Board & management

Our people are integral to the success of the business. Our leadership team combines a wealth of experience with a strong collegiate ethos that underpins our joined-up approach.

Listed Company Board

Lucinda Riches

Lucinda Riches

Chair

Experience

Lucinda Riches is the Independent Non-Executive Chair of Peel Hunt. Lucinda joined the Board as Senior Independent Director and Chair Designate in September 2021 and was appointed Chair on 7 July 2022. Lucinda is also currently a Non-Executive Director and Chair of Remuneration at Ashtead plc, Independent Non-Executive Chair of Greencoat UK Wind plc and a Non-Executive Director of LGT Capital Partners Group Holding Ltd. Prior to becoming a non-executive director, Lucinda had a career in investment banking at UBS and its predecessor firms where she was Global Head of Equity Capital Markets and a member of the board of UBS Investment Bank. Her previous non-executive director roles include CRH plc, ICG Enterprise Trust plc, the British Standards Institution, Diverse Income Trust plc and UK Financial Investments Ltd.

Committees

Nomination (Chair)
Audit, Remuneration and Risk (Member)

Maria Bentley

Maria Bentley

Non-Executive Director

Maria Bentley

Non-Executive Director

Experience

Maria joined the Board of Peel Hunt as Non-Executive Director in April 2022 and was appointed Senior Independent Director in May 2023. Maria has more than 30 years’ experience across financial services and investment banking. She has held senior human resources roles, including managing director, global head of HR for equities and fixed income at Goldman Sachs, group managing director, global head of HR for UBS Investment Bank and senior managing director, global head of HR for wholesale at Nomura International. She is also currently a non-executive director and chair of remuneration at Daiwa Capital Markets Europe Limited, RBC Global Asset Management (UK) Limited and Picton Property Income Limited.

Committees

Remuneration (Chair)
Audit, ESG, Nomination and Risk (Member)

Liz Blythe

Liz Blythe

Non-Executive Director

Liz Blythe

Non-Executive Director

Experience

Liz joined the Board of Peel Hunt as an independent Non-Executive and Audit Committee Chair in 2020 and was appointed remuneration committee chair in March 2021. She is also currently a non-executive director and audit committee chair at specialist lender Together Personal Finance, and chair and audit committee chair of Car Care Plan Holdings Limited. From 2018 – 2020 she was also a trustee at Lhasa Limited, a global software development company. Prior to becoming a non-executive director, Liz was chief internal auditor at Skipton Building Society for almost 12 years, and finance director of Homeloan Management Limited (the largest third-party administrator in the UK, now part of Computershare) for 13 years.

Committees

Audit (Chair)
Nomination, Remuneration and Risk (Member)

Richard Brearley

Richard Brearley

Non-Executive Director

Richard Brearley

Non-Executive Director

Experience

Richard joined the Board of Peel Hunt as an Independent Non-Executive in 2020. He is also head of compliance at Ninety One, joining from Macquarie, where he was regional head of compliance in EMEA, spanning the UK, EU, Switzerland, South Africa and Middle Eastern markets, and a wide range of business areas including asset management, sales and trading, investment banking, lending and leasing. Prior to that role he was head of compliance and legal at Investec plc and Investec Bank (2006-2015), held senior positions in the Markets Division of the Financial Services Authority and was a corporate partner at solicitors Nabarro Nathanson. He was previously a non-executive director of AIM Listed electronics business Datong Plc and until 2012 was a member of general counsel for the FTSE 100 (GC100) executive committee.

Committees

ESG and Risk (Chair)
Audit, Nomination and Remuneration (Member)

Darren Carter

Darren Carter

Non-Executive Director

Darren Carter

Non-Executive Director

Experience

Darren has been a Non-Executive Director on Peel Hunt’s boards since 2004. He was Chair of Peel Hunt LLP from its buyout from KBC in 2010 until 2016, and Chair of the Company from 12 December 2018 until 3 September 2021. Darren has over 30 years’ equity markets experience working for financial services firms. He held a number of senior management positions, including managing director at D. E. Shaw Securities International, where he was responsible for the firm’s financial products businesses in London, New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong. He was also chief executive of KBC Financial Products, following KBC’s acquisition of D. E. Shaw Securities International in 1999. He is a non-executive director at FCA-regulated Praetura Ventures and a Board director at Praetura Debt.

Committees

Nomination (Member)

Steven Fine

Steven Fine

Chief Executive

Steven Fine

Chief Executive

Experience

Steven Fine is Chief Executive of Peel Hunt. He joined the firm in 2006 and led the management and staff buy-out from KBC Bank in 2010. Prior to that he was the founder member of D. E. Shaw Securities International, which later became the core of KBC Financial Products. At KBC he managed the Japanese and Asian equity, convertible and derivatives operations in Tokyo. Steven is a non-executive director for the Quoted Companies Alliance, a membership organisation that champions the interests of medium and small-sized quoted companies. He has been a judge for the Non-Executive Director Awards for over 15 years. Steven has an accountancy degree and also holds a certificate in corporate governance from INSEAD.

Committees

ESG (Member)

Sunil Dhall

Sunil Dhall

Chief Financial & Operating Officer

Sunil Dhall

Chief Financial & Operating Officer

Experience

Sunil has been the Chief Financial & Operating Officer for Peel Hunt since January 2010. Previously he held a number of senior positions at KBC Financial Products, including global head of operational risk. Prior to this, he was a senior internal auditor at Credit Suisse. He is currently chair of the UK Equity Markets Association and in 2021 Sunil joined a City of London led taskforce commissioned by The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and HM Treasury to improve socio-economic diversity at senior levels in UK financial and professional services. Sunil is a chartered accountant with a degree in Engineering, Economics and Management from Keble College, Oxford.

Committees

ESG (Member)

Executive Board

Steven Fine

Steven Fine

Chief Executive

Steven Fine

Chief Executive

Experience

Steven Fine is Chief Executive of Peel Hunt. He joined the firm in 2006 and led the management and staff buy-out from KBC Bank in 2010. Prior to that he was the founder member of D. E. Shaw Securities International, which later became the core of KBC Financial Products. At KBC he managed the Japanese and Asian equity, convertible and derivatives operations in Tokyo. Steven is a non-executive director for the Quoted Companies Alliance, a membership organisation that champions the interests of medium and small-sized quoted companies. He has been a judge for the Non-Executive Director Awards for over 15 years. Steven has an accountancy degree and also holds a certificate in corporate governance from INSEAD.

Committees

ESG (Member)

Sunil Dhall

Sunil Dhall

Chief Financial & Operating Officer

Sunil Dhall

Chief Financial & Operating Officer

Experience

Sunil has been the Chief Financial & Operating Officer for Peel Hunt since January 2010. Previously he held a number of senior positions at KBC Financial Products, including global head of operational risk. Prior to this, he was a senior internal auditor at Credit Suisse. He is currently chair of the UK Equity Markets Association and in 2021 Sunil joined a City of London led taskforce commissioned by The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and HM Treasury to improve socio-economic diversity at senior levels in UK financial and professional services. Sunil is a chartered accountant with a degree in Engineering, Economics and Management from Keble College, Oxford.

Committees

ESG (Member)

Fatima Badini

Fatima Badini

HR Director

Fatima Badini

HR Director

Experience

Fatima is HR director at Peel Hunt and has over 25 years' experience in senior HR and office management roles working in a variety of industries including financial services, US law firms and insurance. She has previously set up the infrastructure for multiple satellite offices in central and eastern Europe as well as managing the support functions in those offices.

Alex Carter

Alex Carter

Head of Equities

Alex Carter

Alex Carter

Head of Equities

Experience

Alex joined Peel Hunt as Head of Sales in January 2009 and became Head of Equities in 2017. He started his career in fund management at James Capel (now part of HSBC) before training as an analyst and moving to Cazenove in 1999, where he was head of small & mid cap sales. Alex read Philosophy at Warwick University.

Andrew Chapman

Andrew Chapman

Head of Investment Banking

Andrew Chapman

Head of Investment Banking

Experience

Andrew has been with Peel Hunt since January 2010. He was previously a managing director at Citi and prior to that at Hoare Govett and has over 35 years of Investment Banking experience. Andrew is a qualified Chartered Accountant and read Economics at University College, London.

Suzanne Clark

Suzanne Clark

Chief Internal Auditor

Suzanne Clark

Chief Internal Auditor

Experience

Suzanne joined Peel Hunt as Chief of Internal Audit in 2021. She has more than 25 years’ experience of internal auditing across financial services. She has held senior internal audit roles at the Bank of England and at a number of financial institutions, including as the chief internal auditor at Yorkshire Building Society. Suzanne is a qualified Chartered Accountant and has a degree in mechanical engineering. Suzanne is also is a non-executive director and audit committee chair at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and HBL Bank UK.

David Curran

David Curran

Chief Risk Officer

David Curran

David Curran

Chief Risk Officer

Experience

David joined Peel Hunt in 2005 and was appointed Chief Risk Officer in June 2021. He has held management positions in Execution and Trading, Project Management and Regulatory Change and has a degree in Economics & Finance from the University of Strathclyde and a Masters in Economics from the University of Edinburgh.

Charles Hall

Charles Hall

Head of Research

Charles Hall

Charles Hall

Head of Research

Experience

Charles joined Peel Hunt as Head of Research in October 2008. His career includes nine years at Panmure Gordon as head of small & mid cap research and nine years at Cazenove. Charles read Politics and Economics at Durham University.

Piya Khanna

Piya Khanna

Chief Technology Officer

Piya Khanna

Piya Khanna

Chief Technology Officer

Experience

Piya joined Peel Hunt as Chief Technology Officer in October 2023. She was previously Managing Director, Head of Technology and Process Group, Global Markets at Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank where she led a team that delivered technology transformation programmes covering Rates, Secured Funding, Credit and FX. Piya has worked in the city since 1999 when she started her career at UBS in Zurich. She went on to work for UBS Investment Bank in London in the eFX Programme team after which she headed up the eProduct team for FX and Commodities at Standard Chartered Bank. She holds a BSC honours degree in Zoology from Delhi University.

Michael Lee

Michael Lee

General Counsel

Michael Lee

General Counsel

Experience

Michael joined Peel Hunt as General Counsel in January 2022. Prior to joining Peel Hunt, Michael spent 10 years at Numis where he was general counsel & chief risk officer and before that was a corporate lawyer at Linklaters and Latham & Watkins. Michael read Law & Business at Birmingham University.

Iain Morgan

Iain Morgan

Head of Execution Services

Iain Morgan

Head of Execution Services

Experience

Iain joined Peel Hunt’s Trading department in 2002 and became Head of Market Making in 2005. Previously he worked as an investment trust trader at both Cazenove and Merrill Lynch. Iain read Economics at Newcastle University.

Graham Smith

Graham Smith

Finance Director

Graham Smith

Graham Smith

Finance Director

Experience

As Finance Director at Peel Hunt, Graham has led an ambitious finance team since 2012. Previously he held a number of roles in financial & management accounting and regulatory capital at Peel Hunt and KBC Financial Products. Graham is a Chartered Management Accountant, and read Accounting & Finance at the London School of Economics.

Management Committee

Hayden Ballard

Hayden Ballard

Head of Sales

Hayden Ballard

Head of Sales

Experience

Hayden is Head of Sales and a member of the management committee at Peel Hunt. He has been at the firm for 12 years, during which time he has worked for a number of different departments, as well as spending 2 years living in New York whilst setting up Peel Hunt’s US office. Hayden joined the firm straight from Bristol University, having achieved a 1st class degree in Modern History.

James Cooper

James Cooper

Head of IT Development

James Cooper

Head of IT Development

Experience

James heads up Peel Hunt‘s software development team which has responsibility for trading systems in alpha-tech and business processing in enterprise-tech. He joined the company as a developer in 2010, transferring from KBC Financial Products as part of the staff and management buyout. Prior to this James worked at UBS in Equities IT and BAE Systems in their aerodynamics research centre. He holds an engineering degree from Downing College, Cambridge.

Rachelle Cornel

Rachelle Cornel

Director of Marketing & Communications

Rachelle Cornel

Director of Marketing & Communications

Experience

Rachelle joined in 2014 to lead on Peel Hunt’s Marketing and Communications. She has over 17 years’ experience in marketing and events roles working both in house and agency. Rachelle leads on the Non-Executive Director Awards programme. She is a member of the management committee and is the Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion forum.

Jon Gerty

Jon Gerty

Head of Group Compliance

Jon Gerty

Jon Gerty

Head of Group Compliance

Experience

Jon is Head of Group Compliance at Peel Hunt, having joined in 2017. Before this Jon was head of regulation and compliance at Shore Capital from 2012. Jon has previously worked at the FCA in its Enforcement Division as a solicitor advocate between 2009 and 2012. He was a solicitor prior to this at law firms Morgan Lewis (2005-2009) and Hogan Lovells (1999-2005). Jon read law at Kings College, London.

James Hipkiss

James Hipkiss

CEO, Peel Hunt International

James Hipkiss

CEO, Peel Hunt International

Experience

James leads Peel Hunt’s International business and is a member of the management committee. He joined Peel Hunt in 2017 to build our European platform, and took on responsibility for our wider International business in 2020. James previously worked at Goldman Sachs, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Cheuvreux and Berenberg. He graduated with a 1st class degree in Modern History from the University of St Andrews.

Clyde Lewis

Clyde Lewis

Deputy Head of Research

Clyde Lewis

Deputy Head of Research

Experience

Clyde has worked as an Equity Analyst since 1990 initially on the buy-side at Schroders before joining HSBC in 1993 covering industrials. He changed sector to head up the building sector in 1997 at HSBC before moving to Citigroup in 2004. He joined Peel Hunt in 2013 as head of the building team and became the deputy head of research in 2017. He has consistently been highly rated in external surveys at all three of his sell side jobs.

Billy Neve

Billy Neve

Head of Management & Financial Reporting

Billy Neve

Head of Management & Financial Reporting

Experience

Billy is a Head of Management & Financial Reporting at Peel Hunt, having joined in August 2015. He is a Chartered Management Accountant and has previously worked in various roles within accounting, financial and reporting functions at Gallagher Bassett UK and Mako Europe Ltd.

Matt Reali

Matt Reali

Head of Sales Trading

Matt Reali

Head of Sales Trading

Experience

Matt joined Peel Hunt in September 2013 becoming Head of Sales Trading in 2017. Matt started his career in 1987 as a junior trader/bluebutton with Warburgs, trading different sectors before a move to Citigroup in 1998 where he became head of cash trading. Thereafter and previous to Peel Hunt Matt was head of execution at Unicredit.

James Schofield

James Schofield

Director of Operations

James Schofield

Director of Operations

Experience

James joined Peel Hunt in October 2015 to establish the Business Management function and in 2022 became Director of Operations. He is a Chartered Management Accountant and has worked, most recently, at Cantor Fitzgerald and HSBC in various roles within the financial, accounting and reporting functions. James read Classics at Durham University.

Rob Terry

Rob Terry

Head of Market Making

Rob Terry

Rob Terry

Head of Market Making

Experience

Rob has been a Market Maker at Peel Hunt since 1999 and became Head of Market Making in 2012 and joined the management committee in 2019. Rob has a degree in Money, Banking & Finance from Birmingham University.

James Webb

James Webb

Head of Systematic Trading

James Webb

James Webb

Head of Systematic Trading

Experience

James joined Peel Hunt in 2016 to create a new systematic trading team within execution services. A former Engineer, he has an extensive career in electronic trading and market making, pioneering some of the first electronic trading systems into Eastern Europe and Russia for ING Bank, before joining Knight Capital as Head of European Trading for the global quantitative trading team.

Dan Webster

Dan Webster

Deputy Head of Investment Banking

Dan Webster

Deputy Head of Investment Banking

Experience

Dan now leads the origination function within Peel Hunt’s investment banking department, working with each of the different sector and product teams. Dan joined Peel Hunt in 2009, having previously worked in the corporate advisory teams at Bridgewell and Landsbanki, and started his career as a corporate lawyer at Freshfields. Dan has more than 20 years’ experience advising listed companies on ECM and M&A transactions, principally in the Consumer space. Dan read English at Bristol University.

Hester White

Hester White

Director of Corporate Strategy

Hester White

Director of Corporate Strategy

Experience

Hester became Director of Corporate Strategy in 2023 after holding the role of Head of Client Account Management for 8 years. She is a member of the management committee and a member of the DE&I forum at Peel Hunt. Hester was a Pan-Euro large cap salesperson for 14 years at Credit Suisse, Lehman & Nomura and then ran corporate access teams at Nomura and Jefferies before joining Peel Hunt. She has 25 years’ experience working in Equities.