Our Operations

Ralf Gruss Partner, Chief Operating Officer

Ralf Gruss is Chief Operating Officer. He is a former member of the Financial & Business Services team and is based in London.

Ralf's deal experience includes: Kabel Deutschland, LR Health and Beauty Systems, IFCO Systems, and Netrada Holding where he also served as advisor and board member.

Prior to joining Apax Partners Ralf was a consultant with Arthur D. Little International Inc, where he specialised in advising clients in the Financial Services sector.

Ralf holds a diploma in industrial engineering and business administration from the Technical University in Karlsruhe. He also studied at the University of Massachusetts and the London School of Economics.

Sarah Rajani Head of Communications

Sarah Rajani is Head of Communications at Apax Partners with responsibility for Press Relations, Marketing and Public Affairs. She is based in London and joined Apax in 2013.

Sarah joined the firm from New Look where she was Group Communications Director. Prior to that she was Global Vice President of Strategic Development and Investor Relations at Samsonite Ltd.

Sarah holds an MA from Cambridge University and is a CFA charterholder.

Rebecca Whiting Finance Director

Rebecca Whiting is the Finance Director. She joined Apax Partners in November 2011 and is currently based in the London office.

Prior to joining Apax Partners, Rebecca was Corporate Controller for the Head Office of Invensys plc in London.

Rebecca is a Chartered Accountant and holds a BSc in Accounting and Financial Management from the School of Business and Economics at Loughborough University.

Stephen Kempen Funds Administration Director

Stephen Kempen is the Funds Administration Director. He is based in London having joined Apax Partners in 2004.

Prior to joining Apax Partners, Stephen was a senior manager in the Investment Management division at PwC LLP having previously worked at Towers Perrin (now Towers Watson).

Stephen holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Cape Town, a Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting from the University of Kwazulu-Natal and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in South Africa.

Denise Fallaize Director

Denise Fallaize is the Managing Director of Apax Partners Guernsey Limited and is also appointed to the board of each of the General Partners of the Apax Pan European Funds.  Denise has worked with Apax Partners since the launch of Apax Europe IV in 1999. She is responsible for the management and administration of the Apax General Partner and associated entities.

Prior to her involvement with Apax Partners, Denise gained the majority of her experience with Lazard Fund Managers (CI) limited and has been employed in the offshore fund industry for more than 25 years.

Denise holds a BSc in Banking and Finance from UMIST and a Diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors.

Isabelle Probstel Head of Holdcos

Isabelle Probstel belongs to the Senior Support Staff and is Head of Holdcos serving as board member to a number of Apax SPVs. 

Since Isabelle joined Apax Partners in 1997, she has also been serving as the Head of Finance and HR in the Munich office.

Prior to joining Apax Partners, Isabelle worked as an auditor at Ernst & Young in Berlin and was European Controller of FTP Software Inc. in Munich.

She holds an MBA from École Supérieure de Commerce, ESC Rouen, France.

Richard Newton Head of Transaction Services

Richard Newton is Head of the Transaction Services Group. He originally joined Apax Partners in 2003 as a funds administration manager focusing on the UK funds and Apax Europe V before moving full-time into the Transaction Services Group in April 2008.

Prior to joining Apax Partners, Richard was a senior accountant at Everest Capital which was a Bermuda based hedge fund.

Richard holds an MA in Politics from The University of Edinburgh and is a Chartered Accountant.

Neil Patel IT Director

Neil Patel is the IT Director at Apax Partners based in the London office.

Neil joined Apax Partners in 2005. He is responsible for developing and maintaining the Information Technology strategy to meet business requirements.

Neil started his career at Apax Partners as a Network Analyst and was promoted through various roles within IT to become IT Director.

Neil holds a BSc degree in Business Studies from Cass Business School.

Simon Cresswell General Counsel

Simon Cresswell is a Partner and the General Counsel of Apax Partners. He is based in the London office and joined the firm in February 2011.

Prior to joining Apax Partners, Simon worked for Goldman Sachs. Prior to that, Simon worked for the law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell in New York and London and for Mallesons in Melbourne, Australia.

Simon holds an LLB (Hons) from The University of Melbourne and a BBus in Finance and Accounting from Edith Cowan University.

Andrew Devine Head of Compliance

Andrew Devine is the Head of Compliance and is based in the London office. He joined the firm in May 2010.

Prior to joining Apax, Andrew worked at PwC Legal in their funds practice. Before that, Andrew worked at Standard and Poor's as Regulatory Counsel and the FSA's Enforcement Division as a solicitor.

Andrew holds an LLB (Hons) from Lancaster University and is a qualified lawyer. Andrew is also a member of the Regulatory Committee of the BVCA.

Edward Wauters Head of Office Services

Edward Wauters joined Apax Partners in June 2007.  He leads the Office Services team incorporating Facilities, Catering and the Reception teams in the London Office.

He has extensive experience in the hotel industry.  Prior to joining Apax Partners, Edward worked at Blakes Hotel in South Kensington as General Manager.

Edward attended the Westminster Hotel School in London.

Fiona Cooper Director of Tax

Fiona Cooper is the Director of Tax. She joined Apax Partners in 2007 and is currently based in the London office.

Prior to joining Apax Partners, Fiona worked at Deloitte in the M&A and corporate tax departments.

Fiona holds a BA Hons in Business Studies from the University of Westminster and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

David Marks Tax Adviser

David Marks is a Partner and Tax Adviser based in the London office. He also serves as a trustee of the Apax Foundation.

Before joining Apax, David was a senior tax partner with Deloitte LLP and prior to that, with Arthur Andersen and had advised Apax on taxation matters since 1980.

David holds a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation.