Guy Tolhurst Director
Guy’s involvement in MICAP started in 2015, after a strategic merger to bring his existing businesses Intelligent Partnership and SIPP Investment Platform Ltd (trading as in:review) into the newly formed Indagate Group alongside MICAP.
Guy launched Intelligent Partnership in 2008 with a vision of a future where alternative investments are as understandable and accessible as mainstream assets – creating a more open and efficient market for everyone. Intelligent Partnership is now the UK’s foremost provider of research and education on alternative investment, engaging its 14,000+ subscriber community of advisers, wealth managers and financial services professionals through a year-round programme of content that includes award-winning digital and printed reports, video content, and live events – accredited for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment (CISI) and Personal Finance Society (PFS).
Guy is also an Executive Director of in:review. Primarily aimed at UK member directed pension providers, it enables SIPP operators, networks and financial advisers to meet their increasing due diligence needs while providing independent validation for alternative investments on structures, history and background of the parties and counterparties, taxation implications and back testing.
Guy is on the EISA Financial Planning Committee and is Vice Chairman of the TISA P2P Committee. Personally and professionally, he is a keen advocate for consumer protection, improving standards and professionalism across the industry. His broad understanding of the intricacies of alternative and pension based investments has made him a regular speaker at industry events and a commentator in national and trade press. Prior to IP, Guy spent 8 years delivering bespoke sales and marketing solutions to international real estate developers, funds, hoteliers and investor groups.
Mark O'Donnell Head of Research
Mark was previously a researcher for Orthogonal Partners, where he was responsible for researching new investment opportunities across a broad range of esoteric investments opportunities, as well as monitoring current investments. During this time he completed the Investment Management Certificate.
Prior to that Mark was a researcher for one of the largest UK family offices, supporting the chairman across a range of family interests.
Mark holds a MSc in Corporate and International Finance from Durham University and a BSc in Rural and Environmental Economics from Newcastle University.
Mark is the Head of Research for MICAP, responsible for managing MICAP’s team of analysts and providing oversight on MICAP Reviews, MICAP Data, MICAP Impact Scores and MICAP Panel Support Services.
Sam Michie Business Development Director
Sam studied Business and Property Management at the University of the West of England in Bristol.
After starting his career as a futures trader in the City of London, Sam moved to Shanghai in 2008 to work in wealth management. This led to Sam spending four years as a Business Development Manager with St James’s Place in Asia. After relocating back to London, Sam joined MICAP.
Sam is responsible for building and maintaining MICAP’s community of financial advisers.
Van Li Web Development & Data Manager
Van joined the MICAP team in 2017. Some of Van’s responsibilities include the management and the maintenance of MICAP’s database and data integrity, overseeing the development of new platform features, and building tools that allow MICAP to process and utilise its data.
Van holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computing and is a certified Microsoft Excel Expert.
Harry Morrison Investment Analyst & Panel Consultant
Harry graduated with a degree in American History from Swansea University, which included a year abroad studying at the University of Kansas. Harry then worked as an Estate Agent before commencing training as a corporate accountant, subsequently working with WSM Partners LLP where he specialised in audit.
Harry is an Investment Analyst & Panel Consultant for MICAP, responsible for assisting in the production of MICAP Reviews and the delivery of our Panel Support Services proposition to our panel clients.
Robin Wisloch Investment Analyst
Robin graduated in Economics from Exeter University, and started his career in tax-advantaged investments at MJ Hudson Allenbridge as an Analyst, responsible for reviewing funds within the tax-advantaged market.
Robin is an Investment Analyst for MICAP, assisting in the production of MICAP Reviews.
Prashant Trivedi Junior Investment Analyst
Prashant graduated from University of Brighton with a B.Eng in Mechanical Engineering. He began his career at Murano where he was an Investor Analyst responsible for connecting institutional investors to fund managers by assessing their investment objectives.
Prashant is a Junior Investment Analyst for MICAP, assisting in the production of MICAP Reviews.
Daniela Sesztak Junior Investment Analyst
Daniela graduated from City, University of London with a BSc in Financial Economics and is fluent in English, Hungarian, Ukrainian and Russian.
Daniela is a Junior Investment Analyst for MICAP, assisting in the production of MICAP Reviews.
Alex Albu Product Manager
Alex previously worked as a Product Manager within the tax advantaged investment space for a technology company offering a platform solution for investing into EIS, SEIS and BR products. Prior to that, Alex worked within the Sales and Project Management department for a Financial Tech company offering a back-office system for IFAs.
Alex is responsible for managing MICAP’s Client Reporting Service, including liaising and providing support to financial advisers and investment providers, as well as managing the development of the system.
Wendy Bryon Client Services Executive
Wendy previously worked for NatWest for nearly 18 years across numerous roles including Customer Service Specialist, Mortgage Advisor and Real Estate Portfolio Manager. She has also worked as a Dispatch Officer with the West Midlands Police and as a Customer Relationship Manager with Yell.
Wendy is the first point of contact for all customer service queries, providing support to financial advisers and investment providers.
Jay Patel Full Stack Developer
Jay has worked as a developer since he graduated with a degree in Engineering and Information Technology. He then worked as a software engineer for a number of years before being the founder and CTO for a web development company based in India.
As a full stack developer, Jay is responsible for maintaining and improving MICAP’s platform.
Howard Freeman DPO/Information Security Officer
Having worked for businesses such as Canon, IBM and Alcatel-Lucent, Howard has 30+ years’ experience in Cyber Security and Compliance.
Howard is MICAP’s Data Protection Officer and Information Security Officer, responsible for making sure that MICAP remains compliant with all relevant regulations.
Mike Budd Research Moderator
Mike qualified as a Chartered Tax Advisor in 2003 and has over 23 years experience in the profession advising on various aspects of taxation.
Following his training with Smith & Williamson, he spent four years working in a tax team at a private bank. In 2011, Mike set up his own consultancy practice focused on both the practical and technical aspects of HMRC’s Venture Capital Schemes (primarily the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) and Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS)), an area he had gained a vast amount of experience in whilst working in his previous commercial and technical roles.
Mike is a member of The Chartered Institute of Taxation and Fellow of the Association of Taxation Technicians.
Mike works for MICAP on a consultancy basis, moderating MICAP Reviews and otherwise ensuring that MICAP is up to date with all relevant HMRC guidelines and legislation.