TEAM

Demetri M Christou

CEO and Finance Director

Demetri M Christou founded CMB Partners in 2008. Having started his career as an insolvency cashier in the Corporate Recovery department of a top 50 firm of accountants, Demetri found that he had a passion for insolvency. This enthusiasm and dedication allowed him to work his way through the ranks at small and medium sized firms before he decided to co-found CMB Partners.

Demetri has an extensive knowledge of all aspects of insolvency, with particular expertise in providing tailored guidance, including accounting and legal advice, on the best options to resolve a company’s issues when in distress.
Where possible, he will often provide solutions to improve the financial performance and return the business to a position of stability.

Demetri’s energy and perspective have been vital to the success CMB. He is dedicated to the development and growth of the practice whilst also having a commercial, practical and hands-on approach to work at CMB. This ensures that our clients are confident that insolvency assignments will be handled in a professional and efficient manner.

Between running CMB and spending time with his family, Demetri is not left with much spare time. But when he can find a moment, he will be found watching Arsenal FC or managing a youth football team. Let’s not forget the Star Wars geek in him, with all the memorabilia in his office and his love for all things Art.

Lane Bednash

Director / Licensed Insolvency Practitioner

Lane qualified as a chartered accountant in 1990 and then went on to train as a licenced insolvency practitioner for a further four years, qualifying in December 1994. Since that time, he has held a full insolvency licence and is fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, a fellow of the Insolvency Practitioners Association and a fellow of the Association of Business Recovery Professionals. Lane joined CMB Partners in 2011.

Over his long and varied career, he has dealt with all types of insolvency, as well as acting as the firms nominated money laundering reporting officer. He has regularly lectured to insolvency practitioners on behalf of R3, their professional body, and for many years ran North London CPE providing vocational training and legal updates to insolvency practitioners.

A highly respected member of the insolvency profession, Lane has always strived to provide incisive, practical and impartial advice to directors, to debtors, to creditors and to other key stakeholders.

As a result of his extensive experience, he has been approached to act on several landmark cases over the years. Whilst he has acted as one of a team of Administrators in a £245m fraud case involving a 26-week High Court trial, Lane is just as happy acting as a Liquidator of a small non-contentious one-director company. He also is keen to promote the rescue and turnaround culture and counts among his successes, securing His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs approval to a Company Voluntary Arrangement proposal for a business facing a winding-up petition after starting to trade in 1685.

When insolvency is not the centre of Lane’s world, you will find him pursuing his passion for all types of motorsports, for football and for contemporary art and design.

Adam Price

Director / Licensed Insolvency Practitioner

Adam is a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner who is licensed to carry out work in the UK by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales. He is bound by the Insolvency Code of Ethics.

Having started in insolvency in 2008 (following graduating with a degree in Economics) with a boutique firm in Hampshire, and obtaining his CPI qualification in 2010 Adam joined, what became, a large multi-national insolvency/advisory practice in January 2013 and rose from being a Senior Administrator to Senior Manager.. Having qualified as an insolvency practitioner in 2018, Adam joined CMB Partners in August 2019 as a Senior Manager and subsequently obtained an insolvency licence in May 2020. Adam was appointed to the board of directors of CMB Partners UK Limited on 1 December 2023.

Adam has significant expertise in dealing with a wide variety of matters from small insolvent liquidations to large offshore and multi-national matters and is keenly involved in keeping up to date on compliance matters and the ever evolving landscape of the regulatory and legal frameworks. He also has significant expertise in dealing with creditor negotiations (including with HMRC) and in dealing with large and complex solvent liquidations. He is heavily involved in trying to promote the work undertaken by insolvency practitioners to the general public and the wider business community via mediums such as LinkedIn.

Adam enjoys the challenge of problem solving and provides a supportive and collaborative approach to dealing with directors, individuals and referrers.

Career highlights include the pre-packaged sale of a women’s health centre, the solvent liquidation of a complex entity; involving the distribution, in specie, of property and shareholdings, the successful payment of all creditors in full (plus statutory interest) from an insolvent liquidation and the pursuit and recovery of substantial s.127 voidable transactions via a compulsory liquidation.

Outside of work he is a keen movie buff and collector of trainers (which now take up an entire room!) and enjoys travelling as much as possible.

Grant Meadows

Practice Manager

Grant is a restructuring specialist and has worked in the insolvency profession since 2001. Before joining CMB Partners, he had previously worked on all types of corporate and personal insolvency procedures, both at medium-sized national practices and boutique firms. During this time, Grant obtained his Certificate of Proficiency in Insolvency (CPI).

Since joining CMB Partners UK Limited Grant has managed a varied case portfolio, across the whole spectrum of corporate and individual insolvencies and financial restructuring. Grant has dealt with numerous cases, from the initial set up to the eventual closure, which have been in a wide range of diverse sectors and these have ranged from anywhere between small family run businesses to large corporate clients.

In 2019, Grant was promoted to a manager position and was subsequently promoted to practice manager during October 2023. This has resulted in Grant becoming an integral member of the existing management team, whereby he has provided further experience to support client requirements and assist with the ongoing work and development of the practice.

Grant is a friendly and approachable member of staff, with a strong ability for assisting clients through what can be quite difficult, traumatic and challenging times. Grant understands that financial issues are not just about the numbers, they are about the people who are involved, so he seeks to support clients on that basis.

Away from the office, Grant tries to watch his beloved Southend United Football Club play as often as he can and he also tries to attend as many rock concerts as his wife will let him. In addition, Grant also likes to socialise with family and friends, whenever possible.

Stephen Nicholas

Insolvency Administrator

Stephen began his professional career working in the accounts department of a finance company, whilst also obtaining his AAT qualification.

In need of a change, he joined CMB in May 2013 as an insolvency administrator and he has worked his way up the ranks. Stephen is a quick learner and is now handling his own caseload of both solvent and insolvent liquidations.

When not at work, he enjoys spending time with his friends, family and going on long hikes with his dog, Roxy.

Jodie Thompson

Insolvency Administrator

Jodie joined CMB Partners in 2019 and assists in all stages of the formal solvent and insolvent processes, with particular experience in solvent Members’ Voluntary Liquidations.

Currently Jodie heads up the solvent liquidation department, working closely with directors, shareholders, accountants and other fellow professionals to achieve the client’s goal. Her ability to work under pressure and with timed, client imposed deadlines, is truly an asset and strength.

Jodie is friendly and approachable and is an organised and dedicated member of the CMB team who is conscientious and passionate about completing the day-to-day tasks associated with her portfolio of cases.

Outside of work, Jodie enjoys spending time with her family.

Currently on maternity leave.

Safa Riaz

Insolvency Administrator

Safa worked in the legal industry after completing her law degree at the BPP University law school and developed key skills related to the understanding of how businesses’ operate, dealing with conflict, meeting deadlines and negotiating with clients.

Safa is a corporate insolvency specialist, and has a breadth of experience. Her expertise includes dealing with a portfolio of corporate insolvency matters from cradle to grave.

Safa is an Administrator in the corporate insolvency team, having joined in 2022 and has amassed over five years’ experience between her previous role in insolvency and her current position. She deals with key stakeholders of small to medium sized businesses in a wide range of sectors including hospitality, technology consultancies, and professional services.

Safa holds the Certificate of Proficiency in Insolvency (CPI). She works on matters from initial engagement through to closure and has experience of dealing with complex matters, including working on investigations.

Safa takes a pragmatic approach and enjoys finding solutions for clients by guiding them through challenging times.

Outside of work, Safa enjoys spending time with family and friends and travelling.

Emilio Panayiotou

Insolvency Administrator

Emilio joined CMB Partners UK Limited in August 2021. He graduated from the London Metropolitan University, gaining a degree in Accounting and Finance, before pursuing a career in Insolvency.

He began his career in Insolvency in 2016 and, through his drive and passion for this field he passed the Certificate of Proficiency in Insolvency (CPI) exam in June 2018.

Emilio serves as a Senior Insolvency Administrator, managing a portfolio of cases from appointment to closure and has experience in both corporate and personal insolvency, specialising in Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidations.
In his spare time Emilio enjoys five-a-side football, and is an avid Liverpool supporter.

Zaneta Skworzec

Insolvency Administrator

With a strong academic foundation, having attained a degree in Business Management Accountancy, Zaneta began her professional working career with CMB Partners in 2021, utilising her comprehensive understanding of financial analysis, accounting principles, and legal regulations, in the insolvency environment.

Zaneta has worked on all matters from initial engagement through to closure and has gained experience with complex insolvency, whilst studying and successfully obtaining her Certificate of Proficiency in Insolvency (CPI).

In addition to her expertise in corporate insolvency, she also possesses valuable experience in personal insolvency matters. Her approach is both compassionate and professional and Zaneta thrives on assisting individuals facing financial difficulties.

Zaneta is friendly and approachable, with the strong ability to communicate complex financial concepts in a clear and concise manner.

In her free time, Zaneta loves spending time with and taking care of her Ragdoll cats and enjoys long hikes on the weekends with family and friends.

Sean Emmett

Insolvency Administrator

Sean is a restructuring specialist; his expertise includes dealing with individual and corporate restructuring matters from start to finish.

Sean is a Manager in the corporate restructuring and insolvency team and is based at our London office. He has a wide range of experience dealing with all types of insolvency work, achieving successful outcomes for creditors. He has a proven track record in drafting voluntary arrangements (individual and company), working with debtors and their creditors to arrive at a positive outcome for both them and their creditors.

Sean started his career in 1989 with a large national practice and has advised individuals through to PLCs, focussing on SMEs. In his free time, he enjoys cycling, walking and kayaking.

Panos Symeou

Insolvency Administrator

Panos has been working at CMB since May 2023, after graduating from the University of Portsmouth with a degree in Mathematics with Statistics.

Since starting he has gained valuable experience in all matters insolvency and has put his numerical knowledge, mixed with his determination to learn the applicable insolvency processes, into day-to-day use.

Panos heads up our closure department for all closures across the practice.

In his free time Panos enjoys playing football and watching the latest films.

Toby Horne

Insolvency Administrator

Toby has been working at CMB since October 2023, having graduated with a law degree from Royal Holloway University.

During the course of his law degree, Toby studied elements of corporate insolvency law, which sparked his enthusiasm for a career in the insolvency world.

As a Junior Administrator, he is now involved in all aspects of the insolvency process, working on both large and small cases, applying his legal knowledge to his daily duties.

In his free time Toby enjoys playing rugby and bingeing on retro Zelda games.