Our Board

Lord Leigh of Hurley Non-Executive Chairman

Howard Leigh is a qualified Chartered Accountant. In 1988 he set up Cavendish Corporate Finance LLP where he remains Senior Partner. In 2000, Howard was appointed as the Chairman of the Faculty of Corporate Finance of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). In 2008 he was awarded the Faculty’s Outstanding Achievement in Corporate Finance award. In 2018, Cavendish merged with finnCap and the new group – finnCap Group plc
– was listed on the London AIM market. He is the Senior Treasurer of the Conservative Party and chairs the Economic Affairs Finance Bill Sub-Committee as well as four charities. In 2013, Howard was elevated to the Peerage as Lord Leigh of Hurley. He joined the Manolete Board in June 2021 and is also a member of the Remuneration Committee.

Steven Cooklin Chief Executive Officer, ACA ACSI CF

Steven founded Manolete in 2009 and is Chief Executive. Steven is a Chartered Accountant having qualified at PwC in 1991. Steven has over 20 years’ experience in corporate finance with National Westminster Bank, Calder Corporate Advisory Ltd and Hill Samuel Investment Bank and is a former director of HSBC Investment Bank (Corporate Finance Division). Steven is an Associate Member of The Association of Business Recovery Professionals.

Dr Stephen Baister Independent Non-Executive Director

Stephen joined Manolete as a senior adviser in 2017 and was appointed as an independent non-executive director the following year. After 15 years in practice as a solicitor and 12 as an appointment taking insolvency practitioner he was appointed as a bankruptcy registrar (now insolvency and companies court judge) of the High Court in 1996 and as chief bankruptcy registrar in 2004. Stephen is a member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists, an honorary member of the Insolvency Lawyers Association and an honorary Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Credit Management of which he is also president. He sits as a deputy ICC judge in London and acts as a mediator.

Annie Devoy Independent Non-Executive Director

Annie Devoy was appointed to the Manolete Board in January 2022 as an Independent Non-executive Director, Chair of the Audit Committee and Remuneration Committee member. Annie is a qualified Chartered Accountant. She was a Partner at PwC from 2002 to 2020 and a member of the executive leadership team for PwC’s Tax, Legal and People Advisory services business. Previously Annie led PwC’s UK Transfer Pricing Network and was part of the firm’s Global Transfer Pricing management team. Annie retired from PwC in 2020 and remains a trustee for PwC’s legacy Defined Benefit pension funds.

Mena Halton Managing Director

Mena qualified as a solicitor in 1985 and has specialised in contentious insolvency throughout her career. Mena joined Manolete in 2014 and is Manolete’s Head of Legal. Mena is ranked Band One for insolvency litigation funding in the Chambers and Partners Litigation Support Guide 2022, 2023 and 2024 and is a member of the Insolvency and Companies Court Users’ Committee. She joined the Manolete Board as Managing Director in June 2022.