At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top Manchester based Director operating in the Consulting space. If you think a Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Nick Horrocks
Director of GP Bullhound
Nick is a Director at GP Bullhound. He has broad experience in general corporate finance across a range of sectors. Prior to joining GP Bullhound, Nick spent 9 years at Clearwater International in Manchester where he undertook numerous M&A and corporate finance projects working in private equity, debt and corporate transactions both in the UK and overseas. He began his career at HSBC Investment Bank and has also spent time as a strategy consultant. Nick holds a BA in Economics from Durham University and an MBA (with Distinction) from Manchester Business School.
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About GP Bullhound: GP Bullhound is a technology advisory and investment firm that provides transaction advice and capital to entrepreneurs and founders.
Poornima Varadhan
Associate Director, Principal Product Consultant of Cognizant
Overall 16 years of industry experience working with Large Global insurance players. I have done various consulting, venture, advisory, product management and transformational program delivery roles across most of the Global markets (in specific NA & Asia Pacific). Currently as a Global Engagement Lead I support Change the business and Digital transformation objectives for a Fortune 100 P&C insurer that also includes partnering to strategize and deliver cloud transformation. Have an extensive speaking experience in CxO forum , various segments of clients & cross section of people in my organization in sharing experience related to IT and business transformation. Very recently started off with my public speaking as well with the recent one being for the Cloud Foundry Summit NA ’18.
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About Cognizant: Cognizant is a professional services company, transforming clients’ business, operating and technology models for the digital era.
Issac Qureshi
Founder & Director Of Client Services of Ogilvy & Haart
Based in London, Issac Qureshi is a skilled financial professional with expertise in areas including hedge funds and tax strategy. Issac’s involvement in hedge funds began during his time in Scotland, where he was working as a tax advisor. He had many clients inquire as to how they could use their tax savings more beneficially, and as interest grew, so did Issac’s desire to provide them with a solution. He created Hemingway, a wealth-focused investment firm with a global reach. They are focused on investing in unique global markets, providing clients with multiple streams of income, and producing generational wealth that will last long term. Additionally in his career, Issac Qureshi has served as a Director of Client Services and Founder of Ogilvy & Haart. He specializes in adaptation to the world of commerce: while he surely can run a company, he makes it a point to learn the language of a company that is already established, note its strengths, spot its weaknesses, and turn the whole establishment over to discover its untouched potential. After years of diligent work in his education and in the field, Issac Qureshi knows how to find and run a company built for success in an ever-changing market. Accorded with the LloydsTSB Asian Jewel Award, EMBF Rising Star Award, the Tiger Award, and Royal Mail’s title of Regional Direct Marketing Campaign of the Year, it is no surprise that NW Business Insider Magazine recognized Issac in their “Top 42 Under 42” list in 2006. Issac’s contribution to business and excellence put him at the top of this list, as well as on the radar as one of the best businessmen in the UK. The year he earned his BA and Honors in Social & Economic History from Liverpool University in the UK, Issac Qureshi hit the ground running as an Account Executive at Kaleidoscope ADM in 1995. Starting his career right out of college allowed him to get his foot in the door, and see what the business world consist of. He adjusted the way of the business world quickly, acquiring tools like advertising, design, and marketing strategy which he would later employ. Completing his formal education, Issac Qureshi obtained his diploma from Manchester University Institute of Direct Marketing in 1998, and graduated with an MA in Marketing from Canterbury University in Ontario, Canada, in 2003. He later went on to graduate first honors with his Bachelor of Laws from The London School of Economics and Political Science. He completed his Master of Laws, with a focus in International and Commercial Trust Law, from UCL, also first honors. Issac always put education first, and strived to be at the top of his class. He believes those who worked hard in their education will be greatly rewarded in the future. Wasting no time, Issac Qureshi co-founded Urban Logic UK in 2004, a professional authority in property investment. He served as the Chief Executive Officer of his own company for two years, honing his skills in marketing programs, customer services, income maximization, and intracompany relationships, here he learned valuable skills that come with running your own company. A few years later, and well-versed in company management, Issac Qureshi began as the Chief executive Officer of LAKAS Investments PLC, dedicated to retail investment. With a background in strategy and management, Issac can adapt to any type of business and strengthen it for profitability. Before founding his own enterprises, he moved on to Marvel Marketing as a Non-Executive Director, and exercised his prowess in fundraising, campaign analysis, and working with shareholders and brokers. In 2014, he founded the highly successful Ogilvy & Haart, a wealth management and taxation consultancy. This was the cultivation of all Issac Qureshi’s hard work. Almost 20 years after graduating from college, he was able to create a company that embodied all the education that he had received previously. Having worked as the Ambassador for a charity Karma Nirvana and Mix-d, Issac Qureshi works best in communities. It is easy for him to see the value in an organization with which he has had no previous experience, which explains his ability to raise more than 7m in fundraising for companies he has no personal affiliation with. Issac Qureshi knows the importance of fundraising for companies after being apart of so many, he understands that funding is what makes the company successful in the long term. So, he’s able to use his expertise to help organisations as he’s helped his own companies. With experience in asset protection, stock market strategy, and marketing technique, Issac Qureshi is an unparalleled expert in his field, who continuously acquires up-to-date knowledge and readjusts his view of the market for optimal outcomes. In the kinetic and ever-changing business world, Isaac Qureshi is a prime developer. Issac prides himself on not only his mastery of the business field, but his ability to see a company’s strengths and flaws so clearly that he can create a new and fool-proof marketing plan catered to the respective enterprise’s profile. Follow Issac Qureshi’s innovative ideas on LinkedIn, and his personal website for ideas and discussion that you can bring to your own business.
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About Ogilvy & Haart: Wealth management and taxation consultancy founded by Issac Qureshi
Jasper van der Luijtgaarden
Managing Director of Building Blocks
Jasper van der Luijtgaarden is the managing director at Dept.
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About Building Blocks: Building Blocks helps global companies solve complex problems using digital technologies.
Brian Robinson
Commercial Director of Building Blocks
Brian Robinson is the commercial director of Building Blocks.
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About Building Blocks: Building Blocks helps global companies solve complex problems using digital technologies.
Brian Robinson
Commercial Director of Building Blocks
Brian Robinson is the commercial director of Building Blocks.
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About Building Blocks: Building Blocks helps global companies solve complex problems using digital technologies.
Paul Vlissidis
Technical Director of NCC Group
Paul is technical director and senior advisor at global cyber security and risk mitigation specialist NCC Group. He is responsible for communicating with and advising boards on the cyber risks facing their organisation and the threats specific to the sector in which they operate. Paul has led the cyber team on Channel 4’s Hunted for the last two years, working with ex-military personnel and former police detectives in order to track down voluntary fugitives who were on the run. The programme’s cyber team was made up of NCC Group consultants including Doug Ipperciel, Chris Mayhew and Richard Warren.
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About NCC Group: NCC Group exists to make the world safer and more secure.
Mark Duman
Managing Director of MD Healthcare Consultants
Mark is a rare blend of clinician, management consultant and patient advocate. He works with organisations to help them realise the full benefit of their services and products, especially through the often untapped potential of patients and the public. At The King’s Fund Mark promoted shared decision making, founded the Ask About Medicines campaign and authored ‘Producing Patient Information’. In the BBC he developed a range of behavioural change interventions to improve people’s health and lifestyle. Following roles in publishing and telecoms, Mark moved into consulting with clients including Cancer Research UK, Care Quality Commission, Pfizer and Microsoft. In addition to various advisory and mentor roles, he is a Non-Executive Director of the Patient Information Forum and a Director at Monmouth Partners. Mark is a long term condition patient (and advocate) who lives happily in Salford, England (despite being Scottish).
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About MD Healthcare Consultants: MD Healthcare Consultants
Peter Howitt
Founder, Director of Ramparts UK
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About Ramparts UK: Ramparts provides legal advice on English, Gibraltar and European law in the UK on behalf of our Gibraltar law firm.
Shazan Qureshi
Director of Shazaniq
Shazan Qureshi is a marketing & business consultancy professional with 18 years experience in direct marketing, advertising, business growth & development, finance and branding. Shazan has successfully worked alongside a number of leading blue-chip brands including The Royal Bank of Scotland, NatWest, Newcastle Building Society, Co-operative Financial Services and Redcats Group, through his senior roles at various TBWA, Omnicom and WPP agencies. During his role as Board Director and accountable for a £30m marketing budget at TBWA in Manchester, Shazan Qureshi was responsible and delivered the global re-branding for The Royal Bank of Scotland, played a strategic part in the integration of NatWest and re-launched general insurance to deliver an additional £9m income stream within its first three months through direct channels and integrated marketing. At the current moment, Shazan Qureshi works as a freelance business consultant to support selected enterprises and start-ups with a view to growing their enterprises through bespoke strategic business development and management. In the 1990s, Shazan Qureshi served as the co-founder of Urban Logic, an off plan property investment specialist which was acquired for £7.4m and listed on AIM whilst Shazan was at the helm. Due to the experience gained here, Shazan Qureshi has subsequently been involved with other successful Stock Market floatation’s. Shazan Qureshi’s work has led to him being recognised as one of the ‘Top 42 Under 42’ entrepreneurs by NW Business Insider magazine, a finalist for MEN Small Business of the Year, nominated for the prestigious LloydsTSB Asian Jewel award, EMBF(NW) Rising Star award, Tiger Award and been awarded Regional Direct Marketing Campaign of the Year by the Royal Mail. Over the course of his career, Shazan Qureshi has sat on the EMBF(NW) Board, NW Further Education Steering Group, been an Ambassador for Enterprise UK, supported the charity Karma Nirvana and Mix-d and been a Governor for Liverpool Community College and Elton High School.
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About Knight Wolffe, Shazaniq: A leading management and business transformation consultancy specialising in growing businesses
Daniel Keighron-Foster
Managing Director of Steamhaus
Daniel is our Managing Director and started Steamhaus in August 2015. Back in 2000 Daniel set up Melbourne Server Hosting and grew it to become one of the North West’s most respected and successful independent hosting companies. Melbourne’s specific focus was on customer service, resulting in the business consistently growing at a rate of 40% per year. Daniel ran Melbourne for a total of 12 years, through to its sale in 2012; at this point having a turnover of £3.5m and a team of around 40 staff. In 2012, after exiting Melbourne, Daniel decided to spend some time focusing on starting a family. His twins were born in 2014. They’ve kept him and his partner incredibly busy since. Really, really busy. Daniel realised early on in 2015 that the cloud and DevOps are where the future lies in regards to hosting. Before he knew it, Steamhaus was incorporated and he was leading a team of experts. When Daniel isn’t working or being a Dad, you’ll find him either at the gym or at his piano playing at the skill level of a five-year-old.
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About Steamhaus: Steamhaus is a cloud and devops consultancy that enables businesses to leverage the power of public cloud providers.
Stephen Dyson
Director of R&D Funding Group
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About R&D Funding Group: We help companies secure and maximise R&D Tax Credits, R&D Grants and Video Games Tax Relief