We are delighted to announce the appointment of Bill Michael as Strategic Advisor, and Sofia Lencastre as Partner, to the firm. They both bring unparalleled experience in Financial Services across Capital Markets, Corporate Banking and Regulation, with valuable consulting expertise from many years with the Big Four.

Bill was born in Australia; the son of Greek and Cypriot immigrants, he grew up in a working-class suburb of Melbourne. In 1993, he moved to the UK to begin his career as a Chartered Accountant, where he worked with large global clients. In 2005, Bill joined KPMG, beginning as Head of Financial Services Audit, spending four years in the role before becoming Head of Financial Services UK in 2009. In 2015, Bill assumed the position of Global Head of Banking and Capital Markets, and EMA Head of Financial Services. In 2017, Bill became KPMG’s UK Chairman and Senior Partner.

Sofia was born in Portugal and worked in Lisbon, Madrid, Milan, and Luanda before she made the bold move to London in 2013 with her one-year-old daughter. Sofia will join Elixirr in January 2022, with over 16 years of experience in consulting for Global Financial Institutions, where she led multiple front to back transformation programmes. She has a deep understanding of Corporate, Investment and Retail Banking, and expertise leading EU, UK and US Risk, Finance and Regulatory initiatives. Sofia joins Elixirr from Ernst & Young, where she spent 10 years leading FS Risk and Regulatory Transformation. Prior to that, Sofia held leadership positions at Deloitte and Accenture. She is passionate about inspiring the next generation of business leaders and is a mentor for school-age children and undergraduates. Sofia is also a proud mum of two lively and joyful young children.

Both Bill and Sofia share the same entrepreneurial background as our entire team. From a humble background, Bill went on to be Chairman of one of the biggest accounting firms in the world. Sofia has worked across multiple geographies and with her passion and determination has become one of the world’s top experts in Financial Services. We believe these hires will give us a welcomed tailwind in 2022 and beyond to meet our ambitious growth plans.  

Stephen Newton, CEO and Founder commented

“Having known Bill for over 25 years and working alongside him for over half that time I have admired him as a friend and professional – he has worked his way from the ground up to where he is today, epitomising Elixirr’s entrepreneurial mindset. Bill is an incredibly strategic thinker, with a challenger mindset, and I know he will be a huge asset to my team as we enter our next stage of growth.

Sofia brings the tenacity and drive that I have seen in all successful Elixirr Partners to date, and that, coupled with her knowledge and experience in the Financial Services industry, make her an incredibly exciting appointment for the firm. We have made great progress in the last year in hiring exceptional talent into the team, and this continues to be a crucial part of our growth strategy as we increasingly diversify the business.”

Bill Michael, Strategic Advisor commented

“Elixirr is at a pivotal point of its growth and it’s an incredibly exciting time to join the firm. What Stephen has built in a relatively short space of time is admirable, and it will be fantastic to join such a forward-thinking, fast paced firm”

Sofia Lencastre, commented

“I’m thrilled to join a firm with such a challenger mindset – Elixirr really stands out in the consulting market, and I could see the dynamism and quality very quickly from my initial interactions with the team. I can’t wait to make my mark in this exciting stage of Elixirr’s growth.”