Richard Kennerley

Richard is a highly experienced Financial Services CEO with a strong track record in capital raising, risk management and corporate governance, built across banking, private equity-backed growth businesses and specialist finance in the UK and Asia-Pacific. He is currently leading the growth of Sandfield Capital, a specialist litigation funder, and is raising institutional capital to support its next phase of expansion.

A career corporate and structured finance banker, Richard held senior roles at Hill Samuel Merchant Bank and Clydesdale/Yorkshire Banking Group, where as UK Head of Corporate and Structured Finance he focused on the mid-market M&A sector, raising and structuring multibillion £ debt and equity solutions for private and institutional investors, working closely alongside private equity sponsors.

In 2009, Richard relocated to Australia, joining National Australia Bank (NAB) – one of Australia’s “Big Four” banks – as State Head for Queensland. Over a decade across the Asia-Pacific region, he led large-scale commercial and corporate banking operations, overseeing a multibillion-dollar balance sheet and multi-disciplinary teams of up to 2,500 people.

He subsequently moved into private equity-backed financial services as CEO of two portfolio businesses, leading one through an IPO process before the onset of Covid-19. This period sharpened his experience in fundraising, strategic execution and stakeholder management within highly scrutinised, investor-facing environments.

Alongside his executive roles, Richard held non-executive and governance positions across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, including with Australia’s largest mutual bank, several charities, and the Brisbane Broncos Leagues Club – giving him broad exposure to governance frameworks, regulatory oversight and complex stakeholder management.

Since returning to the UK in 2020, Richard has specialised in litigation finance, bringing deep expertise in credit risk management, governance, compliance and capital raising to Sandfield Capital, where he has built the confidence of both law firm partners and institutional funding providers.

Richard brings more than 35 years of international financial services experience across the UK, Australia and the wider Asia Pacific region, combining institutional banking expertise with hands-on leadership of private equity-backed and regulated financial services businesses.

He is a qualified banker and corporate treasurer and holds a Masters-equivalent qualification in FinTech from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.