Advisory firm Consello, which was founded by Irish PR executive Declan Kelly, has appointed five senior advisers from the worlds of politics and business to assist the firm with its expansion plans.
In a statement on Friday, Consello said it had appointed former UK government minister Lord Mervyn Davies of Abersoch, former British chancellor Sajid Javid, senior banker Anne Finucane, Carmine Di Sibio, who was the global head of Big Four firm EY, and Frank Ryan, global co-chair of law firm DLA Piper.
Consello said the appointments would bolster its “senior talent and experience at the firm”.
Lord Davies will chair the company’s advisory board to assist in the development of “non-private equity lines of business around the world”. Its private equity business, Consello Capital, already has a separate advisory board. A former banker and previously a Labour government minister, he was also previously chief executive and chairman of Standard Chartered plc for 12 years.
Mr Javid stepped down from politics at the recent general election, having served 14 years as a Conservative Party MP. This included a number of senior ministerial roles, including time as chancellor of the exchequer. He is now a partner at global investment firm Centricus.
Ms Finucane led Bank of America for nearly three decades, while Carmine Di Sibio is the former global chairman and chief executive of EY. He had masterminded Project Everest, the plan to break up EY globally, which was called off in 2022 after opposition from leaders of the firm’s US business.
Mr Ryan is DLA Piper’s global co-chair, global co-chief executive and Americas chair. He is a member of the Wall Street Journal CEO Council and Thomson Reuters’ global strategy board.
Mr Kelly said the advisers would bring a “wealth of additional experience and relationships to the Consello platform as we continue to rapidly expand our business around the world”, adding that he was “excited and energised by the opportunities that lie ahead.”
Set up two years ago, Consello describes itself as an advisory and investing platform. It has offices in New York, Atlanta, Miami, London and Barcelona and said it expects to expand into other locations in the “months ahead”.
Mr Kelly, who is from Co Tipperary, previously led Teneo before resigning from the global consulting and PR firm after accusations of drunken misconduct at a party in 2021.
Earlier this year it emerged that tennis champion Serena Williams will be advised on her business interests by Consello. She first became involved with Consello last year, joining American football star Tom Brady as a partner at the group. Gary Neville took a role at the company this year, also.
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