New Spirit Group

Team

<h3>Retail and Leisure transaction and investment management experience</h3> <li>Seven years of department store experience executing transactions and managing majority investments in turnaround opportunities at Le Printemps (France), Selfridges (UK), Brown Thomas (Ireland) and Holt Renfrew (Canada).</li> <li>Consultant to the retail sector and investment groups. Clients include Tescos, Morrisons, Value Retail, White Stuff, Maxeda, BC Partners and Hemisphere Capital.</li> <li>Founding Partner of Schroder Finance Partners, a VC that returned 6 x invested capital.</li> <li>16 years of investing and corporate finance, including Schroders and Lazard Frères.</li> <li>Education: Harvard University; Harvard Business School.</li> <li>Languages: fluent in French, basic Danish.</li> <br><center>

John Hoffman

Retail and Leisure transaction and investment management experience

  • Seven years of department store experience executing transactions and managing majority investments in turnaround opportunities at Le Printemps (France), Selfridges (UK), Brown Thomas (Ireland) and Holt Renfrew (Canada).
  • Consultant to the retail sector and investment groups. Clients include Tescos, Morrisons, Value Retail, White Stuff, Maxeda, BC Partners and Hemisphere Capital.
  • Founding Partner of Schroder Finance Partners, a VC that returned 6 x invested capital.
  • 16 years of investing and corporate finance, including Schroders and Lazard Frères.
  • Education: Harvard University; Harvard Business School.
  • Languages: fluent in French, basic Danish.

    • <h3>Turnaround management and restructuring experience</h3> <li>CEO at Haunch of Venison: grew sales and exited through business sale to trade buyer.</li> <li>CEO at Julien Macdonald: restructured, grew brand sales and re-positioned brand.</li> <li>Board member Lulu Guinness: strategic review; sale of stake to a major Asian investor.</li> <li>Escada Group: restructured, cut costs by €50m, exited through sale of stake to strategic buyer.</li> <li>Ducati Motor Holding: sales growth of 4 times.</li> <li>Founded Spira Partners, a strategic brand consultancy helping create value through change.</li> <li>Education: Cambridge University; SDA Bocconi.</li> <li>Languages: Tri-lingual English, French, Italian; fluent in German.</li>

    Chris Spira

    Turnaround management and restructuring experience

  • CEO at Haunch of Venison: grew sales and exited through business sale to trade buyer.
  • CEO at Julien Macdonald: restructured, grew brand sales and re-positioned brand.
  • Board member Lulu Guinness: strategic review; sale of stake to a major Asian investor.
  • Escada Group: restructured, cut costs by €50m, exited through sale of stake to strategic buyer.
  • Ducati Motor Holding: sales growth of 4 times.
  • Founded Spira Partners, a strategic brand consultancy helping create value through change.
  • Education: Cambridge University; SDA Bocconi.
  • Languages: Tri-lingual English, French, Italian; fluent in German.