Our Team

Edmund Lazarus

Managing Partner

Edmund Lazarus founded EMK Capital having previously been Managing Partner of Bregal Capital.

Edmund was a founder of Bregal Capital in 2002 and has been in senior private equity positions for over 19 years. Edmund’s early career was as a strategic consultant with Bain & Co and as an M&A and Corporate Finance adviser with SG Warburg, working with Mark Joseph who has been a friend for 26 years, and Merrill Lynch before he entered the private equity industry initially with Morgan Stanley Capital Partners. Edmund’s track record at Bregal Capital covers 15 investments and approx. £900m of investment at cost.

Edmund is committed to public service alongside his professional career and served from 1992 to 2002 on Westminster Council the City Government for Central London latterly as Chairman of Finance and Deputy Leader, as Chairman of Finance of the London Development Agency from 2008 to 2012 and as Chairman of the London Green Fund from 2012 to 2016 (the latter positions nominated by the Mayor of London). Edmund graduated with a first class degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University where he was also elected president of the Oxford Union in 1989.

Edmund's track record at Bregal Capital and EMK Capital covers 18 investments and over £1 billion of investment at cost.

Mark Joseph

Managing Partner

Mark Joseph founded EMK Capital having previously been a founding Partner at Oakley Capital Private Equity. Mark Joseph has 26 years of private equity investment and financial advisory experience covering a wide range of sectors. At Oakley Capital, Mark led portfolio investments including Verivox, intergenia, Parship, Facile and Educas.

Mark joined Oakley Capital in 2007 from UBS Investment Bank (formerly SG Warburg) where he was a Managing Director and advised on over $60 billion of transactions primarily in the European TMT sectors.

It was at SG Warburg that Mark worked with Edmund Lazarus and the two became close friends. Prior to working as an investment banker, Mark qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers having previously graduated with an honours degree in Economics from the University of Manchester. He is married with two children.

Patrik Johnson

Partner

Patrik Johnson has extensive experience in sourcing, executing and managing private equity investments across a range of sectors and geographies.

A Founding Partner at EMK Capital, Patrik was previously a Partner and investor at Bregal Capital and Englefield Capital for more than ten years and played a key role in the investments and value creation of Cognita, Mirror Controls International, Danwood, Bluestep and Whittan.

Before starting his career in private equity Patrik worked in the financial sponsors team at Credit Suisse First Boston where he advised on and executed leveraged finance transactions for financial sponsors across Europe, including high yield bonds, leveraged loans, PIK and mezzanine loans.

A Swedish national, Patrik graduated from the Stockholm School of Economics with a Master of Science degree in Accounting and Financial Management, as well as completed studies at the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.

Adam Frahm

Investment Director

Adam Frahm is an Investment Director and part of the founding team at EMK Capital. Prior to EMK Capital, Adam spent three years with Bregal Capital, where he worked on the investments in Bluestep, Cognita, QA, and Whittan.

Adam started his career in the financial sponsors team at Citigroup in London, focusing on M&A and leveraged finance transactions in the financial sponsors space, having previously graduated from Copenhagen Business School with a Master's degree in finance and strategic management.

Nicholas Armstrong

Investment Director

Nicholas Armstrong is an Investment Director and member of the founding team at EMK Capital. Prior to EMK, Nick was part of the Bregal Capital team from mid-2014 and worked extensively across a number of investments; Reconomy, Morrison Utility Services, Ideal Stelrad Group, Danwood and FiveTen.

Prior to joining Bregal, Nick worked in Nomura's UK M&A team in London and Nomura’s Australian M&A team in Sydney. He graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master's in Finance.

Julia Maurice

Executive Assistant

Julia Maurice has worked as an EA and in Events since 1995. She has worked for Edmund Lazarus since 2012.

Tarquin Wethered

Investment Manager

Tarquin Wethered is an Investment Manager and part of the founding team at EMK Capital. Prior to joining EMK, Tarquin worked at Bregal Capital and worked on investments in Cognita and Bluestep. Tarquin joined from Caledonia Investments Plc where he worked in the Unquoted Pool sourcing, executing and managing mid-market private equity investments across a range of sectors but particularly focussing on the financial services, leisure and property sectors.

Tarquin joined Caledonia in 2013, from Hawkpoint Partners (latterly Canaccord Genuity) where he worked in the Financial Institutions and Business Services teams since 2010. Tarquin graduated from Balliol College, Oxford University with a BA in Economics and Management.

Simon Dexter

Investment Director

Simon Dexter is an Investment Director and part of the founding team at EMK Capital. Prior to EMK Capital, Simon spent 5 years at Oakley Capital Private Equity, where he worked on the investments in intergenia, HEG and Parship. He was also a member of the board of intergenia, Parship and Facile.

Prior to Oakley, Simon worked at HSBC in the UK mid-market corporate finance team and at KPMG in the Transaction Services and Restructuring team, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Simon graduated from the University of Leeds with a BA in Economics.

Daniel Rix-Standing

Associate

Daniel Rix-Standing is an Associate and part of the founding team at EMK Capital. Prior to EMK Capital, Daniel worked at Oliver Wyman, a management consultancy, for three years where he focused on supporting private equity clients to assess investments in Financial Services, Technology and Business Services.

Daniel graduated with a BA in Natural Sciences from St. Catharine’s College, University of Cambridge, having also represented his university in the 2011 Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race.

Graham Lunn

Chief Financial Officer

Graham is the Chief Financial Officer and Compliance Officer of EMK Capital and has extensive experience operating at senior levels in private equity funds. Prior to joining EMK in 2016, Graham held a similar role from 2013 at X2 Resources LLP, a mining and metals focussed private equity vehicle. From 2008 to 2013 Graham was Director of Funds Administration at Actis LLP, a US$6.3bn AUM private equity investor focussed on emerging markets.

Prior to working in private equity, Graham qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG and spent nine years with the firm auditing and advising investment management businesses. Graham graduated from Durham University in 1999 with a Masters degree in Civil Engineering. He is married with three children.

Toni Martello

Executive Assistant

Toni joined EMK in early 2016 as Executive Assistant providing administrative services for Patrik Johnson and the wider team.

Martha Mends

Associate

Martha Mends is an Associate at EMK Capital. Prior to joining EMK Capital, Martha worked at Accenture Strategy, a management consultancy, where she supported private equity and corporate clients to assess investments in Consumer Goods, Financial Services and Business Services.

Martha graduated from Somerville College, University of Oxford with a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

Zachary Freud

Associate

Zachary Freud is an Associate at EMK Capital. Prior to joining EMK, Zachary worked at J.P. Morgan in their Investment Banking Division advising on a range of transactions across the Consumer, Retail, Healthcare and Real Estate sectors.

Zachary graduated with a first class degree in Land Economy from Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge, having also attained Half Blue colours in water polo.