Experienced Leadership Driving Strategic Expansion

Our directors bring extensive experience across corporate finance, international business, academia, innovation leadership, environmental consulting, and strategic M&A. Together, they guide the company’s transformation into a high-growth holding group with global ambitions.

Mark Aaron Hardwicke

Director
Nationality: British
Date of Birth: December 1976

Professional Overview

Mark Aaron Hardwicke is a highly experienced British business executive and entrepreneur with an impressive 29-year record in strategic corporate development, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate finance lead advisory. His career spans numerous SMEs where he has held operational, leadership, and advisory roles.

Mark is known for leading complex financial transactions, structuring multi-sector acquisitions, and supporting both private and institutional investors in high-value deals.

Current Roles

  • Chief Operating Officer – Cotswolds Capital Ltd
  • Director – Distribution Products (International) Ltd
  • Director / Secretary / CEO – Human Magic Ltd
  • Director – PH. Creative Name Co Ltd

Corporate Finance & M&A Expertise

Mark has delivered a full spectrum of M&A transactions including:

  • Corporate acquisitions and disposals
  • Management buyouts (MBOs)
  • Management buy-ins (MBIs)
  • Fundraisings across start-up, development, and growth capital

His international client base includes:

  • Owner-managed companies
  • Private equity groups
  • Corporate entities
  • High-net-worth individuals

He has advised on transactions across heavy engineering, biotech, manufacturing, media, software, logistics, construction, event management, security, clothing, travel, and information technology—supporting deals up to $1.1 billion in value.

Business Interests

  • Person with Significant Control (PSC) for Only Pure Ltd
  • PSC for Distribution Products (International) Ltd
  • Active involvement in consultancy, management, and investment-led companies

Professional Notes

Mark’s businesses typically operate with lean, efficient structures, reflecting his practical and hands-on entrepreneurial style. Earlier career and education details are not publicly disclosed.

Summary

Mark Aaron Hardwicke contributes deep expertise in M&A, strategic development, and diverse international business management—skills central to driving the company’s acquisition-led growth strategy.

Dr. John William Sutherlin, PhD

Non-Executive Director / Advisor
Nationality: American

Biography

Dr. John W. Sutherlin is an American academic, environmental consultant, researcher, and innovation leader with an international professional footprint. He serves as Chief Innovation & Research Officer and Professor of Political Science at the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM), where he leads university-wide research, innovation, and commercialisation initiatives.

Education

  • BA – Louisiana Tech University
  • Master’s Degree – University of New Orleans
  • PhD – University of New Orleans
    Specialisation: International Relations & Comparative Government with an environmental policy focus

Academic & Professional Roles

  • Chief Innovation & Research Officer, ULM
  • Professor of Political Science, ULM
  • Co-Founder & Director, Social Science Research Laboratory (SSRL)
  • Former Director of Sponsored Programs & Research

Innovation & Commercialisation

Dr. Sutherlin leads ULM’s innovation ecosystem, supporting:

  • Technology licensing
  • Public–private partnerships
  • Research commercialisation
  • Innovation policy
  • Sustainability initiatives

He negotiated ULM’s first technology licensing agreement, a milestone in the university’s intellectual property development.

Environmental & International Consultancy

Dr. Sutherlin has led environmental and policy projects in:

  • Middle East
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Latin America

His work includes lake remediation projects in Dubai, water-treatment policy research, and sustainable development initiatives.

Publications

Author of multiple environmental case-study books:

  • Playing With Fire – The Strange Case of Marine Shale Processors
  • Garbage Gumbo – The Strange Case of the Belle Landfill

He is currently completing a third volume on industrial animal-waste systems.

Documentary Film Production

As a filmmaker, Dr. Sutherlin has produced or directed 28 documentary films, many focusing on environmental issues, rural communities, and social change.

Patents & Innovation Leadership

He is a patented inventor and actively supports technological advancement across ULM’s research programs.

Awards & Recognition

  • Two-time “Professor of the Year” (ULM Student Government Association)
  • Tom and Mayme Scott Endowed Professorship in Teaching Excellence
  • Harvard Kennedy School executive leadership training
  • Finalist for Louisiana’s Secretary of Environmental Quality
  • Listed on the Fulbright Specialist Roster

Professional Philosophy

Dr. Sutherlin encourages fearless innovation, collaboration, and research that improves real-world communities—particularly in the American Delta region.