Meet the leadership team
Michael Whitfield
Chief Executive Officer
Michael founded Thomsons Online Benefits with Chris Bruce in 2000. With more than 30 years experience in the financial services industry, he maintains a key interest in the constantly evolving world of pensions and is a vocal lobbyist on behalf of UK employers. Prior to founding Thomsons Online Benefits, he was Managing Director of European Financial Services at Alexander Forbes (previously Nelson Hurst) and Managing Director at Swire Fraser Financial Management. Michael is also Chairman of Barnes Ruby Club.
Connect with Michael via LinkedIn
Chris Bruce
Managing Director
Chris Bruce founded Thomsons Online Benefits with Michael Whitfield in 2000. He led the development of their very first benefits administration technology platform, now a highly sophisticated software brand, Darwin™, as well as core intellectual property such as Intelligent Reward™, a unique benefits strategy development methodology. He is also responsible for the day to day leadership of the Relationship Team which includes the commercial, marketing, business development and client management functions. He is passionate about driving innovation in the employee benefits industry and building lasting partnerships with the world’s leading employers. He is also a patron of the charity JustAid.
Connect with Chris via LinkedIn
Paul Smolinski
Chief Financial Officer
Paul Smolinski has more than 25 years experience working with technology companies. He was formerly at Niu Solutions Ltd, where he was Group CFO. Prior to this Paul was CFO of Sophos, The Innovation Group and spent 10 years at Compaq Computer, where he was Group Finance Director of the UK & Ireland.
Connect with Paul via LinkedIn
Pete Craghill
Chief Technology Officer
Pete Craghill became Chief Technology Officer in 2005. He is responsible for leading the global technology team and the development and testing of our proprietary software, Darwin™. Prior to joining Thomsons, Pete worked at Microsoft, Northgate IS and PWA specialising in the delivery of HR and payroll systems.
Connect with Pete via LinkedIn
Andrew Bradshaw
Chief Operating Officer
Andrew has 16 years of experience in senior leadership roles. He began his career at Hewlett-Packard working with large global and national clients before moving to Microsoft. During this time, he held numerous leadership positions including Head of Manufacturing Sales and Director of Mid-Market & Partners. He has also held senior positions at Sophos, running the UK businesses and managing its acquisition of Utimaco, including leading its sales team globally. Prior to joining Thomsons, Andrew was at SHL Group, the leading global talent measurement specialists, joining as Chief Sales Officer, before becoming President of Europe and ANZ.
Andrew has a MEng from Aston University and joined Thomsons in March 2013.
Brian St. Jean
ABRY Partners
Brian joined ABRY in 2005. Brian has been involved and led several investments within the media, communications, business and information services sectors. His areas of focus have included data centres, satellite communications, transaction processing, financial technology, branding and marketing communications and human capital management. Prior to joining ABRY, Brian held senior financial and executive positions within the private sector and also served as a manager in PricewaterhouseCoopers’s mergers and acquisitions group focusing on the entertainment, media and communications industries. He is a Certified Public Accountant and graduate of the University of Rhode Island with high distinction.
John Hunt
ABRY Partners
John Hunt joined ABRY in 2004. John is head of ABRY’s senior equity funds and is responsible for sourcing and leading transactions on behalf of those funds. His areas of focus have included cable television, film production, information services, software and telecommunications companies. Prior to joining ABRY, John was a General Partner at Boston Ventures Management, a media and communications-focused private equity fund. He is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Bob Pan
ABRY Partners
Bob Pan joined ABRY in 2007. Bob has been involved in a number of investments within the communications, education, business and information services sectors. His areas of focus include data centers, wireless broadband, healthcare IT, outsourced business processing, financial technology and education. Prior to joining ABRY, Bob worked at UBS in the Mergers & Acquisitions investment banking group where he was involved in a number of deals in the consumer retail space. Bob is a graduate of Duke University.
Meet our teams
