Blackheath Advisors
FoundER SPOTLIGHT
Laura McCracken
FOUNDER & CEO
Laura McCracken brings 30 years of global leadership experience ranging from fintech to big tech and significant regulated board experience. She founded Blackheath Advisors with a mission to strengthen board resilience through better governance, strategy, leadership and culture.
Deep Dives & Talks: Crisis in the Boardroom, Leadership Resilience
Specialist Offering: Board Advisory, Leadership Culture Development, Collective Leadership Assessment, Leadership Coaching, Crisis Simulation
Laura McCracken is the Founder of Blackheath Advisors, where she partners with founders, chairs, and CEOs to strengthen board resilience through better governance, strategy, leadership and culture. During her 30-year career, Laura has served in global and regional general management roles at Accenture, Meta, Amazon, Citi and American Express, Lazard and KPMG. She also served as Chairman and INED on several regulated financial services boards such as AIG Life, Wirecard, Romcard, and Guavapay. Having lived in London, Luxembourg, Singapore, New York and Los Angeles, she brings a global perspective and curiosity to her clients. An active member of Chatham House, Laura has a passion for fostering integrity and courageous leadership in government, politics and international relations.
Laura holds a BS in Accounting from Auburn University and MBA degrees from London and Columbia Business Schools, as well as Leadership Coaching credentials from Georgetown University, The Leadership Circle (LCP), and Collective Leadership Assessment (CLA).
"After learning some hard earned lessons first hand, I launched Blackheath Advisors to help boards identify blindspots, avoid common pitfalls, and strengthen resilience. I also take pride in putting leadership, culture and strategy onto the board agenda in a meaningful way."
David Birch
David Birch brings internationally recognised expertise in digital money, identity and payments and selectively supports clients on financial market resilience and future-facing innovation.
Deep Dives & Talks: Money, Digital Currency, Digital Identity, Metaverse
Specialist Offering: Board Advisory, Strategy, Resilience
David Birch serves as an Advisory Board Member of Blackheath Advisors and selectively supports clients with strategy. An internationally recognised author with titles including 'Identity is the new Money', 'Before Babylon, Beyond Bitcoin', and 'The Currency Cold War', adviser and commentator, David is widely known for his thought leadership on digital money, digital identity and the future of financial services. He has advised boards, policymakers and industry leaders on the strategic implications of technological change across payments, commerce and financial infrastructure. His distinctive strength lies in helping leaders see beyond short-term trends to the deeper shifts likely to reshape markets, institutions and customer expectations. David helps boards cut through noise, challenge assumptions and think more clearly about long-term strategic positioning in a rapidly evolving fintech landscape. He brings sharp insight, future-focused thinking and valuable diversity of perspective to board-level conversations.
Peter Ibbetson
Ibbetson brings senior business, communications and media experience and selectively supports clients through crisis media training for boards and executive teams.
Deep Dives & Talks: Speaking Under Fire, Entrepreneurship
Specialist Offering: Crisis Media Training, Reputation Management
Peter Ibbetson serves as an Advisory Board Member of Blackheath Advisors and selectively supports clients with crisis media training and reputation management. Peter combines a distinguished 30-year career in financial services with RBS and Natwest and entrepreneurial success in media relations, communications and reputation management. His experience gives him a practical understanding of how leaders are tested when organisations come under scrutiny and how communication can either strengthen or undermine trust in moments of pressure. As the founder of Journolink and Director of Primedia, Peter works closely with senior executives, journalists and businesses navigating high-stakes situations, he understands the importance of message discipline, clarity and composure. Peter helps boards and executive teams prepare for the external dimension of crisis leadership through media training, interview preparation and communication coaching. His work helps leaders respond with greater confidence, credibility and control when every word matters.
Advisory Board
Our advisory board brings together diverse global perspectives to guide our strategic vision and governance excellence.
Alison (Laird) Donnelly
Alison Donnelly brings deep regulatory and payments expertise and selectively supports clients through board effectiveness reviews and practical regulatory compliance advice.
Deep Dives & Talks: Regulation, Governance, Compliance
Specialist Offering: Board Effectiveness Evaluation
Alison Donnelly serves as an Advisory Board Member of Blackheath Advisors and selectively supports clients with board effectiveness evaluations and regulatory advice. As a Director at fscom, Alison is a highly respected payments regulation specialist. She brings a strong combination of regulatory depth, commercial pragmatism and industry credibility. She has extensive experience helping regulated firms navigate complex compliance requirements while strengthening governance, controls and organisational effectiveness. Her background includes regulatory policy and advisory leadership across the UK payments and fintech ecosystem, with expertise in e-money, payments regulation and conduct expectations. Alison is known for translating regulatory complexity into practical action for boards and executive teams. She helps clients strengthen board effectiveness, improve oversight and approach regulatory compliance in a way that is both rigorous and commercially grounded.
Rupert Jones CBE
Rupert Jones CBE brings exceptional leadership and crisis-management experience and selectively supports clients through strategy and immersive crisis simulations that strengthen board resilience and decision-making under pressure.
Deep Dives & Talks: Geopolitics, Defence, Leadership, Decision Making Under Pressure
Specialist Offering: Strategy, Board Crisis Simulations, War Games, Leadership Coaching
Rupert Jones CBE serves as an Advisory Board Member of Blackheath Advisors and selectively supports clients with strategy and crisis simulations. Rupert brings a rare combination of leadership, strategy, and crisis-management experience forged in some of the world’s most demanding environments. He served as Deputy Commander of the US-led coalition that defeated ISIS in Iraq and Syria. A decorated former British Army Major General, he brings over 30 years of senior leadership experience across complex operational, strategic, and organisational roles. He commanded British forces in Afghanistan, served as the Army’s Director of Communications and was a member of the Army Executive Board. He is now a leadership coach and helps boards and executive teams build strategy and rehearse for high-pressure scenarios, improve judgement under pressure and build the resilience required to lead through disruption, uncertainty and crisis.
James Freis
James Freis brings rare global experience across governance, financial crime, regulation and market integrity and selectively supports clients on complex risk and regulatory matters.
Deep Dives & Talks: Financial Market Integrity, Geopolitical Risk
Specialist Offering: Regulatory Advice, Tabletop Exercises, Crisis Simulation
Based in Washington DC, James Freis serves as an Advisory Board Member of Blackheath Advisors and selectively supports clients with governance, risk and regulatory advice. A lawyer, executive and former regulator, James has built an international career focused on the integrity of financial markets and institutions. His senior leadership roles have included serving as Director of the U.S. Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Chief Compliance Officer of Deutsche Börse Group, and adviser on complex cross-border governance and regulatory issues. He brings expertise in financial crime, market integrity, compliance, risk oversight and regulatory credibility. James combines technical depth with practical board-level judgement, especially in highly scrutinised and complex operating environments. He helps boards strengthen oversight, challenge risk assumptions and navigate difficult regulatory questions with greater rigour, independence and global perspective.
Benoit Reillier
Benoit Reillier brings deep expertise in strategy, innovation and platform business models and selectively supports clients through AI-enabled board simulation.
Deep Dives & Talks: AI, Platform Strategy, Economics & Regulation
Specialist Offering: AI Board Simulation, Strategy, Board Advisory
Benoit Reillier serves as an Advisory Board Member of Blackheath Advisors and selectively supports clients with AI board simulation and strategy. As Managing Director of Launchworks & Co, Benoit has spent more than 25 years advising boards, senior executives, regulators and governments on strategy, innovation, corporate development and regulation. He is also Co-founder of CollectiveIntelligence.AI, Chair of Platform Leaders and author of: ‘Platform Strategy’ (Routledge) and ‘Mission BlaBlaCar’ (Eyrolles). He is well known for his work with high-growth companies, platform businesses and ecosystems across industries including payments, technology, media and telecommunications. Before founding Launchworks, he held senior roles at KPMG, LECG Europe and Telia Mobile International. Through his advisory role at Blackheath, Benoit helps boards and leadership teams prepare for transformative AI, explore scenarios and strengthen strategic decision-making through innovative AI-enabled simulation tools designed for a fast-changing business environment.
Amir Klaus
Associate Board Advisor
Amir Klaus brings 30 years deep experience in team coaching, leadership effectiveness and executive facilitation and is a trusted adviser to boards and leaders across a wide range of organisations, cultures and stages of growth.
Deep Dives & Talks: Conflict Resolution, People Centric Leadership
Specialist Offering: Team & Leadership Coaching, Mediation
Amir Klaus is an Associate Board Advisor with Blackheath Advisors, focussing on leadership coaching, team effectiveness and facilitation. He is a trusted adviser to boards, leaders and teams across a wide range of organisations, cultures and stages of growth. With a direct yet supportive leadership style, Amir has partnered with leaders and their teams globally, from large international organisations including AWS, Cisco, LinkedIn, Expedia and AEG to earlier-stage growth businesses such as Nuvolo. He continues to develop and challenge himself through business coaching methodologies. Previously, Amir spent 25 years in senior sales leadership roles at leading technology companies including Computacenter, Xerox, IBM and Veritas. He brings a practical, commercially grounded approach to leadership coaching and facilitation, helping senior teams build stronger trust, alignment, communication and performance.
We partner with a number of trusted associates to deliver on client engagements across their areas of expertise.
Associate Board Advisors
Dr. Ruth Wandhöfer
Associate Board Advisor
Dr Ruth Wandhöfer brings exceptional expertise across cybersecurity, digital finance, technology and regulation, and may selectively support clients on cyber resilience, digital innovation and regulatory strategy.
Deep Dives & Talks: Quantum Resilience & Cybersecurity
Specialist Offering: Regulatory Strategy, Cybersecurity
Dr Ruth Wandhöfer is an Associate Board advisor with Blackheath Advisors, focussing on cybersecurity and regulatory strategy. A recognised authority at the intersection of finance, technology, regulation and cyber resilience, she brings more than 23 years of experience shaping the future of the digital economy. A former senior Citi executive, Ruth now combines a portfolio of board, advisory and investment roles spanning banking, cybersecurity, technology and fintech. She has held board roles with Permanent TSB, London Stock Exchange Group, Aquis Exchange, Gresham Technologies and Digital Identity Net. She has also chaired the UK Payment Systems Regulator panel and advises City of London Corporation and British Standards Institution on growth and innovation. A Visiting Professor at Bayes Business School, she is a sought‑after keynote speaker and author of three books, including Redecentralisation: Building the Digital Financial Ecosystem (2023).
Simon Black
Associate Board Advisor
Simon Black brings trusted board advisory, leadership development, and succession experience, and selectively supports clients on board composition, culture development and leadership coaching.
Deep Dives & Talks: CEO Succession, Leadership & Culture
Specialist Offering: Leadership Coaching, Culture Development. Board Composition
Simon Black serves as an Advisory Board Member of Blackheath Advisors and selectively supports clients with board composition, culture development and leadership coaching. Following his early career in the Royal Navy, Simon was a partner with Russell Reynolds Associates, leading the Financial Services Practice in London and fostering trusted board and executive client relationships across banking, wealth management and insurance. As Founder and Managing Director of 1805, he delivers leadership change, succession and transformation for clients with careful judgement, broad perspective and sensitive execution. He brings specialist knowledge of digital banking and transformation, and has worked extensively across the UK, Australia, the Middle East and the United States. Simon helps clients strengthen board composition, develop healthy leadership cultures and support senior leaders through transition, growth and change.
fscom
Our Partners
We collaborate with a growing network of trusted industry leaders and specialists to provide comprehensive expertise and diverse perspectives.