Meet Our Team of Experts

International Venue Management is a global team of experts comprising the two founding partners, together with outstanding industry specialists in the Sport, Heritage and Themed Attraction sectors

Philip Shepherd
Chairman

Philip is a strategy and finance specialist, advising companies on their international growth strategies, operating models, pricing structures and business plans. He has experience across the sports, entertainment and leisure sectors. He is a former Partner at PwC where he led the Hotels, Leisure and Attractions practice in the UK and Middle East.

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Angus Houston
Founding Partner

As a founding partner of IVM, Angus leads on all operational delivery. He has worked extensively across the sport and leisure sectors and has fully managed venues from racecourses to exhibition centres.

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Rob Quick
Founding Partner

As a founding partner of IVM, Rob leads on all commercial delivery. He has worked with many of the world’s leading sports clubs and federations and has delivered commercial solutions for clubs, venues and events globally.

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Anthony Frost
Operations Associate

Anthony has a breadth of operations experience working in stadia and racecourses. Anthony prepares venues for major events and manages all operational stakeholders to optimise venue performance.

Tim Hymans
Senior Marketing Associate

Tim is a marketing specialist with a particular focus on technology that allows organisations to ‘do more with less.’ Tim drives new leads, repositions brands, builds competent and successful teams, implements new technology and ultimately delivers better customer value.

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Tim Banfield
Venue Consultant Associate

Tim is a venue management professional who has worked for some of the UK’s major venues including the NEC, SECC, ACC Liverpool, and latterly as executive director of Doncaster Racecourse.

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Alan Kotz
Travel Associate

Alan is a hugely experienced travel professional with a pedigree of delivering VIP travel and hospitality solutions for some of the world’s leading events including FIFA World Cups and Olympic Games.

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Imad M. Bitar
Saudi Arabia Associate

IMB is a high‐performing, strategic‐thinking and driven individual with years of event services and experiences in various business & government industries and within a multitude of settings, experiences & environments.

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Gill Howarth
HR Associate

Gill focuses on what is arguably every organisation's most important aspect, its people. CIPD qualified, Gill has worked at a senior level in sectors from sport, leisure and retail to destination attractions. 

Dominic Fleming
Venue Sales Associate

Dominic is one of the most accomplished and well-regarded sales executives in the sporting, confex and leisure industries. His track record reflects an unparalleled success in establishing and growing venue sales, through a simple approach of people relationships and processes, combined with an instinctive recognition of market position.

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Jamie Arnall
Legal Associate

Jamie supports and executes all legal elements of the client business dynamic relating to supply chains, commercial partnerships and people. Jamie has the skills to tackle any legal negotiation regardless of complexity, relationship type or size of supplier.

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Janice Dunphy
Theming & Attractions Associate

Janice has over thirty years’ experience of play, education and leisure operation. As owner and operator of the award-winning Web Adventure Park for 15 years, Janice has been constantly engaged in raising standards, research and development within the sector and leading industry change.

John Benson Smith
Food & Beverage Associate

John Benson Smith is a high profile, award winning food and catering consultant with over 40 years’ experience. His clients have included many top European football clubs, the Scottish FA, the Arts Council, the London 2012 Olympics and major theme parks.

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Robin Taylor
Partnerships Associate

Robin is a senior executive within the sports industry with over 20 years’ experience. He has a strong commercial and strategic background but specialises in advising rights owners on their sponsorship strategy and sales execution.

John Jackson
Venue Mobilisation Associate

John has over 30 years’ experience in the hospitality, events and leisure industry. He has worked at the most senior level of venue operations and service provision and has managed building and contract implementation projects at some of Europe’s premier venues.

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John Sheehan
Media Associate

John is a journalist and editor with more than 25 years of experience. He started his career in newspapers and worked for the Press Association news agency before moving on to the business sector and trade publications in the stadia and leisure sectors.

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Steven Coleman
Security and safety Associate

Steven is an industry recognised event safety, crowd management and security specialist with over 15 years’ experience in planning and delivering some of the UK’s largest sporting, concert, festival and conference-based events.

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Mike James
Financial Associate

Michael James joined Middlesbrough Football Club in November 2014 and brings a wealth of experience. Mike’s background comes from almost 20 years working in the financial sector of the construction industry, having led a management buy-out in the shop-fitting sector.

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Mark Charlton
Dubai Associate

Talented senior operational leader with an outstanding track record of driving financial performance and operational excellence within leisure sector in UAE and UK.  Delivers multi-million-dollar growth for leading leisure and service-focused organizations; expands top-line and bottom-line value across complex organizations through unique combination of expertise spanning financial planning and control, marketing and e-commerce, client experience, and  complex hospitality operations.

Paul Andrews Garth
Heritage Associate

Having worked on many high profile, Heritage, cultural & destination lead ventures, Paul has created an enviable portfolio of experience, from development work streams for the National Trust, to commercial design and build of theatres and stadia. Internationally Paul has worked in the US, EU and Far East. With 25 years of operational and analytic experience to call on, he will create options for any scenario with any stakeholders.

Nick Bradley
Design & Build Associate

As design director at Restaurant Design Associates (RDA), Nick is an expert in catering, retail and hospitality design, helping clients across the UK to create bespoke operations and customer experiences to suit the correct F&B strategy. Nick provides a true “turn-key” offer, including conceptualisation, detailed design development, procurement, and on-site installations. Nick has delivered high profile sports and leisure projects in some of the UK’s leading entertainment venues, including The O2 Arena and SSE Arena, Wembley.

Mario Zambas
Technology Lead
Mario is a Venue and Entertainment Technology professional with over 20 years’ experience of working in high profile global venues. An innovative, passionate, motivated, and highly successful Business transformation leader, CIO, Prince2 Qualified Project Manager. Extensive experience in the UK, USA, Europe, Middle East and Russia, in the activation and management of mega sports events, retail, leisure, consultancy, construction, FMCG, and manufacturing business sectors. With significant IT procurement and supply chain experience supported by an empathetic communication style developed within multi-cultural environments. Mario has held senior positions in Abu Dhabi Motorsports, Dubai Sports City and Formula 1
Andrew Kyle
Contracts & Supplier Lead Associate

Andrew brings tender management expertise, procurement and operational efficiency with him to IVM. Andrew has worked in the Hospitality and Facilities Management industries for over 30 years, during which time he has held senior positions in both Operations and Sales Management. Andrew has multi sector experience from Theme Parks to Contracting and brings a good depth of knowledge within these roles.

Phil Cottier
Senior Customer Experience Associate

Phil is a strategist focusing on agency selection and campaign management across all marketing channels. Phil creates engagement plans then implements them with the “right fit” agencies globally and ensures delivery and execution are maximised and streamlined delivering single message communication across multiple agencies.