Press release

19 Jan 2022 London, GB

Senior Appointments for EY-Parthenon’s Transaction Strategy & Execution team

Nicola Grimes and Michael Schwitters both join as Associate Partners whilst Mennat Barakat joins as Director.

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Related topics Strategy and Transactions
  • Nicola Grimes and Michael Schwitters both join as Associate Partners whilst Mennat Barakat joins as Director

EY-Parthenon’s Transaction Strategy and Execution team has announced three senior appointments.

Nicola Grimes rejoins as an Associate Partner after nearly 20 years client-side. In her new role she will focus on strengthening EY-Parthenon’s finance function capability and will also work with its Reshaping Results team which helps companies solve complex and critical business issues.

Nicola previously spent eight years as the group financial director of a private equity backed health and social care business, where she led several complex transactions and transformations over the investment cycle. She has also held senior finance roles in large corporates, including Compass, Virgin Media and Liberty Media.

Michael Schwitters also joins EY-Parthenon as an Associate Partner and brings over 20 years’ strategic technology consulting and industrial experience. He has led on large and complex technology transformations as well as integration and separation transactions in a number of sectors. He has overseen the technology dimension of the global expansion of one the largest global automotive manufacturers and originally started his career as a scientist in the diamond industry.

In his new role he will be assisting clients, primarily in the advanced manufacturing and mobility sector, to unlock and maximise value through technology across the deal lifecycle and address the opportunities and challenges created by emerging technologies.

Mennat Barakat joins as a Director and brings 15 years’ consulting and industry experience in the consumer goods sector. In her previous role in strategy consulting, she worked with c-suite clients to drive sustainable cost reduction and enable efficient growth. Prior to consulting, Mennat was a finance director of a large consumer goods organisation and has led multiple regional and global finance business partnering roles across the value chain in consumer goods organisations.

At EY-Parthenon, Mennat will also work with the Reshaping Results team, focusing on organisation design and zero-based budgeting for consumer goods and retail companies.

Alex Gaunt, Head of EMEIA and UK&I Transaction Strategy & Execution at EY-Parthenon, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Nicola, Michael and Mennat to our market-leading team. They bring a wealth of experience and expertise which will help our clients navigate ongoing market uncertainty and expand and develop their businesses in a sustainable, diverse and innovative way.”

EY-Parthenon’s Transaction Strategy and Execution team helps clients across the whole deal life cycle, guiding them from M&A or divestment strategy, through to the planning, diligence, and integration or separation phases of a transaction to help build long-term value.