Maths Doctor

Feb 10, 2013

Managing Director Matthias heads Digital Education and is responsible for all investments and strategic development. He has broad experience in the digital markets ranging from VC investing , interim management to founding and selling tutoria.de. Prior to this, he invested in early and later stage online businesses at Holtzbrinck and advised on M&A transactions. He started his career at Stern Stewart & Co. consulting on Shareholder Value Management. Matthias holds MBA degrees from the University of Mannheim and Portland State University. He is a CFA Charterholder and a member of the German-National-Academic Foundation. Sebastian Peck Finance Director Sebastian Peck joined Digital Education in early 2012 as Finance Director. Sebastian is responsible for the financial management of the group and its investment portfolio, and also oversees institutional sales and the organizational development of this fast-growing business. He and his team manage all aspects of the execution of investments and offer strategic and financial analysis to the senior management teams of the portfolio businesses. Sebastian sits on the boards of Symplectic Ltd, Figshare LLP and Altmetric LLP. Sebastian has an extensive background in corporate finance and the media sector. He previously worked in the TMT advisory team of UBS Investment Bank, for German broadcaster ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG and the Boston Consulting Group. He holds a BA in History from the University of Cambridge, an MSc in Philosophy and Public Policy with Distinction from the London School of Economics, and an MBA from London Business School. In his spare time, he’s an avid reader, enjoys good food and wine, and likes to play golf and squash. Malcolm Brading-Miles Head of Finance Operations & Reporting Malcolm joined Digital Education in November 2012, as Senior UK Finance and Operations Manager, a role he also performs for Digital Science. He is a Chartered Accountant, obtaining that status officially in March 2002 after training with Deloitte & Touche for three years in their Assurance and Advisory team. He subsequently worked in supply chain for seven years within Hays Logistics, ACR Logistics and Kuehne & Nagel working in varying roles from Financial Accountant, Internal Auditor to Financial Controller. After that he moved into manufacturing and from there catering; in both occasions as head of finance. When Malcolm was much younger he studied at Southampton University, obtaining first class degrees in both Chemistry and Biochemistry in 1998. When not at work, and not spending time with his two young daughters, Malcolm enjoys reading, being outdoors and the occasional run. Marko Radosavlevici Head of Development Centre Marko heads Digital Education Development Centre in Romania. He has broad experience in different technical areas (web, mobile, enterprise) and worked with different technologies and programming methodologies (waterfall, scrum, kanban). Marko joined Digital Education in 2012 and was responsible for setting up our office in Romania, Timisoara where we now have 4 cross-functional Scrum teams helping our portfolio companies develop their businesses. He previously worked for Océ a Cannon Company and Microsoft. Outside of work Marko is passionate about Serbian folk dances, movies and last but not least photography. Alexandra MacLeod PA Alex is Matthias Ick’s PA i.e. controller of the calendar. Alex also supports Prashant Raizada CEO of English Up and Simon Walsh CEO of Mactrac. Prior to joining Digital Education, Alex worked in law firms including Burges Salmon LLP and DAC Beachcroft LLP. Alex has a degree in Marketing & Events Management from North London & Guildhall University. Outside of work Alex enjoys wasting days away with Netflix binges, the occasional bike ride, and cooking dinner for friends. Chris Barnfield Senior Finance Analyst Chris joined in August 2014 as a Senior Finance Analyst for both Digital Education and Digital Science. He works across both divisions ensuring that our businesses are enabled to grow at the best possible rate within an appropriate financial control framework. After graduating from the University of Nottingham with a History degree, Chris worked in the public sector for a couple of years, mainly in local politics, before joining the dark side: he spent four years at Deloitte, qualifying as an ACA. In 2012 he moved into industry to work for a Technology & Telco company. In his free time Chris enjoys playing five a side football, and having just run his first Tough Mudder event, is keen to do a few more before his knees pack in. Sophie Buigues Investment Analyst Sophie joined Digital Education in November 2013 as an investment analyst, a role she also performs for Digital Science. She just graduated from Panthéon-Assas-Sorbonne Universités with a masters in finance, after doing internships in M&A advisory, financial analysis and management accounting. She is no stranger to the world of technology, having taken part in the creation of a mobile application while studying abroad in California. She is also up for new adventures, the most recent including learning snowboarding in London and preparing for a mud run. Vanessa Gstettenbauer Investment Analyst Vanessa joined as an Investment Analyst in September 2014, working across both the Digital Education and Digital Science portfolios. She joined from Bank of America Merrill Lynch where she was a Debt Advisory Analyst, and has done various internships and part-time positions in strategy consulting and banking while studying for her Chemistry degree at UCL. Outside of Science and technology, she can be found either singing or dancing (or both at the same time) as well as exploring the great outdoors whenever the weather permits. Michelle Moss Management Accountant Michelle joined the Digital Education team in March 2013 as a Management Accountant. She is from Cape Town, South Africa and has lived in London for almost 5 years. She holds a BCom degree, and is finalising her studies to become a Chartered Management Accountant. She has previously worked in the Publishing industry for Euromoney Institutional Investor; in FMCG for Fullers, Smith & Turner and in the Telecommunications Industry for TATA Communications. She loves the sunshine, outdoors, BBQ’s and red wine. Apart from studying, in her free time Michelle enjoys running, hiking and mountain biking. Digital Education is a risk-tolerant strategic investor with a pragmatic approach to co-investment. We are an active early stage investor, providing capital to promising start ups from the seed stage onwards Who An experienced, risk tolerant team What Growth equity for B2C Online Education products How “hands on” approach, actively seeking to realise synergies with existing investments and Macmillan’s broader assets Where Global with an emerging markets focus Beyond money We help businesses to become more successful using our strong assets Scale operations globally along the Macmillan footprint Share know-how and user base Leverage existing assets like brand and content We are a strategic investor, but flexible to partner with exit-oriented investors generally aim for a substantial equity stake and board representation flexible on investor rights when the situation requires it