--- title: Our team date: 2026-06-30T14:02:56Z modified: 2026-07-22T06:25:42Z permalink: "https://www.mallardhq.com/our-team/" type: page status: publish excerpt: "" wpid: 49266 timestamp: 2026-07-22T06:25:42Z tags: [] --- OPERATING PARTNER FOR FOUNDER-lED TEAMS # Meet the Mallard team. Mallard brings together expert fractional operators and deep subject matter specialists who’ve scaled businesses before. We don’t just tell you what to do. We embed within your team, implement proven systems, transfer capability and create operational freedom that lets you lead rather than firefight. ## Simon Wakeman Principal Consultant & Fractional COO Simon has been working as an independent fractional COO since 2023. During his 26 year career, he’s scaled technology-focused growth companies as founder, MD, COO and board member including successful exits. He’s led organic and acquisition-based growth across professional services, operations, technology and marketing. Simon is also an ICF accredited executive coach and holds non-executive roles with technology businesses, social enterprises and charities. [![](https://www.mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Team-Wakeman-Simon-Wakeman-Principal-Consultant-and-Fractional-COO-1.jpg "Team-Wakeman-Simon-Wakeman-Principal-Consultant-and-Fractional-COO-1") ](#) ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mallard-mark.png "mallard-mark") [![](https://www.mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Team-Wakeman-Sarah-Harris-1.jpg "Team-Wakeman-Sarah-Harris-1") ](#) ## Sarah Harris Fractional COO With over a decade leading operational transformations, Sarah helps founder-led businesses scale with confidence, clarity and leadership that actually works. As a fractional COO, ICF certified leadership coach and MBACP counsellor, she brings a rare combination of operational discipline and deep behavioural insight to growth-stage companies. She’s rebuilt teams, redesigned commercial models, guided acquisitions, and helped founders level up how they think, decide and lead. ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mallard-mark.png "mallard-mark") ## Kerry Henry FRACTIONAL CHIEF OF STAFF / Consultant – People & CULTURE Kerry helps businesses build the people, culture and operational foundations they need to grow with intention. With 10+ years working directly alongside CEOs and leadership teams at critical moments of change, she brings Chief of Staff operational capability with genuine people and culture expertise – listening first, building second, creating environments where people thrive and businesses perform at their best. [![](https://www.mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Copy-of-Copy-of-Copy-of-Untitled.jpg "Kerry Henry") ](#) ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mallard-mark.png "mallard-mark") [![](https://www.mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Leillah-Sekalala.jpg "Leillah Sekalala") ](#) ## Leillah Sekalala FRACTIONAL CFO / Consultant – FINANCE Leillah has over 20 years of experience building and fixing finance functions inside growing businesses. She’s worked across technology, recruitment and professional services, partnering with founders, MDs and leadership teams at startups and scaleups across the UK, Netherlands, Sweden and Germany, including through successful exits. She specialises in going into businesses at critical moments when financial foundations need strengthening, clarity is missing or growth has outpaced the infrastructure and putting the right things in place to move forward with confidence. Leillah is ACCA qualified, with a hands-on, people-led style and a focus on practical, commercially driven outcomes. ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mallard-mark.png "mallard-mark") ## Kate Bridge Consultant – OPERATIONS Kate spent over a decade running client accounts before she had ‘operations’ in her job title. She carried that experience into her ops career, going on to head up Operations for a global agency of 130+ people. Having sat on both sides – client delivery and building the infrastructure behind it – Kate now works with founders on how work gets scoped, resourced and delivered, closing the gap to the profitable business they want to be. [![](https://www.mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Kate-Bridge.jpg "Kate Bridge") ](#) ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mallard-mark.png "mallard-mark") [![](https://www.mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/team-wakeman-manish-kapur-1.jpg "team-wakeman-manish-kapur-1") ](#) ## Manish Kapur Consultant – Practices & Technology With over 25 years in the creative industry, Manish brings creative insight and operational expertise to help scale-up founders escape operational chaos and build businesses that scale. His career began at 17 in a book design firm and ended three months later when he was fired. That led him to master early Mac technology at a B2B agency, eventually rising to Executive Operations Director at Design Bridge and Partners, one of the world’s largest design agencies. ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mallard-mark.png "mallard-mark") ## Jo Wakeman Consultant – People Jo is a CIPD-qualified HR & people consultant with more than 20 years’ experience across multiple sectors. At Mallard she specialises in helping founders build high-performing teams and navigate sensitive people challenges with strategic, no-nonsense guidance that combines commercial insight with deep operational expertise, creating the people foundations for scalable growth. Jo is also a qualified executive coach and mediator. [![](https://www.mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Team-Wakeman-Jo-Wakeman-People-and-HR-Consultant-2.jpg "Team-Wakeman-Jo-Wakeman-People-and-HR-Consultant-2") ](#) ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mallard-mark.png "mallard-mark") [![](https://www.mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Rachel.jpg "Rachel") ](#) ## Rachel Bland Consultant – Practices & Technology Rachel brings hard-won expertise to help founders escape dependency and build businesses that run without them. With over 15 years consulting experience, she has led transformation across the UK and New Zealand within Big 4 consulting, private equity-backed scale ups and founder led start-ups. Rachel doesn’t just design systems; she embeds them, stays until they work, and leaves founders with businesses that scale. ![](https://mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/mallard-mark.png "mallard-mark") ## Becky Orpin Founder’s Assistant Becky has been a Virtual Assistant since 2017, bringing more than 15 years’ PA experience across marketing, advertising, events and charity sectors. Becky helps founders reclaim their time by handling essential administrative and operational tasks with flexibility and efficiency. She takes care of the little jobs that drain energy, freeing founders to focus on strategic work and the parts of their business they love most. [![](https://www.mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Team-Wakeman-Becky-Orpin-Founders-Assistant.jpg "Team-Wakeman-Becky-Orpin-Founders-Assistant") ](#) ## Build your business operating system Mallard helps founders who are trapped by operational chaos in growing businesses to build their [business operating system](https://www.mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/page/what-is-a-business-operating-system.md) – getting their people, practices and technology to work seamlessly together to remove blockers and accelerate scaling. [**BOOK YOUR FREE 30 MINUTE FOUNDER REVIEW CALL**](https://www.mallardhq.com/wp-content/uploads/wp-mfa-exports/page/book-a-free-founder-review-call.md)