The Team

click here for an Overview on First Flight

Our team is a fair reflection of the work we do for our clients - we are a carefully selected group showing a good balance of skills, commercial awareness and vast experience.    

Below is an overview of the calibre of our team.  Every project we manage is given the time, expertise and commitment requried to make it a success.

Chris Spencer-Phillips - Chairman & Managing Director

Chris Spencer-Phillips has acquired a reputation for offering Clients a first class service with his specialist & innovative "Wise Owl" Non-Executive Director service which strengthens the Management team and can provide some funding and business mentoring for owner managed businesses and SMEs.

Chris has considerable experience in recruiting at board level, placing Chairmen, Managing Directors, Finance Directors and many Non-Executive Directors. Chris has also worked successfully on many Management Buy-In (MBI) projects by using recruitment to achieve Exit Strategies for owners of businesses who wish to retire, by putting together a new MBI team consisting of a new MD plus 1-2 Non-Execs including maybe a Chairman and FD as required.

Chris has a background in advertising (Young & Rubicam, in the US) and the graphics industry (Letraset) as well as starting two publishing companies (Doverlodge and Datateam). Chris has considerable experience of recruiting at Board level and pioneered the concept of investing Non-Executive Directors. He is a keen golfer (Rye), racehorse breeder (champion sprinter in Ireland) and was a Council Member of the Racehorse Owners Association for 16 years.

Chris Steel – Client Relationship Director - MBIs

Having had a successful career in engineering, and running and acquiring businesses Chris has considerable experience in the acquisition process. He believes that much value can be added to the purchasing team and approaches acquisitions from the point of view of fundability.

Chris's experience is drawn from senior corporate roles, SME consultancy and his experiences as a owner manager and Chairman of businesses.  He has built up a network of relationships within the banking and legal community, which enables First Flight to introduce various funding options to a purchase.  He believes that with the vast pool of talented candidates, MBI's or BIMBOs (Buy in Management Buy-Outs) represent a credible alternative to a Trade Sale for many businesses. 

Joan Weight - Client Relationship Director

Joan handles First Flight's Clients and prospective Clients who want to recruit an independent or Non-Executive Director.

Joan has been a director of a number of companies herself, and has chaired two companies - most recently a £30m PPP company improving primary and social care facilities in Barnet, Enfield and Haringey.  Joan has personally appraised what skills are required in a NED and can empathise with fellow chairmen on a 1-1 basis about their particular concerns and needs.

Joan has over 30 years business experience.  She worked for 10 years in the oil industry for Esso before moving into strategic consulting.  Her experience covers a wide range of sectors including media, energy, financial services, property, education, health and manufacturing.  She has worked at Board level with such companies as Channel 5, United Business Media, Royal Bank of Scotland, Courtaulds and Partnerships UK. 

Joan has an MBA, with distinction, from London Business School (where she specialised in corporate finance and strategy), MSc from Manchester University and MA from Cambridge University.  Joan is a keen golfer and a member of Walton Heath and Rye Golf Clubs. 

Isabelle Bearn-Fournier - Client Relationship Director

Isabelle places Non-Executive Directors and Senior Interim Managers and has over 15 year's expertise in the field of recruitment, HR, business advice/development and marketing. She understands a Company Board's intricate needs and issues and has vast experience of placing candidates in the right roles.

She has worked for a range of organisations including GKN plc and Peugeot and has a BA in Economics from Aix-en-Provence University, an MBA from Strathclyde University and is a SFEDI certified Business Adviser. Isabelle is a keen sailor (a member of Bosham Sailing Club) and enjoys opera.

Chris Brigden - Client Relationship Director

Having spent much of his career in executive management within the software sector he has most recently been a director and partner of Catalyst Venture Partners where he was helping incubate and raise funds for technology companies. He successfully raised in excess of £6million for his portfolio of investee companies. Previously Chris was managing director of the Hatfield Group, a business turnaround specialist.

Chris is a keen rower, having won the double sculls at Henley Royal Regatta, and most recently in 2009 won the National Veterans Championships.    

David Fawcus - Client Relationship Director

David handles MBI transactions, and also a number of investing NED opportunities, for First Flight throughout Southern England.  He has vast experience of working with growing entrepreneurial businesses across a range of manufacturing and service sectors.

David has a professional services background.  He has a strong reputation for his client focus and pragmatic hands on approach both as a Corporate Finance Lead Advisory and as a business mentor.  Before joining First Flight he was a partner for over 17 years with a leading firm of Thames Valley Chartered Accountants where he created and led their successful Corporate Finance service offering.

In addition to his large network of relationships with leading professionals, David is an active member of the Institute of Directors and has recently been awarded the prestigious Diploma in Company Direction.  Outside work he is a keen cricketer, and has strong links with the equestrian world. 

Fiona Gear - Resource Manager

Fiona has a background of 10 years in financial public relations working her way to Director level in the City for a leading communications agency owned by Omnicom.

Fiona's client base spanned across many sectors including Leisure, Insurance, Retail, Transport, Mining etc and was responsible for PR strategies and execution for small to medium sized plc's. She also worked on several M&A projects and flotations.

Fiona handles candidate resourcing.

Sue Rainer – Consultant MREC 

Sue handles candidate resourcing and recruitment.  Sue has been in recruitment for 20 years as a consultant and through to Branch management in London and the South East with specialist divisions.  Sue has a strong background in client relations, administration and resourcing information. Sue has been a council member for Macmillan Cancer Support for the last 7 years and a keen fund raiser for The Teenage Cancer Trust.