitesh is an accomplished finance leader who is an experienced FTSE 250 NED, and Group CFO, bringing over 25 years of CFO experience. He is an Oxford graduate and an accounting institute prize winner. Jitesh served as Chief Financial Officer of Spire Healthcare, the UK's leading private hospital group. Prior to Spire, Jitesh held CFO roles at De La Rue, Greenergy, Mobile Streams PLC, and T-Mobile. Throughout his career, Jitesh has worked across B2B and B2C businesses including healthcare, retail, manufacturing, technology, telecoms, energy, distribution and services, spanning both listed and privately owned entrepreneurial organisations. In addition to his executive career, Jitesh is currently a Non-Executive Director to PZ Cussons plc.

Stephen Harrison was appointed Chair of Tungsten West plc in December 2024. The company is focused on restarting mining operations at the Hemerdon tungsten and tin deposit in Devon. Stephen is also a Non-Executive Director of Castings plc, a UK-based iron casting and machining group supplying domestic and export markets including heavy truck, wind power, agriculture, rail and material handling. In addition, Stephen chairs the Board of the Builders Merchants National Buying Group. Stephen served as Chair of Epwin Group plc, the leading UK manufacturer of PVC, glass-reinforced plastic and aluminium building products, until October 2025, when the company was acquired by a German family business at a 30% share price premium and subsequently delisted. From April 2016 to May 2023, Stephen was Chief Executive of Forterra plc, a major UK manufacturer of essential clay and concrete building products. He led the business through its divestment from Heidelberg Materials into private equity ownership and lead its IPO onto the London Stock Exchange. Stephen has over a decade of senior management experience within the construction materials industry, has served as a Director of several key construction and trade associations, and holds a degree in Economics and an MBA from Cranfield School of Management.

Andrew has spent most of his life as a professional soldier, serving both full-time and in the Army Reserve. Rising from private soldier to the Army General Staff before leaving the regular military to pursue a highly successful second career in software and technology. Andrew holds an MBA and a second Master's in the Management of Defence. Still an advisor on the technical, training, and strategic elements of the UK Ministry of Defence, his previous military roles have included the Army’s Head of Business Intelligence, Military Assistant to the Chief of Defence Staff, and Commanding Officer. Andrew has extensive operational experience working across multiple geographies and conflicts. His commercial career encompasses carving out business units and, as a CEO, successfully growing them to exit into independent technology companies focused on the Government, National Security, Maritime, and Aviation sectors. Through his own advisory firm, he remains an active member of several boards and an operating partner in private equity. In tandem with RCK’s Board, Andrew provides the focus and knowledge that enables RCK to offer its R&D tax support to companies of all sizes, that operate in the UK Defence and Critical National Infrastructure sector. Andrew is passionate about supporting the Sector as well as the companies and individuals that work in it. As part of his role with RCK, Andrew is happy to offer his experience and guidance to RCK's clients as they navigate the sector.

Phill Davies is an ACA-qualified commercial leader with over 20 years’ experience building, scaling and advising technology-led businesses across logistics, mobility and industrial innovation. As Co-founder and former CEO of Magway, he led the development and commercialisation of a patented beltless conveyor system for sustainable e-commerce and bulk logistics—an R&D-intensive deep-tech venture spanning engineering, software and systems innovation. At Magway, Phill secured high-value partnerships with blue-chip organisations, raised multi-million-pound equity and grant funding, and gained first-hand experience of the importance of robust R&D identification, claims governance and HMRC compliance. Post-Magway, Phill advises deep-tech and data-driven scale-ups on go-to-market strategy, enterprise sales, partnership structuring, fundraising and international expansion. He chairs the UKAI Mobility & Autonomous Systems Working Group and is active as a board advisor and fractional commercial leader, aligning founder and investor interests alongside strong financial controls and value led culture building to accelerate growth and innovation.

Don began his career as a trainee accountant at BDO, progressing to audit partner and spending 25 years with the firm. Alongside extensive client work, Don led a combined audit and tax business group in London (circa £20m revenues), developed a firmwide sector-led approach across all service lines, led the firm’s alumni programme, and served as an elected member of the partnership council. Don’s final role was National Head of the Retail and Wholesale sector. Following, Don joined KPMG, where for 10 years he drove growth in the retail sector across all KPMG capabilities. He worked closely with management teams and owners to understand their key challenges and opportunities, delivering tailored mainstream, financial, and operational advice to help address them. Don now pursues a portfolio career, including a NED role at Blue Diamond Garden Centres, board adviser at Stripe & Stare, and adviser roles across the retail advisory ecosystem, including the micro-donation charity Pennies. Don is a former GB and England hockey player who played for GB in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, winning over 120 caps. Don is now much more likely to be found on the golf course or tennis/padel court. I live near Reading with my wife Gail and our two children.

Stephen Loftus is an advisor to RCK Tax Advisors with 30 years’ experience building and scaling premium consumer product businesses. He began his career in strategy consulting before moving into senior leadership roles within global FMCG and drinks companies including Diageo, Red Bull and Constellation Brands, where he served as Innovation Director with responsibility for product development and commercialisation across international markets. In recent years, Stephen has focused on founder-led and private equity-backed SMEs, where product innovation has been central to growth and value creation. He spent eight years as Chief Commercial Officer at Brompton Bicycle, helping to scale the business globally, and remains a shareholder. He is currently CEO of Wattbike, leading a product-led turnaround and the launch of new products. Stephen’s career-long focus on innovation, R&D and commercial execution closely aligns with RCK’s mission to help businesses realise the value of their R&D investment.