Pascal Kornfuehrer brings 20+ years of multinational corporate experience to early-stage startups as a fractional CFO and board advisor. When Connectd introduced him to the T2P programme, he approached it like any CFO would and the returns exceeded projections. Within four months, his pro bono placement had converted into three paid engagements.
Ivan Sierra is a senior executive with 25 years of experience in telecoms and technology, now focused on AI and machine learning commercial roles. Through Connectd, he took a strategic approach to building his advisory portfolio — researching startups carefully, reaching out proactively, and prioritising fit over volume. The result? Three secured roles, with two focused on helping UK companies break into the Americas.
Mhairi Berry spent twenty years in corporate executive roles before pivoting into fractional advisory and founding Market Blueprint Consultancy. Through Connectd's T2P programme, she found the structure, mentorship, and community to make that transition with confidence, and has since built a portfolio of global clients across different sizes and scales of business.
Hidai is an experienced mentor & advisor with a global background including tech, fintech, and e-commerce. Having worked in six countries and across product, marketing, and commercial roles, he now supports SMEs as a board advisor—helping founders grow with strategic, hands-on guidance.
Charlotte Forsyth has spent 20 years in the HR and people space, working across rapidly scaling global tech organisations and complex, multi-brand media businesses. After considering a portfolio career for some time, a timely outreach from Connectd led to a board advisory role with Dizplai, an audience engagement and monetisation platform in the live sports space. The placement is already converting into a paid fractional role.
Grant Keller spent 30 years helping marketing teams harness data and technology across entrepreneurial and corporate environments. Ready for more flexibility, Connectd's T2P programme helped him define his advisory value proposition and make the shift to portfolio work. Within 18 months, he'd converted two paid engagements through the platform, with a third in the pipeline.
Edward Bosher spent his career as a software engineer — from ticketing systems to gaming to ExpressVPN — before deciding he wanted more variety, more people, and more control over how he worked. Through Connectd's T2P programme, he found a way back to the work he actually loves, and converted his pro bono placement into a paid engagement by doing what he's always done best: making complex things simple and keeping things moving fast.
Julie is a software engineer with 30 years of experience, transitioning from direct contributor to fractional executive. Connectd matched her with Otterkin, a fine art commissioning platform and with a background in classics and art, the fit was instant. What began as advisory work evolved naturally into a fractional CTO role.
Len Bellemore spent almost 25 years in tech — starting as a hands-on engineer before moving into senior leadership at a large global tech company. With a wealth of experience and a growing desire to use it more flexibly, he turned to Connectd's T2P programme to break into the world of fractional advisory. It opened doors he didn't know how to find on his own — and led to a placement with Onboardly, a startup solving one of the most common problems in SaaS.
Eanna Cunnane spent 25 years in tech, including roles at Salesforce and Google, before deciding he wanted something different. Through Connectd, he found his way back to the startup and scale-up world he'd always been drawn to, and landed an advisory role with Onboardly that has sharpened his thinking, reconnected him with the energy of early-stage building, and changed the way he approaches his work entirely.
Andy Barbeau is a technologist turned operations specialist with a mission to fix one of the world's most persistent problems: employee engagement. Through Connectd's T2P programme, he found a structured way to get his message out globally, working fractionally across multiple organisations rather than pouring everything into one. His pro bono placement with a healthcare education startup has already converted into a paid engagement, and the partnership is only just getting started.
Stephanie Houle is a Chief Design Officer with a career spanning grassroots startups to the world's largest employer, including rebranding Macy's, leading teams at Walmart, and working at Calvin Klein. After leaving corporate America to start her own agency, she joined Connectd and was matched with Gavin, founder of TaskForce VA, where she has been transforming the brand's investment materials and design systems ahead of a critical fundraising push.
Yui Kamikawa is a London-based sustainability and circular economy advisor with a background in leading corporate sustainability teams and supply chain and logistics. Through Connectd's T2P programme, he found the structure to transition into a portfolio career and landed a partnership with Under & Beneath, a circular bra manufacturing startup, where he has helped build the sustainability foundations the business needs to stand behind its proposition with confidence.
Robert Owen spent more than 40 years across the semiconductor and broadcasting industries, often working two jobs at once, before deciding at the end of 2023 to finally move into fractional work. Through Connectd's T2P and NED program, he made the significant transition from hands-on decision-maker to advisor, and after a formative first placement, secured an official board advisory role with an AI startup, where two of his own introductions have already been recruited to the advisory board.
Stephen Owen spent over 15 years as a qualified management accountant, working across large financial institutions before moving into smaller commercial startups. This year, he made the full transition into fractional work and joined Connectd's T2P programme. His pro bono placement with a mission-driven biotech startup focused on using technology to accelerate vaccine development has taken off, with him informally retained as the company is now in the final stages of securing investment.
Ivan Thibodeaux is the CEO and founder of Thibodeaux Advisory Group, a governance and organisation boutique focused on CEOs, private equity-backed corporations, and startups launching or integrating new technology. After more than two decades with Fortune 10 companies and major retailers like Samsung, Apple, and Costco, he turned to Connectd to build his advisory business. Paired with a consumer cosmetics startup run entirely by one person, he used AI, governance, and distribution strategy to bring an invisible brand into the marketplace.
Ayelen Fernandez, who goes by Aye, spent close to a decade at HP leading the global 3D printing healthcare segment before becoming Chief Revenue Officer at Mindwise DBT, a mental health startup. Through Connectd, she formalised the go-to-market frameworks she'd long used intuitively and took on a fractional advisory placement with HeyLina, an AI psychology tool. A systems thinker at heart, she credits the programme with turning her interest in fractional work into a repeatable practice for delivering value.
Ask George Minogue what advice he'd give someone on the fence about fractional work, and the expression that follows is a little rueful. "I'm a senior citizen, so I'll just smile at that," he says. He's only two years into life as an advisor on the Connectd network but he's got 35 years of corporate experience behind him. He's putting it to good use, building a new phase of his career identifying and solving the problems startup teams can't see for themselves.
Alixandria Adams has built a career in the space between vision and execution, turning ambitious ideas into working realities. Looking for a way to channel that experience into something new, she joined Connectd and was paired with Stefan, the founder behind Artfol, a platform where digital artists can build community and sell their work. Over twelve weeks, Alix helped him cut through the noise of competing priorities and sharpen his focus on what mattered most, forming a partnership strong enough to carry on well beyond the initial engagement.
Oskar joined Connectd’s Transition to Portfolio programme and secured his placement with Sharely through the platform. Working with their team and a group of specialised advisors helped him strengthen Sharely’s product and move it toward scale, while giving him the experience, confidence and structure to build his own fractional career.
JeanPierre Ferrando brings 30 years of experience as a Global Controller, Chief Accounting Officer, and CFO across international companies. Through Connectd, he was matched with NourishPro — an AI-powered personalised nutrition platform — where he has spent the past year building the financial foundations needed to take the business from early-stage startup to funding-ready, with a US expansion on the horizon.
Pete Smith brings two decades of management consulting experience to the table and through Connectd, founder Rodney Kabuye found exactly that. Joining PLUGG as a Board Advisor at a critical growth stage, Pete adapted quickly to the startup's pace, bringing structured insight on operational strategy and helping position the business to accelerate its next phase.
With extensive experience in scaling SaaS and PE/VC-backed ventures, Michael Horsley joined Connectd’s Transition to Portfolio programme to launch his board advisory career. He showcased his expertise through a pro bono placement at one of our startups, eventually turning it into a paid fractional role.
Eric Wansong brings deep expertise in business development, operations, and 11 M&A transactions and it was through Connectd that founder Rodney Kabuye found him. At a critical growth stage, PLUGG needed strategic and operational guidance, and Eric delivered: helping navigate compliance, sharpen growth, and position the business to attract investment.
With extensive experience in content, technology and analytics, Cort Williams joined Connectd’s Transition to Portfolio programme to expand his reach in the advisory space, providing strategic insight into revenue growth, market expansion and product innovation.
Luke is an experienced creative and brand leader with nearly two decades at Marshall Amplification, where he held roles spanning product, brand, and A&R leadership. With a deep foundation in the music industry, he now applies his expertise to support businesses through long-term, strategic advisory and consultancy work.
With extensive experience in People & Culture, Dani Saadu joined Connectd’s Transition to Portfolio programme to transition into a successful advisory board career, bringing strategic insight to startup growth.
Ray brings over 40 years of experience in mycotoxin control, having advised organisations including the UK's Food Standards Agency and UN agencies. Through Connectd's T2P programme, he took on a pro bono board advisory role to apply that expertise in a new context — and discovered what fractional advisory work could look like at this stage of his career.
Nadir has a background in immersive and emerging technologies, with experience leading both technical and strategic projects. He now uses those skills to support early-stage businesses through hands-on advisory and consultancy work, bringing a balanced mix of technical insight and team leadership.
Carlotta is a seasoned professional with deep expertise in the consumer wellness space. Through Connectd's portfolio programme, she was matched with a startup at a pivotal moment in its journey, allowing her to quickly bring strategic value through her industry knowledge, network, and advisory experience.
Liz has extensive experience in audit, fraud/forensics, and risk management, working with global financial services and fintech clients. She is passionate about team building, staff development, and delivering value through quality professional services.
With a 35-year career in global energy and petrochemicals, Paul brings deep expertise across operations, strategy, and energy transition. He’s held senior roles across continents and advised boards, governments, and NGOs on shaping the future of the sector.
Darryl is a seasoned technology leader with extensive experience across software development, data communications, cloud, and AI. Having worked in the UK, Europe, and the US, he specialises in product management, marketing, and operations leadership—helping companies scale and optimise their go-to-market strategies through B2B consultancy.
Shivram Balachandar, a certified Business Analyst Consultant with 15+ years of experience across sectors like energy and FinTech, leveraged Connectd’s Transition to Portfolio programme to refine his advisory profile and secure a board advisory role, aligning his expertise in digital transformation and governance with strategic growth initiatives.
With 15 years in AdTech, Rae brings deep expertise in media buying, user acquisition and data-led growth strategy.
David is a seasoned sales leader with 15 years of experience building and scaling remote sales organisations, from establishing inside sales teams from scratch to driving growth that generates hundreds of millions. He now applies his expertise to startups and portfolio companies, supporting founders with strategy, go-to-market models, and advisory guidance.
Rick Haslam, a fractional CEO with deep expertise in the UK health and wellbeing sector, was connected to Genesis Health through Connectd at a critical moment — when the founder-led business needed to scale without the cost of a full-time executive. In he delivered clearer strategy, stronger commercial focus, and the confidence to grow.