Richard Kennerley

Richard Kennerley is a highly experienced financial services CEO with a strong track record in senior leadership, risk management, corporate governance and capital strategy across banking, private equity–backed businesses and specialist finance.

A career corporate and structured finance banker, Richard held senior leadership roles at Hill Samuel Merchant Bank, NatWest and the Clydesdale/Yorkshire Banking Group. In 2009, he relocated to Australia, where he joined National Australia Bank (NAB), one of Australia’s “Big Four” banks, serving as State Head for Queensland. In this role, he led large-scale commercial and corporate banking operations, overseeing complex portfolios and multi-disciplinary teams.

Richard later transitioned into the private equity–backed financial services sector, where he served as Chief Executive Officer of two portfolio businesses. One of these businesses progressed through an IPO process under his leadership until the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. This period strengthened his experience in strategic execution, stakeholder management, fundraising and operating in highly scrutinised environments.

During his decade in Australia, Richard also held a number of non-executive and governance roles, including board positions with several charities, Australia’s largest mutual bank, and the Brisbane Broncos Leagues Club. These roles provided extensive exposure to governance frameworks, regulatory oversight and diverse stakeholder engagement.

Since returning to the UK in 2020, Richard has specialised in the litigation finance sector. He brings deep expertise in credit risk, governance structures, capital raising and turnaround strategy, supporting Sandfield Capital’s responsible growth and the confidence of both law firm partners and funding providers.

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