People

Friends & Advisors * Acknowledgements

Tom Butler

I have over 15 years' finance and management experience, including professional venture capital and entrepreneurship. My particular interest and expertise is in venture capital and holonics. I also work at Ballin Temple, a rural leisure enterprise, and Astraea, the web-based knowledge enterprise delivering whole systems research and technology, of which GRI Equity is part.

Previously I was responsible for building the Mekong Region business of Crosby Asset Management, a venture capital manager in Asia, which I was with for 5 years including managing the Thai office during the Asian financial crisis. I had also helped start up the Hong Kong Industrial Technology Centre, a technology incubator, and had initiated Indosurya Securities' venture capital business. I started in Asia helping the Managing Director of Morgan Stanley Asia, a full service investment bank. My first job after leaving Wharton undergrad was to manage the turn around of Berkshire Equitation Centre, a small horse livery business. I got hooked on venture capital in 1986 when I met a partner of Baring Brothers Hambrecht and Quist, a venture capitalist, where I then spent a few weeks working the following summer. I also got some experience in the backoffice of SG Warburg, a securities house, and MacFarlanes, solicitors for a few summer weeks.

Other roles include personal and organisation transformation, lecturing finance (EMBA), venture capital training (IAPEI), growing organic food (certified Demeter and IOFGA). I once was a windsurfing instructor. My qualifications include an MBA from IMD, BScEcon (Finance) Wharton Business School. I'm married and enjoy 4 children.

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Friends & Advisors are an important part of our sustainable business model. By sharing opportunities among pre-screened people and groups who empathise with our business objective we can keep overhead low and productivity high. There are many people involved in GRI Equity indirectly, and we are grateful to them for their involvement.

Acknowledgements

Friends & Advisors

A number of people and companies work with us on an ad hoc basis and may be used by our partners for specific expertise and projects. The people noted below have an ongoing or recent role with us. (Please see note.)

Pietrojan Gilardini

Pietrojan’s passion for the environmental and sustainability sector derives from his having worked for Jacques Cousteau in Paris in his mid twenties. Currently employed at Deutsche Bank he works in the telecoms team, having previously worked in private equity in the US in the freight (rail) industry and for the Boston Consulting Group in London and Paris. He also is board member of a family company in Monaco which is active in managing private marinas. Pietrojan has an MA in Engineering and Economics from Oxford and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

You may contact Pietrojan through us.

Dr Alan J Kallir

Alan has deep industry expertise in financial services, hospitality/entertainment, manufacturing, retailing and telecommunications as well as strong functional skills in the area of IT management and alignment. He applies this experience at board and chief executive level.  He is fluent in English and German and has wide international experience, particularly in Australia and Switzerland.

You may contact Alan through us or directly at www.insightpartners.net.

Rhadames Killy

Rhadames' expertise in contract law is enhanced by his admission to both California and French bars. He has special expertise in personal and intellectual property licensing and joint venturing,related merchandising and television rights, and particular experience with sports properties.

You may contact Rhadames through us.

Sujarit Israngkura

Sujarit is Vice President of ACAP Advisory PCL, a corporate finance advisory firm based in Bangkok. He is experienced in negotiating restructurings, including recapitalisations and mergers and acquisitions, both with ACAP and Rabobank.  He has valuable venture capital experience, including investing during the Asian Crisis with Crosby Asset Management, and has a wide business perspective in Thailand. He is the founder of Thailand's leading Apple service and supply business. He has been a special advisor to a key Minister attached to the Prime Minister's Office.

You may contact Sujarit through us.

Ursula Morrish

Ursula is a communications and media manager with a wealth of international experience who has pioneered the introduction of CSR for clients. She has successfully built strategies and campaigns for leading businesses in traditionally conservative industries of banking and leisure/drinks. She received the Clarion IVCA award for CSR at the Houses of Parliament, UK in 2004.

You may contact Ursula through us.

Anthony Murphy

Anthony is a technical writer with diverse professional teaching and training experience. His professional engagements focus on designing and teaching speaking and technical writing workshops to Master’s students and mature students as well as management liaison.

Residing in Beijing he engages in China related projects on an ad hoc basis. He is a valuable trainer of executive teams training to expand from China to international markets. He is bi-lingual in French and English and has conversational Mandarin Chinese.

You may contact Anthony through us.

Michael Polkinghorne

Michael is currently a partner with White Case in their Paris office. Previously he has been a partner with Coudert Brothers where he was joint head of the International Arbitration Group. He has extensive commercial law experience across European and Asian jurisdictions including venture capital funds and investments. He has been published by Fordham Law Journal. LLB Hons (ABEL), LLM (Cantab) (England, France, Australia)

You may contact Michael through us.

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David St Maur Sheil

David is a founding director of ASrIA, the Association for Sustainable and Responsible Investment in Asia. He has demonstrated a long term commitment to sustainable business. His career includes corporate banking in Asia with Standard Chartered and establishment of organic production in Hong Kong and related retail activities. He has broad sustainable business perspective backed by financial discipline. He offers valuable practical expertise in various aspects of CSR and SRI.  He has also had experience in creating fair-trading relationships with family workshops and co-operatives in various Asian countries.

Please contract David through us or via ASrIA.

Pakpoom Vallisuta

Pakpoom is the senior partner of The Quant Group, a corporate finance advisor, which he founded in 1998 in Bangkok. After spending five years as an engineer with UNOCAL and Hewlett Packard, Pakpoom began his career in financial services as an investment analyst at Smith New Court, an affiliate of N. M.Rothschild, which is now part of Merrill Lynch & Co. After this he joined Nomura where he held various positions including chief market strategist & head of research for the Thai market and senior vice president & head of investment banking. Prior to founding The Quant Group, Pakpoom was the managing director of a Thai securities firm.

Pakpoom holds a computer engineering degree from Washington University (St. Louis) and an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. He is a frequent speaker on the subjects of economics and finance at MIT and the University of Chicago. Pakpoom currently teaches investment banking and finance in the MBA program at The Assumption University Graduate School of Business.

You may contact Pakpoom through us or visit www.TheQuantGroup.com.

Marc van Strydonck

Marc's dynamic career has evolved from an interest in agronomy to encompas financial markets for agricultural products. He has broad experience in business development, corporate finance and project finance.

CurrentlyHe was the Director of Structured Commodity Finance for Rabobank International, London. He also has operations experience in emerging markets with multinationals and NGOs. He has worked in Central America, Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia. He has a master's degree in Agronomy and Business Administration. He is fluent ian three European languages and has some familiarity with three others. Married with children he is an enthusiastic amateur sailor and currently lives in a century old boat in the centre of London.

Please contact Marc through us or at marc @ weatherlight-boat.com (no spaces, please)

Gert Jan van Soest

Since 1992 various activities and projects related to leisure and engineering sectors. Currently he is CEO of a private new tech plastics engineering business. From 1990 till 1992 Vice-Chairman, R&J Emmet Plc. Company during sale to Grand Met Plc. From 1982- 1990 with Heineken N.V. Assignments included: CEO Heineken Nederland B.V. From 1988, , CEO Murphy Brewery Ireland Ltd.from 1983, and Member of the European Strategy Group in1982-1983. His early career was in industrial marketing and sales with Begemann NV followed by business development managing subsidiaries in Africa, the Middle East and USA with Bredero NV. BSc(Econ) University of Bristol. Executive programmes at INSEAD. Multiskilled craftsman. Game sports enthusiast. Fluent English, Dutch, French and German.

You may contact Gerry through us.

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Dr Patrick G Wall

Patrick helped build the Food Safety Authority of Ireland as Chief Executive Officer and now focuses on assisting companies in this sector, particularly those introducing new cost effective technologies. He is a veterinary practitioner and medical doctor currently based in University College Dublin, Centre for Food Safety.

This profile is particularly valuable in combination with his extensive business experiences. He was voted "Man of the Year" by the Irish Times in 2002.

You may contact Patrick through us.

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Note:

Please note that the people presented here are associated with GRI Equity in a personal capacity only. There is no endorsement, explicit or implied, by any other organisations for which they might work or with which they might be affiliated. Background information is given to describe the interests and expertise of people only. Where conflicts of interest might arise, notification is made at the earliest time possible and restrictions on communication are made as appropriate.

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