We are also delighted to have Stella with us, who we will be talking to about her distinguished career.

Stella Donoghue, was previously CFO then CEO of Phlexglobal, the leading document management services provider for the pharma sector. She led the business through two rounds of private equity funding, the first with Inflexion in 2011, the second with Bridgepoint in 2014. During this time the business grew organically in the UK, into the US and Eastern Europe and via acquisition. In 2016 she led the sale to Vitruvian Partners and subsequently stepped down as CEO.

Stella then transitioned to a portfolio career and has chaired multiple PE-backed businesses, including Juriba (BGF-backed), PharmaReview (Bridgepoint-backed) and GivePenny (backed by Mercia), as well as supporting Bridgepoint’s portfolio management teams with value creation and change programmes, in her role as Operating Partner for Bridgepoint Growth’s first fund.
Stella is now focused on exit readiness consultancy in PE-backed SME’s.

Also joining us will be Laura McNaughton. Laura is a Consumer M&A Partner at BDO, where she has led several notable transactions within the retail and consumer sector. With a demonstrated proficiency in managing intricate projects and teams, she emphasises the importance of organisation, process, and adherence to timelines. Her extensive experience includes navigating complex deal structures with both UK and global buyers, as well as institutional investors, enabling her to effectively align corporate objectives with commercial strategies. Laura offers tailored advisory services to clients ranging from private equity investment to full trade sale, ensuring personalised support from a senior team. She specialises in assisting ambitious growth companies with entrepreneurial leadership in developing robust strategic plans and funding models. Laura’s dedication to delivering exceptional service and achieving successful transactions is reflected in the positive client testimonials she has received.

This event takes place in a beautiful Fora building. About Fora – 60 London Wall:
Fora owns, designs and operates high-quality flexible workspaces that drive performance, productivity and wellbeing. Our collection of 70 offices for all size businesses in London and Germany creates a new ecosystem for work and life, which is built to be flexible. 20 years of experience, data and innovation make us the expert in advising companies on how people should use the office to do their best work.