Our Operations

Steve Hare Chief Operating Officer

Steve Hare is the Chief Operating Officer of Apax and is also Head of the Portfolio Support Group.  He is Secretary to the Executive Committee and is on the Investment, Portfolio and Exit Committees.  Steve joined Apax in 2009 and is based in London.  He is on the Operating Board of D+S Netrada.

Prior to joining Apax, Steve served as a public company CFO with Invensys, Spectris and Marconi.

Steve is a Chartered Accountant with a Bachelor of Commerce from Liverpool University and has a wealth of global industrial experience, having worked and lived in Europe, America and Asia.

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.

Isabelle Probstel Finance Director, 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 September 2011, Isabelle is additionally Finance Director with responsibility for the Apax management companies.

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 Senior Manager, Transaction Services Group

Richard Newton is a senior manager in 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.

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.

David Marks Director of Tax

David Marks is a Partner and Director of Tax 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.

Ben Harding Head of Communications

Ben Harding is Head of Communications with responsibility for Press Relations, Marketing and Public Affairs for Apax Partners. Ben is based in London and joined Apax in 2006.

Ben joined Apax from Thomson Financial where he was Editor of IFR Buyouts and Contributing Editor of Acquisitions Monthly. Prior to that he was Editor of Private Equity Europe at Initiative Europe.

Ben graduated from the University of Wales with a BA (First Class) in History and Politics and an MSc (Econ) in European Politics.

Ruth Jackson HR Director

Ruth Jackson is Apax Partners' HR Director and is based in the London office. She joined the firm in 2007 as HR Manager and has been HR Director since April 2010.

Prior to joining Apax, Ruth worked for Gillette and Barclays Bank.

Ruth holds a PGDip in HR Management and a BA in Politics from the University of Warwick.  

Andreas Haar Head of Research and Information Services

Andreas is Head of Research & Information Services. He is based in Munich where he joined Apax Partners in 2005 as Market Researcher.

Prior to joining Apax Partners, Andreas was a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group and he worked as a researcher in the venture capital arena with The Library House, Cambridge.

Andreas holds a PhD in physics from Cambridge University as well as an MSc from the Free University of Berlin.

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.

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.