Management Consulting Team
Our lead consultants are:
Richard Hall, Chairman and founder of Zenith International, a world leading expert on beverage markets. An experienced strategic consultant with a strong track record undertaking strategy development and global strategy reviews for multinational players. Previously retained by companies at main board level to advise on market strategy and Acquisitions. Identification of targets from market knowledge and contacts. Confidential and anonymous approaches. Expert negotiator. Application of market knowledge to acquisition rationales and modelling. Regularly chairs global industry conferences and is a respected presenter and writer of numerous industry and market studies.
Charles Phillips, Chief Operating Officer, has a distinguished career record in many of the world's leading food and drink companies including Danone, Kellogg and Unilever, based in continental Europe and North America in addition to the United Kingdom. A business graduate, Charles was Director of Acquisitions and Development for the Worldwide Water Division of Groupe Danone for 5 years up to 2003, when he moved back to England as Commercial Director for Eden Springs UK, successfully integrating the commercial operations of 14 different water cooler acquisitions. Charles also leads M&A activities at Zenith. 
Duncan Finlayson, Operations Consulting Director, with over 25 years’ project and commercial beverage experience around the world, a team leader of M&A and management consulting projects at Zenith. Brought in to restore export production at Perrier after the 1990 global recall and subsequently Director of Quality, his international expertise ranges from water quality and source development to feasibility studies, mergers and acquisitions, due diligence and crisis protection. A Chartered Engineer with a background in groundwater, has lead over 20 due diligence projects for natural mineral water businesses and conducted numerous feasibility studies for new bottled water investments.
Gary Roethenbaugh, Market Intelligence DirectorLaw graduate who heads up Zenith's international team of analysts and researchers, with 17 years' experience in the fields of consultancy, corporate investigations and research. He previously worked in corporate recovery and investigations in London and Hong Kong for KPMG, and in information security for the US based International Computer Security Association. Since joining Zenith in January 1999 he continues to work on a variety of international consulting projects for the company, and is currently involved in Zenith's sales data pooling initiatives and the development of information management tools.
Mark Groves, Mergers & Acquisitions Director, has an MBA from Manchester Business School and over 20 years of senior management experience in bottled water, soft drinks, juice and confectionery for Cadbury Schweppes, Hutchison Whampoa, PepsiCo and Powwow. He has managed business operations in China, Denmark, Portugal and UK plus business start ups in Austria and Germany. 
Ross Colbert, Managing Director - M&A Americas, has 26 years of beverage industry experience and has completed more than 60 transactions across numerous industry segments including soft drinks, bottled water, juice, beer, contract filling, equipment supply and packaging. He has advised leading groups such as Nestlé, Cadbury Schweppes, Heineken and PepsiCo as well as many privately owned companies. Ross works closely with private equity funds and financial institutions in structuring beverage industry acquisitions and divestitures.
Tim Chater, Commercial Consulting Director, joined Zenith in 2006 after a 15-year career with Nestl� in the UK, Australia and China, then as General Manager for Canderel UK/Ireland and more recently in a series of interim roles including General Manager - Marketing at Premier Foods. Tim's expertise is in creation and execution of plans through all types of trade channels - in business, marketing, sales and customer marketing disciplines. He has launched over 100 new products in 6 different companies. Tim's role is to assist clients with marketing, sales and new market entry strategies. He is a graduate in Geography and is currently studying for his MBA. 
Philip Coverdale, Operations Consulting Manager, Philip manages the Operations Consulting group at Zenith, carrying out complex technical and strategic projects across multiple continents and beverage sectors including bottled water, juices and other flavoured drinks. Philip has a masters degree in Manufacturing Engineering & Management and a career before Zenith with Accenture. He has a wide range of technical and commercial skills. His recent responsibilities have included managing projects in Algeria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, UK and US.
Gordon Robinson, Senior Operations Consultant, holds a Masters in Mechanical Engineering with first class honours. A young management consultant, Gordon has worked on a range of management consulting projects including strategy, financial modelling, sourcing, M&A, market analysis and due diligence.
Mark Mulcahy, Water & Environment Manager, MSc and MBA qualified hydrogeologist with over 16 years’ experience in water resource management and industrial water management. He has been responsible for the strategic and operational management of large numbers of public and private supply resources including boreholes, springs, water treatment plants and water distribution systems for both regulated and private organisations. He has a wide experience of environmental issues and their relationship to water related issues and regularly advises on policy issues in the UK.
Helen Kelleher, Senior Hydrogeologist,MSc qualified Hydrogeologist. Many years' experience in water resource assessment and management. Project manager of numerous new and existing bottled water projects in the UK, with particular knowledge of borehole and spring remediation and pipeline distribution cleaning in place systems. Specialist knowledge of thermal water sources in the UK for bottled water and spa use applications, with both management of monitoring systems and resource development. MGeol Earth Sciences, MSc Hydrogeology and Groundwater Quality.
Esther Renfrew, Market Intelligence ManagerA graduate in International Management and Modern Languages and a fluent French speaker, Esther joined Zenith in January 2003. Since then she has become Zenith's dairy specialist, project managing our major studies and co-ordinating a growing number of projects in whey, cheese and fresh dairy. She has written articles for dairyinnovation and is charged with developing our dairy activities.
Zenith's management consultancy teams are tailor made by drawing experienced market analysts and technical specialists from within the company as necessary.
Zenith can also attach individual members to client company strategy, M&A or product development teams.
Zenith can also attach individual members to client company strategy, M&A or product development teams.