ECI appoints growth specialists

Private equity firm ECI Partners has appointed Gillian Fox and Dr Orlando Machado as growth specialists to support its portfolio companies.

Gillian joins to focus on people and culture, bringing more than 25 years’ experience in senior HR roles across organisations including Reckitt Benckiser, Aviva and Euromoney, and succeeds Lesley Davies, who is retiring from the role after supporting ECI since 2018.

She said: “I’m excited to be joining ECI’s panel of growth specialists and to be working with such a high-quality portfolio of businesses. 

“Helping organisations grow through their people has been the focus of my career, and ECI’s commitment to investing in people and their understanding of how employee engagement drives value, resonated strongly with me. 

“I’m looking forward to working with the portfolio leadership teams to deliver value through their people.”

Orlando joins as growth specialist for data and AI, with a background spanning leadership roles at the LEGO Group, WPP and Aviva.

He added: “There is huge opportunity for businesses to use data and AI to support smarter decisions. 

“I’m pleased to be joining ECI’s growth specialist panel and to work alongside the ambitious management teams that ECI back to demystify AI and turn it into practical, value-creating capability, driving material profit growth and further upside at exit.”

Their appointments strengthen ECI’s growth specialist panel as it continues to support businesses with scaling through talent, technology and data.

Lewis Bantin, partner at ECI, added: “We are delighted to welcome Gillian and Orlando, who respectively bring deep expertise in leadership and culture, and in turning data and AI into real commercial value. 

“Two of the most important levers for growth we are seeing across our portfolio today are AI and people. As organisations look to adopt and scale AI, HR and leadership teams increasingly sit at the centre of that journey, shaping how technology is understood, trusted and used. 

“Strengthening our growth specialist panel in both areas is therefore a critical development for ECI.

“We would also like to thank Lesley for her significant contribution, dedication and support over the last eight years, and for the lasting impact she has had across ECI and the portfolio.”

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