-
Bradley Placks
Founder
-
Chris Allan
Partner - Mental Health & Wellbeing
-
Philip Ellis
Partner - Corporate Finance
-
Lauren McLeod
Partner - Marketing & Strategy
Say hi to Brad. Founder of To Augment, passionate advocate for developing positive working environments that lead to thriving businesses, and well-known figure in recruitment.
25 years of successfully setting up, scaling, and selling businesses in recruitment and technology, Brad is married and a father to two head-strong kids – a 20-year old Economics student and a 17-year old singer / songwriter. Brad is a devoted (and frustrated) Arsenal fan and an even more frustrated golfer.
Having successfully started and exited businesses, undertaken mergers and advised on multiple MBO’s, Brad set up his first IT recruitment business in 1999, followed by a telecoms and medical recruitment business. He co-founded market-leading technology business, Broadbean, later sold to a global media organisation, and is an investor in a corporate finance business.
Brad is a relatable, authentic, and compassionate guy who’s been in your shoes as both business owner and leader. His personal interest in mental health and qualification in counselling and therapy is a critical tool he uses to bring the best out of teams and to unleash the potential of business.
Brad loves to help clients build a business that is reflective of modern culture. He works with owners and their senior leadership teams to help them be the best version of themselves in order to create the very best version of their business. Ultimately the work Brad does is to create more choice, for you and your business whilst always focusing on increasing shareholder value.
Meet Chris, dedicated to solving the rubix cube that lies at the space where work and health meet. Chris’ drive to address the stigma around mental health has resulted in a wealth of experience and insight.
Fuelled by an unwavering determination, but also mainly by coffee, for over a decade Chris has coached individuals and organisations to strengthen their mental fitness and their inner leadership. His work centres on developing empathic leadership, and the direct impact that mental health has on our capacity to create a functioning work-life balance. A father of two energetic kids, husband to an incredibly patient wife, he keeps himself busy solving the physical chess game of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.
Having worked with a diverse range of individuals and organizations – CEOs & founders, executives, mid-level managers and junior staff (and even a rapper in LA), from a variety of medium to large scale businesses he forges strategies that foster mental resilience in the face of work and life challenges with a warm and positive mindset.
Chris has a breadth and depth of experience like none other in the sphere of workforce wellbeing.
Philip advised on his first recruitment deal in 1996, following which he developed an interest in the sector. In 2001 he founded and floated staffing Ventures on AIM – this was originally to back recruitment start ups but quickly evolved to a broader recruitment, support services and domiciliary care business which by 2006 had grown to a market capitalisation of £56m when Philip left the Board.
Since then, Philip has worked exclusively in the recruitment sector, completing a wide range of deals involving businesses in the UK, Europe, USA and Asia. He is used to working with owner managers who sell a business once in their life, as well as sophisticated acquirers who complete numerous transactions across the globe. Key areas of expertise are deal structuring and taking a practical approach to completing deals. HR tech deals are increasingly become part of the M&A picture.
Philip has won awards, judged industry awards, presented numerous seminars, written for the press and is immersed in the sector. With over 100 deals under his belt, he is one of the leading deal makers in the sector.
A commercially astute, strategic, board-level marketer with 14 years multi-channel experience, Lauren is motivated by the opportunity to support businesses transform. She has an analytical, creative and energetic approach to problem solving.
With extensive experience across multiple sectors, both B2B and B2C, in brand, digital, social media, customer and employee engagement and SEO, Lauren’s skills are adaptable to all industries.
As a global brand and customer guardian, she communicates articulately and succinctly and influence marketing effectiveness, strengthen strategic growth and achieve results.
Comfortable in fast-paced, sales-driven environments, Lauren has a proven track record in developing, nurturing and leading high-performance teams, with strong leadership and management attributes.