Imbiba

Lizzie Ryan joined Imbiba in 2018 and became Managing Partner in 2025, overseeing all aspects of the firm's business. She has over 17 years of experience in M&A and private equity, having previously worked on consumer coverage at Foresight Group and served on the investment team at Synova Capital. She began her career at Deloitte in restructuring and M&A advisory and is a qualified chartered accountant.

Simon Wheeler co-founded Imbiba in 1998 and served as CFO until 2024, after which he continued as a Partner supporting founders and sitting on the firm's Investment Committee. Before Imbiba, he was CFO and part of the founding teams of several high-growth consumer businesses that were built and exited. A chartered accountant, he began his career at a Big Four firm before moving to Cadbury Schweppes.

Brian Phillips joined Imbiba in 2010 and has over 30 years of investment experience. He started at KPMG as a Chartered Accountant (ACA), then worked in private equity at Bridgepoint before founding Greenhill Capital (later renamed Kester). At Imbiba he chairs the Investment Committee and supports transactions and portfolio management, having completed over 50 private equity and venture capital investments across various sectors.

Ian Banks joined Imbiba as a Partner and CFO in 2025, bringing over 25 years of operational experience with multi-site private equity-backed companies in the leisure, hospitality, and wellness sectors. A Chartered Accountant trained at PWC, he previously served as Finance Director of Spirit Group and Group CFO at Soho House, and co-founded and was CFO of the tech platform Sessions. At Imbiba he oversees the firm's financial and regulatory functions.

Kieran Sherlock joined Imbiba in 2019 with more than 30 years of property experience. He previously served as Property Director for YO!Sushi for 13 years, where he acquired over 70 sites in the UK and US, and also held roles with Mitchells and Butler, Whitbread, and Black Sheep Coffee. At Imbiba he supports portfolio businesses with site negotiation, landlord management, lettings, real estate appraisal, and site selection.

Listed as a contact for business owners interested in partnering with Imbiba.

Andrew Maxwell joined Imbiba as an Operating Partner in 2024, having spent over 20 years as a founder who built and sold four businesses across the US and Europe. His exits include Boojum, an Irish chain of Mexican restaurants acquired by the Azzuri group. At Imbiba he sources new investment opportunities and supports portfolio companies, drawing on experience in operations, strategy, and growth within lifestyle and technology markets.

Handles investor relations for future funds and general enquiries including media and recruitment.

Heidi Duckworth joined Imbiba in 2025 as an Operating Partner, with a background spanning private equity and entrepreneurship. She was previously a Director at Montagu Private Equity in London working on UK management buy-outs, and earlier a strategy consultant at The Boston Consulting Group. She founded Rock Up Limited, a UK climbing leisure business she grew to eight sites before its 2023 sale, and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Listed as a contact for business owners interested in partnering with Imbiba.

Tom Richards joined Imbiba in 2022, where he leads investment origination and sources new opportunities for the team. He has more than 10 years of experience as a commercial property consultant focused on the lifestyle sector, and continues to run his own property consultancy advising operators on growth strategy and site acquisition. He also provides property expertise to prospective and existing portfolio companies.