Special Advisers

​Montpellier has a number of special advisers and these include:    

David Pullan FCA    

David is a Yorkshire based chartered accountant with his own independent accounting practice specialising in SME’s and start-ups. . David is highly experienced in advising early stage small businesses on accounting, corporate structures and taxation matters. He was formerly a partner in Clark Whitehill, now RSM (Baker Tilly)

Dr Tauni Lanier PhD    

​Tauni is the chief executive of EcoCapital, in which Montpellier Capital has an interest. Tauni is a recognized expert in the fields of sustainable finance and sustainable development. She gave the keynote speech in London for a Climate Change and Ethical Investment conference. She was formerly an investment banker and has worked for organisations such as JP Morgan and Dresdner Kleinwort Benson on debt and in structured finance. She became the first managing director of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. She founded and runs EcoCapital, combining experience in environmental and corporate finance to create a unique solution based business in non-traditional risk assessment and investment impact in investment decisions.

Gerry Nicholas FCA ACIB      

Gerry is a London based chartered accountant who is also an associate of the Institute of Bankers. Gerry now operates as a banking adviser and has significant experience of lending to small and medium sized enterprises and will provide specialist banking advice as required. He was formerly a director of the Bank of Ireland. 

Stan Kaznowksi    

Stan is the chief executive of commercial insurance broker, RiskAlliance Group. Stan specialises in cost effective risk management particularly in the SME insurance. Riskalliance operates throughout the UK

Prith Rajendran B Eng.   

Prith is the chief executive of Stopford Projects, a firm of consulting engineers specialising in alternative energy, water, oil and gas, chemicals and waste management. Operating nationally, Prith is based in the North West and advises a wide range of new and established businesses. 

Brent Fitzpatrick OBE      

Brent is an experienced corporate finance professional with many years’ experience in assisting both listed and unlisted companies achieve their growth plans.

Brent has a background in accounting and stock broking and has been a non-executive director of several listed companies and he currently holds a number of non-executive positions in both listed and unlisted companies. He has a strong interest in the energy sector and has been a serial investor in that sector. Through his many non-executive positions, including his chairmanship of Vela Technologies plc, Brent has a deep understanding of best practice corporate governance. 

 ​Brent has previously served as chairman of Global Marine Energy plc [GME], an AIM-listed oil services business which was loss-making. Brent was appointed as chairman by GME’s brokers and after reconstructing the management team, he successfully negotiated a sale of the GME Group to TSC offshore, a Chinese oil services business.

Dr John Collins PhD

​John Collins is currently commercial director of SynbiCITE Innovation and Knowledge Centre at Imperial College London. John is an acknowledged expert in understanding, communicating and commercialising technology. He is also the founder of Innovation Foundry Ltd which advises and is currently working with thirty SME businesses.

John has had a highly diverse working life which has included becoming a trained Chef, studying Nuclear Physics and Microelectronics for his PhD as part of a CASE Award for the nuclear power industry and continuing as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate for British Gas plc at King's College London developing the sensor for a gas smart meter.

​John has also had an extensive career with De Beers Diamonds developing new products which he took from concept to manufacturing and profit, setting up his own innovation management consultancy, running international business development for a manufacturing technologies trade association, working for the Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK) and now Commercial Director of SynbiCITE. Dr Collins works with SME's advising on technologies, and their commercial applications.