Fast Track research team

Research team


	Eva Gronbech - Head of research Eva is responsible for managing the Fast Track research. Prior to joining Fast Track in 1999, she worked for companies such as Kuwait Petroleum and Maersk Line. She has a masters in politics from Oxford University, and a degree in business from Copenhagen Business School. Email: eva.gronbech@fasttrack.co.uk

	Rachael Barriga (née Gale) - Senior research manager, Buyout Track 100 Rachael is responsible for researching companies, including managing the Buyout Track 100. She previously spent seven years working in qualitative research, both within the UK and overseas, for clients including Pfizer, Accenture and The Commonwealth Bank of Australia. She has a degree in French from Royal Holloway, London University.

	Ying Chen - Senior research manager, Top Track 250 and Profit Track Ones To Watch Ying is responsible for researching companies, including managing the Top Track 250 and the Profit Track Ones To Watch. She previously helped set up the Beijing subsidiary of French consultancy Metizo, and managed HR for City Centre Bistros. She has a masters in HR from Oxford University's Said Business School, and a degree in English from Beijing Foreign Studies University.

	Naomi Colegate - Business researcher Naomi is responsible for researching companies, writing profiles and conducting interviews, primarily for the Tech Track 100. She previously worked as a recruitment consultant for Robert Half International in London, and has a degree in Social and Cultural Studies from Nottingham University.

	Michael Cook - Senior business researcher and freelance manager Michael is responsible for researching and identifying private companies and for managing Fast Track's team of freelance researchers. He previously worked for NatWest Bank as a senior tax consultant, and has held various positions in US Embassies abroad.

	Will Laws - Senior business researcher Will researches companies and writes profiles, primarily for the Buyout Track 100. He trained as a chartered accountant whilst working for PricewaterhouseCoopers’ international tax group, before specialising in writing and managing competitive bids for the firm. He is an associate member of the ICAEW, and has a philosophy degree from the University of Durham.

	Helen McNicoll - Business researcher Helen is responsible for researching companies and writing profiles, primarily for the Top Track 250. She previously worked as a business analyst for technology start-up Pursuit Dynamics, and at the UK office of Parsons, an American conglomerate. She has a degree in English literature from UCL, and is studying for an MSc in international business at Birkbeck College.

	Julia Paolitto - Business researcher Julia is responsible for researching companies and writing profiles for the Fast Track 100. She has a background in journalism and publishing from the US, and has undertaken freelance work for management consultancy firms. She recently completed her doctoral degree in English at Magdalen College, Oxford University, and has an undergraduate degree in history from Yale.

	Beryl Parmenter - Case study co-ordinator Beryl is responsible for providing administrative support to the research team and co-ordinating case study visits to league table companies. She has eighteen years' experience in the publishing industry, and previously worked in the Netherlands for DHL, Netherlands Railways and Indivers. She has an RSA Diploma in German and French.

	Kirsty Ray - Research and case study co-ordinator (on maternity leave) Kirsty is responsible for providing administrative support to the research team and co-ordinating case study visits to league table companies. She has ten years' experience in the IT industry, and was previously a computer hardware product manager at Research Machines. Kirsty has a degree in Geographical Information Systems from Kingston University.

	Helen Turnbull - Senior researcher Helen is researching companies for the Profit Track 100, and is responsible for the case study programme on that league table and on the Top Track 250. She is on secondment from PricewaterhouseCoopers, and has a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University.

	Lindsay Uppadine - Research manager, Tech Track 100 and Profit Track 100 Lindsay is primarily responsible for researching technology companies, and for co-managing the Tech Track 100 and the Ones to Watch programme on Profit Track 100. She previously worked as a research associate at Library House in Cambridge; and spent three years as a post-doctoral research chemist at the Université Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France. She has a doctorate and masters in chemistry from Oxford University.

	Catherine Wheatley - Freelance journalist Catherine works part time for Fast Track writing feature articles for the Fast Track Sunday Times' supplements. She has written for The Sunday Times, The Sunday Express, The Independent and Scotland on Sunday. She was previously the New York correspondent and enterprise editor at Sunday Business. She has a degree in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University.

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