In the second instalment with executive coach and former COO Cressida Hamilton, we explore one of the toughest challenges facing finance and operations leaders in private markets: managing time, energy and competing demands in roles that never stop.

Drawing on 26 years in financial services, Cressida offers practical, real life advice for CFOs, COOs and senior ops professionals who want to take back some control of their day. This is a conversation about the real work: dealing with crises, making meetings matter, managing stakeholder demands and designing routines that reduce overload.

If you or your team are regularly stretched, reactive or working into evenings and weekends, this episode will feel highly recognisable and genuinely useful.

In this episode:

Why ops leaders lose so much time
Cressida identifies the two biggest time drains in finance and operations roles: constant crisis management and meeting overload. She explains why both are so difficult to avoid in private markets, and what you can realistically do to reduce their impact.

Handling crises without burning hours
How to stay calm when everything around you is reactive; the importance of asking the right questions before jumping in; why getting the right people on a call matters; and how to update stakeholders without creating more work for yourself.

Making meetings purposeful
Cressida’s simple three question test for any meeting: what do you want, does the other person know that, and what do they want? She sets out how this approach cuts down time wasted and improves alignment across the firm.

Prioritisation in a world where everything is a priority
Why CFOs and COOs struggle to control their own priorities, how to deal with conflicting demands from different stakeholders, and how to bring people together to agree the order of work instead of absorbing all the pressure yourself.

Energy management for senior leaders
How your chronotype shapes your productivity; why matching tasks to your energy is more effective than classic time management; and how small adjustments can lead to significantly better output and less exhaustion.

Time blocking, planning and the Friday reset
Cressida’s preferred approach to structuring a week, why planning becomes more important the busier you are, and the Friday routine that helps reduce overwhelm and avoid the Sunday night dread.

Strategic time management without the jargon
A practical explanation of what it actually means, plus how to run a simple time audit using the urgent/important matrix to understand where your hours really go.

Who this episode is for: CFOs, COOs, finance directors, operations leaders, rising ops talent, and anyone in a high demand support or oversight role within private capital firms.

In this episode, Alice speaks with Seán Allen, Deputy Head of Finance at Coller Capital. Sean joined Coller 13 years ago as a financial analyst and now leads a 60-strong finance function across London and Luxembourg. His career has spanned Coller’s evolution from a single-strategy secondaries house to a diversified platform with credit and private wealth capabilities. 

This conversation delves into what it takes to rise through the ranks inside a modern private markets finance function. Seán shares candid reflections on leadership, influence, internal networks, navigating the shift from peer to manager and the importance of being proactive rather than reactive. The episode is especially relevant for next-generation finance professionals thinking about their own progression. 

Key discussion points 

• Why staying put can sometimes be the power move: how luck, timing and Coller’s growth shaped Seán’s career 
• Leadership loneliness: why senior roles feel isolating and the role of “running mates” in staying sane 
• The jump from peer to manager: awkward transitions, first-time feedback mistakes and building confidence
• How authority is earned: relationships, problem-solving and letting go of technical one-upmanship 
• The modern finance remit: moving beyond operations to influencing strategy, risk and product design 
• Internal and external networks: why visibility across the business is a core part of the job 
• Culture, accountability and feedback: the behavioural traits Coller values when assessing rising talent 
• Proactivity, curiosity and problem-solving: what genuinely moves the needle for promotion 
• A practical piece of advice for juniors: capture the things you want to learn and carve out time to follow through 
• Why the CFO role is far more than “just the numbers” 

Who this episode is for 

Operational leaders, rising finance professionals, and anyone curious about what modern fund finance leadership looks like inside a global secondaries house. 

Head of Legal, Aimee Fabri joins Alice and Malcolm to trace an unconventional career from the Aldi shop floor to leading Oakley Capital’s legal function. She explains why legal belongs at the centre of the firm (not the side lines), how to balance breadth versus depth in-house, the value of “usefulness over perfectionism,” and how to build a tight, trusted network that you can lean on when it counts. 

Episode highlights 

• Legal as an enabler, not a blocker: “We’re not here to say no, we’re here to say stop and think: how do we enable this the right way?” 
• In-house = breadth and judgement: Moving from deep memo-writing to decisive, business-critical calls made in minutes. 
• Healthy pride & healthy tension: Ops/Legal should benchmark outward against the market not against investment teams across the floor. 
• Capacity and sustainability: Boundaries, trusted external counsel, and clear operating models prevent duplication and burnout. 
• Networks that work: Small, reciprocal, “in-the-trenches” relationships beat noisy groups and notification overload. 

Key takeaways 

• Integrate early. Legal adds most value upstream, shaping decisions rather than rubber-stamping. 
• Codify and share. Use legal’s vantage point across deals to spot patterns and reduce friction. 
• Set scope and escalate. Clear operating models and escalation rules protect capacity. 
• Benchmark outward. Take pride in function; compare with market peers, not internal counterparts. 
• Curate your network. Quality, reciprocity and real-world pressure-tested relationships > large noisy groups. 

Deepfakes are no longer the stuff of sci-fi. They’re here, and they’re targeting private capital firms. 

In this episode, Alice Murray is joined by Travis DeForge, Director of Cybersecurity at Abacus Group, to explore how generative AI is supercharging social engineering attacks and what fund managers can do to defend themselves. 

What we cover: 

• What deepfakes are, and why private equity and venture firms are in the firing line 
• Real-world attack scenarios; from cloned CTO voices to successful wire fraud cases 
• How Abacus simulates deepfake attacks to test firms’ defences 
• The biggest blind spots and bad habits when it comes to cyber risk 
• Practical steps CFOs and COOs can take today to protect their firms 
• Why no firm is too small to be targeted 

If you’re a finance or operations leader in private markets, this is essential listening for understanding how fast-moving AI threats are changing the risk landscape, and crucially, how to stay ahead of them. 

In this episode, Alice speaks to Cressida Hamilton, former banking COO and now coach at Chryse Coaching, about why operational leaders in private markets can’t afford to leave their personal brand to chance. 

Drawing on 26 years in financial services and her work as a personal brand and confidence coach (and author of The Art of Self Advocacy), Cressida breaks down: 

• What “personal brand” really means and how it differs from “personal branding” 
• The four pillars that shape your brand: values, skills, competence, and experience 
• Why “letting your work speak for itself” is a myth and what to do instead 
• Three simple, tangible actions to raise your profile inside your firm 
• How to ask for (and get) honest feedback on how you’re perceived 
• The small language shifts that make you sound more visionary, without the cringe factor 
• How to balance ambition with authenticity in different organisational cultures 

Packed with practical tips, relatable stories, and plenty of straight-talking advice, this conversation will help any COO, CFO, or operations professional take control of their reputation and communicate their value with confidence. 

Listen if you want to: 

• Stand out as a value driver in your organisation 
• Build credibility and influence without feeling inauthentic 
• Turn vulnerability into professional strength 

In this episode of On The Line, Alice sits down with high-performance coach Dean Leak, who has worked with Olympic athletes, C-suite executive teams and special forces. Together, they explore the lesser-known traits that underpin sustainable high performance: communication, belonging, clarity, and the ability to handle conflict well. 

Dean shares actionable tools for navigating high-pressure environments, creating space for disagreement, and building trust within teams. This isn’t about being louder or tougher, it’s about being more intentional. 

As Dean puts it: “High performance is ambition times clarity minus distraction.” 

Key topics covered: 

• The myth of the flawless high performer: “Even Rod Stewart said Glastonbury was the most nerve-wracking performance of his life.” 
• Why belonging drives performance: “We don’t often talk about oxytocin when we talk about high performance. But it’s belonging that lets people thrive under pressure.” 
• How to handle conflict with skill: “Every team is dysfunctional. The difference is whether you avoid conflict, escalate it or use it to refine better ideas.” 
• The three pillars of high-performing cultures: Trust, clarity, agency.

“People crave clarity. When there’s a lack of it, they fill the gap with stories, judgments, cynicism.” 

Tools for better conversations: 

• The two-minute mental warm-up 
• Using “tell me more” to open people up 
• Framing disagreement as healthy and necessary 

 “Before a difficult conversation, pause. Ask: What do I want the outcome to be? How do I want to show up?” 

Practical takeaways: 

• Pause before conflict. Prepare your mindset and define your goal. 
• Build trust through curiosity, not control. (“Tell me more.”) 
• Lead with belonging: make people feel seen and heard. 
• Don’t fear disagreement, frame it. “Would you mind if I challenged that perspective?” 
• Reflect regularly on team dynamics, not just deliverables. 

With Bruce Hepburn and Steve Darrington of Mactavish 

In this episode of On The Line, Alice Murray speaks to Bruce Hepburn, CEO and founder of Mactavish, and Steve Darrington, long-time private equity CFO and member of The Line’s Editorial Board, and now also an adviser to Mactavish. 

Together, they dive into why insurance is one of the most overlooked, and potentially dangerous, blind spots in private equity. 

What we cover: 

• How Mactavish evolved from risk analysis for insurers to advising policyholders directly 
• Why most PE firms fail to understand their legal duties on disclosure and how that can leave them dangerously exposed 
• Real-world examples of claims going wrong and why insurance only really matters when it’s tested 
• How PE firms' operating models create unique risks around disclosure, governance, and claims management 
• The rise of large, complex claims and why they’re happening more often than “once in a hundred years” 
• The dangers of “it’ll be fine” thinking in PE, and why risk management is about more than just ticking the insurance box 
• How external shocks, from supply chain disruptions to geopolitical risks, can quickly become direct risks for portfolio companies 
• Why better insurance management is fast becoming a core governance issue for GPs 
• How Mactavish’s new private equity advisory board (featuring industry veterans like Steve) aims to change mindsets across the industry 

 “You only find out you’ve got the wrong insurance when you try and make a claim… and that’s when you’re under the most pressure.” — Steve Darrington 

“It’s systemic: PE firms are time poor, transaction-focused, and they’re not wired to manage low-probability, high-severity risks… until it’s too late.” — Bruce Hepburn 

Listen now for a frank, behind-the-scenes look at risk, resilience, and what PE firms need to change before the worst happens. 

Recorded at the British Emerging Manager Institute Summit 2025
Guest: Ed Stubbings, Founder, BEMI
Host: Alice Murray, Editor, THE LINE_

Episode Overview
In this special episode of On The Line, Alice Murray sits down with Ed Stubbings, founder of the British Emerging Manager Institute (BEMI), live at the Institute’s flagship summit. Just one year on from launch, BEMI has become a rallying point for a growing community of first-time fund managers, independent sponsors, and early-stage private capital firms.

Ed shares how the Institute came to life, why it exists, and what he hopes it can become; a true launchpad for the next generation of private equity firms.

What We Cover
🔹 The origin story of the British Emerging Manager Institute
🔹 Why the 2025 Summit was designed like a house party (and why it worked)
🔹 A mission in motion: 30 new private equity firms by 2030
🔹 Why BEMI is designed as a "for now" community, meeting managers at the moment they need support most
🔹 Ed’s bold long-term goal:

Recorded at the British Emerging Manager Institute Summit 2025
Guest: Zoe Yeo, Partner, Headway Capital
Host: Alice Murray, Editor, THE LINE_

Episode Overview
In this episode of On The Line, Alice Murray speaks with Zoe Yeo, Partner at Headway Capital, about the growing importance of emerging managers and independent sponsors in private capital.

Zoe reflects on how Headway has sharpened its focus on backing emerging managers through deal-by-deal investing, and how institutional appetite for this corner of the market has evolved. She also shares her involvement with the British Emerging Manager Institute and why building community is essential to levelling the playing field for new talent.

Whether you’re a fundless sponsor, a first-time fund manager, or an LP exploring this space, this episode offers an insightful look at the people, capital, and conviction fuelling this fast-moving segment of private markets.

What We Cover
🔹 Headway’s refined focus on independent sponsors and emerging managers
🔹 How Fund 5 exceeded expectations and why institutional LPs are increasingly attracted to this market segment
🔹 Independent sponsorship as a destination, not just a stepping stone
🔹 The power of community and Zoe’s work with the British Emerging Manager Institute
🔹 Market outlook: why this might be a better time to invest than many think
🔹 Zoe’s advice for new managers navigating a tough environment:
“Patience, persistence and conviction. And remember, you only need the right LP, not ten of them.”

Jan Gruter and Ben Cocoracchio, co-leads of Addleshaw Goddard’s Independent Sponsor practice discuss the rapid rise of ISPs in Europe and the importance of these deal-doers when it comes to the overall health of private markets.  

The conversation delves into the evolving landscape of independent sponsors in the private equity market, coming off the back of Addleshaw Goddard’s recent independent sponsor forum.  

The partners discuss recent event insights, market trends, and the future outlook for independent sponsors. They touch on the unique dynamics of independent sponsor deals, the challenges they face, and the opportunities for growth in the European market.  

Takeaways 

• There is a strong appetite for independent sponsors among investors. 
• Independent sponsors offer flexibility and alignment with their deals. 
• The European independent sponsor market is catching up to the US. 
• Data collection and insights are crucial for understanding the independent sponsor landscape. 
• Community engagement is vital for the success of independent sponsors. 
• The independent sponsor model is seen as a positive contributor to the SME sector. 
• There is potential for significant growth in the independent sponsor market in Europe.