Team

Coline is an Associate at Planet First Partners, responsible for the sourcing, evaluation and execution of potential investment opportunities. Prior to joining the Planet First team, Coline worked in Goldman Sachs’ Investment Banking team in Paris. She advised European Corporates and Sponsors on national and cross-border transactions across Consumer, Retail, Industrial, Real Estate and Media. These included Malteries Soufflet’s $1bn takeover of United Malt Group and Canal+’s $300m stake acquisition in Viu, as well as various buy-side, financing and defence mandates.

Coline studied in London, Paris and Hong Kong. She holds a BSc in Business Administration and Master 1 in Finance from Paris-Dauphine University, and a Masters in Management from London Business School.

Outside of the office, you may find Coline wandering in an art exhibition, practicing contemporary dancing in a studio or hiking up in the mountains.

Danien is the Chief of Staff at Planet First Partners and has spent more than thirteen years working across operations, fund support, and financial reporting in the private equity industry. 

Danien previously worked at Oakley, a mid-market European private equity firm, primarily focusing on the development and operations of the Luxembourg office, financial reporting and analysis, transfer pricing and fund finance support within the firm’s group structure. Prior to joining Oakley, Danien worked at KPMG Bermuda in the Investments and Banking Audit division. 

She is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Accounting from Stellenbosch University.

Dinesh is the Fund Controller at Planet First Partners. His professional experience includes over 10 years in audit and accounting, enabling him to cultivate profound expertise in financial reporting, compliance, and operational finance across various industries.

Dinesh began his career at Deloitte, where he spent more than five years. Prior to Planet First Partners, he worked as an accounting Supervisor at TMF Group Luxembourg and as a Senior client administrator at Citco C&T Luxembourg.

He is a qualified chartered accountant and holds a Bachelor of Business Science in Accounting and Finance from the University of Cape Town and a Master of Finance from the University of Mauritius. He is currently working towards completing the final level of the CFA program.

Outside of work, he enjoys traveling, playing chess, and football.

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Emil is a Principal, focusing on the Green Cities vertical. Prior to joining Planet First Partners, he was an investor in early-stage companies within energy transition at Global Cleantech Capital, a Netherlands-based venture capital firm. Previous experience includes roles within structured finance at Benteler Trading International and investment banking at UBS.

Emil holds a BSc in Business and Economics from Stockholm School of Economics.

Swedish by background, Emil is an avid home cook with a deep appreciation for the arts.

Frédéric de Mévius founded Planet First Partners in 2020, with the support of a team of sustainability and finance experts, alongside a set of seasoned advisers. He has decades of experience across investment banking, as well as steering growth and company strategy. 

Having helped grow AB-InBev into the world’s largest brewer, in 1995 he set up a new investment vehicle called Verlinvest, where he built a portfolio of brands, including Oatly & Vita Coco. In 2019, he stepped down and turned his attention to becoming a strategic investor in companies which provided solutions to the climate crisis. Subsequently, Planet First Partners was founded; a growth equity investment platform that invests in and partners with disruptive entrepreneurs to scale tech-enabled businesses that combine a purpose-driven mission, profitable growth, and a people-centric culture.

Frédéric is also a supporter of a number of charities, in 2015 he became involved in ‘Out of the Box’, an alternative school targeting those who drop out of mainstream education. He has also served as a Trustee of the Science Museum and is heavily involved in the Zoological Society of London, the leading British conservation charity.

Grace is a Senior Associate, responsible for sourcing, evaluation and the execution of potential investment opportunities in the Farm to Fork vertical. Prior to joining the Planet First team, Grace worked at Goldman Sachs, based in London. Initially she worked within Goldman’s Real Estate Group, before transitioning to the Sustainable Investment team where she focused on buyouts across the agriculture and forestry sectors. 

Grace graduated from the London School of Economics in 2019 with a Bsc in Environment and Development. 

In her spare time, she is passionate about outdoor sports, from horse riding to hiking and skiing.

Jérémie is in charge of accelerating value creation with our portfolio companies, by bringing key strategic and operational support.

Prior to joining Planet first, Jérémie was a Partner at Bain & company in the Performance Improvement & Transformation practice. He leverages 16 years+ hands-on consulting experience working with Corporate and Private Equity owned portfolio companies across the globe, to deliver value creation and EBITDA growth. His experience spans a range of industries and geographies – he has operated in over ten countries across sectors including Energy and Natural Resources, Transportation and Logistics, Aerospace and Defence and Consumer Goods.

Jérémie graduated from Ecole Nationale de Techniques Avancées (MsC mechanical engineering), Imperial college London (MsC Aeronautics) and INSEAD (MBA)

Beyond his passion for the decarbonisation agenda, Jérémie is a waterskiing coach and is a member of INSEAD business angels.

Marcel is a senior associate, having joined the team in August 2021. He has worked across sustainable finance, climate risk management, and ESG accounting for over six years. His previous experience includes roles at Triodos Investment Management, ESGine and most recently, at Saïd Business School, collaborating with multinational corporations on integrating sustainability into strategy and performance management. 

Marcel holds an MPhil in Environmental Governance from the University of Oxford and a BA in Sociology, Politics and Economics from Zeppelin University, Germany. He is currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Oxford, researching how companies and investors identify, assess and manage climate risks. 

Originally from Germany, Marcel enjoys running, cooking, and hiking in the Alps.

Max is Senior Associate, responsible for sourcing, evaluation and the execution of potential investment opportunities in the energy Transition Vertical. Prior to Planet First Partners, Max worked within J.P. Morgan’s Energy, Power, Renewables and Metals & Mining Investment Banking team in London. During his time at J.P. Morgan, Max worked on a wide range of high-profile transactions and IPO situations. 

Max holds a BSc in Geology from Imperial College London and a Global MSc in Management and CEMS Master’s in Management from the London School of Economics. 

Away from the office, Max’s interests include sports such as tennis, golf, skiing and hiking.

Melissa’s experience spans overs 25 years and has included a variety of different roles. She began her career at the London Stock Exchange, working in the Chairman’s office. She also spent a decade at financial management company SMA Group, before it was acquired by BestInvest. Melissa has worked with Frédéric de Mévius since 2013 and was one of Planet First Partners’ first team members.

Away from work, Melissa enjoys scuba diving, running and horse riding.

Nathan Medlock is a Managing Partner with 30 years’ experience in private equity, M&A, corporate finance, government advisory and C-level operational roles, Nathan brings significant direct investment and operational experience to Planet First Partners.

Previously, Nathan was a Partner at Zouk Capital for 10 years, where he ran the growth equity technology funds focussed on sustainability. He sourced and led investments in, and was a Board Director of, iZettle (sold to PayPal), Taulia (sold to SAP), Huddle (sold to Ideagen), Readly (IPO, STO:READ) and Workable. He was the CEO of a Swedish listed mining company, which he sold to a strategic player, and CFO of a private US biotech company, where he led a management buyout. He worked at Warburg Pincus in a direct investment role, managing and restructuring over a $1bn of investments in European growth capital companies. Prior to those roles, Nathan was at Lehman Brothers, where he was a director in the private equity division.

Nathan holds a Master of Business Administration with Honours from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a Master of Engineering and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and Energy Systems (Nuclear) from the University of Manchester. He is a Dowling Fellow at the Centre for Science and Policy at the University of Cambridge, a qualified mountain guide and a Life Member of Marylebone Cricket Club.

Richard is the Chief Operating Officer at Planet First Partners. He has over 25 years’ experience in financial roles including financial audit of investment funds, and alternative investment funds administration and management. 

Richard began his career at Mazars where he worked for over fourteen years. He previously also worked as the Head of Private Equity for the European Fund Administration and Casa4Funds (later Link Group). 

Richard holds a High Business School diploma with a specialisation in Finance and Financial Audit. Since 2018, he is Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors certified. 

Richard is a keen fan of sports, particularly golf, skiing and football.

Sergio is Planet First Partners’ Head of Sustainability. Having spent more than 15 years in various technical and managerial positions in the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment and associated agencies, Sergio turned to sustainable finance in 2017 and joined Planet First Partners in 2021. 

During his time in Brazil’s government he was appointed as Director of Protected Areas and then deputy National Secretary for Biodiversity, having raised USD 230 million for the third phase of the Amazon Region Protected Areas Program. 

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences and a MPhil in Animal Biology from the University of Brasilia and is currently finishing his PhD at the University of Oxford. 

Sergio grew up in the Cerrado Biome in Brazil and his passion for sustainability comes from seeing first hand how nature can be resilient, and how humans will always be intrinsically connected to it.

As a Senior Associate, Tosca is responsible for sourcing and executing deals and supporting portfolio companies. She helps lead Planet First’s efforts across the Farm to Fork and Industry 4.0 verticals.

Tosca began her career at Goldman Sachs in Equity Research, before joining Morgan Stanley’s Technology Investment Banking team in Silicon Valley where she worked on a range of high-profile deals, including Broadcom’s $10Bn acquisition of Symantec Enterprise and the Public Offerings of Asana, Coursera and Poshmark. She holds an M.A. in Natural Sciences (Biochemistry) from Cambridge University, with a minor from Cambridge’s Judge Business School in Entrepreneurship. She has  completed levels 1 & 2 CFA. 

Away from work, Tosca is a PADI Rescue diver, which she has used working on several marine conservation initiatives. She is also a keen distance runner and has a passion for the arts. 

Zoe is an Executive Assistant at Planet First Partners supporting our partners and wider team.

Zoe started her career at Deutsche Bank where she began working in front of house, closely followed by nearly 4 years working as a personal assistant in the Procurement department.

Outside of work, Zoe enjoys travelling, live music and exercise classes with friends.

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