Who we are
BABR was founded by Paul Bailey and Tom Ahmad in 2007, founded on trust and a mission to deliver impactful solutions.
As a team of trusted Insolvency Practitioners, BABR take pride in empowering people to overcome financial challenges. We strive to create a culture where clients feel comfortable discussing their problems, and we provide them with the courage to resolve them.
We value doing the right thing and believe in providing helpful services whilst always maintaining a professional approach. Our handpicked team look at solutions through a business recovery lens, always striving for positive change and success for every client, whatever that may be.
We cherish the authentic relationships that we have nurtured with local accountants, finance directors and business founders, many of whom we have partnered with for decades. We stand by our ethos of becoming part of your advisory and support network and delivering impact, every day.
As a licensed and regulated firm by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, we adhere to the highest standards of professionalism. We are also proud to be a member of R3 – The Association of Business Recovery Professionals.
Meet our team
Paul Bailey
Paul is a qualified Insolvency Practitioner, licensed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and is a member of R3 the Association of Business Recovery Professionals.
With more than 30 years’ experience, having worked in a big four accountancy practice, a leading firm of insolvency practitioners in central London and co-founding BABR, Paul is a renowned corporate recovery and turnaround specialist.
During his career, Paul has worked on a range of assignments spanning large-scale reconstructions to the wind-down of solvent and insolvent companies and dealing with the estates of bankrupt individuals.
Tom Ahmad
Tom is a chartered certified Accountant and a licensed Insolvency Practitioner who commenced his career working at a leading firm of insolvency practitioners in central London before co-founding BABR in January 2007.
Tom has worked on a wide range of corporate assignments, with a focus on owner-managed and sole trader businesses.
He also has experience dealing with the estates of insolvent individuals and assisting the effective implementation of Voluntary Arrangements between companies/individuals and their creditors.
Steve Broom
Steve has been working in banking since he left school in 1987. His career started at Barclays and for over 20 years, he worked in their Retail, International & Private, and Commercial banking divisions. After that he spent a few years working with Clydesdale Bank and then 10 years with Metro Bank.
In his 36 years of banking Steve has always been very customer focussed as a relationship banker and commercial finance broker. Today he enjoys the freedom that comes from no longer being tied to the whims, appetites and policies of one lender.
The years of dealing with businesses from all sectors and sizes means Steve understands the needs and challenges directors face in skilfully navigating the market to find the best finance deal. Steve has two daughters at university and spends time at the gym and walking the much-loved family dog
Matt Reeds MABRP
Matt joined the team at BABR in October 2021, having worked in the insolvency profession for over 20 years. He recently reactivated his insolvency licence to become licensed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. As well as being a licensed Insolvency Practitioner, he’s a member of the Association of Business Recovery Professionals.
Matt passed the Joint Insolvency Examination Board examinations in 2014 and is passionate about sourcing solutions for companies and individuals who find themselves in financial distress.
Matt was born in and lives in Poole, Dorset with his wife, young daughter and their rescue cat named Whisky. Outside work, Matt can be found on the terraces of AFC Bournemouth and Poole Town FC, where he has had match day roles at both clubs for several years.
Kirren Keegan MABRP
Kirren joined BABR in 2023. He is an appointment-taking Insolvency Practitioner and is used to dealing with a range of challenges associated with scaling businesses and handing acquisitions.
At BABR he will continue to focus on providing high quality and tailored assistance and advice to business owners, whilst sharing a great depth of knowledge and support to BABR and his colleagues.
Louise Crampton
Louise has over 20 years generalist HR experience. Starting her career in recruitment, she broadened her skill set to cover Employee Relations, Learning & Development and Organisational Development when she worked with the Arcadia Group. More recently, Louise has worked with a variety of SME’s and is passionate about supporting growing businesses as they scale.
Louise has been working with BABR since 2018 and has launched a variety of people-based initiatives including workplace wellbeing, digitising people operations and supporting the transition to hybrid and virtual working models.
Outside work, Louise relaxes either in the garden, walking her cocker spaniel, Milo or watching Beckenham Town FC and Crystal Palace FC.
Irvine Turner
Irvine joined the BABR team in August 2021 as a case administrator, having graduated from Essex university with a 2:1 BSc in Economics. His role at BABR is to oversee onboarding and client care, guiding people through the insolvency process.
Irvine aspires to take full advantage of the BABR talent track and centre his career around insolvency and aim to obtain the Certificate in Insolvency and further qualifications.
Away from work, Irvine loves playing or watching sport wherever possible. He’s a keen cricketer, captain at his local club and loves the social side of sport. He also loves to travel and experience new cultures and foods, always seeking to see more of the world.
Tony Connor
INSOLVENCY MANAGER
Tony has more than 25 years’ experience in business recovery and insolvency and joined BABR in 2008 having previously worked for a small number of mid-tier practices. As insolvency manager, he guides the team to focus on progressing cases through to distribution and where appropriate closure.
Tony’s proud moment was entering a competition with 250,000+ participants to win a weekly prize in The Telegraph’s Fantasy Football!
Dwayne Brathwaite
Dwayne joined the BABR team in January 2022 to head up the company’s business development model. Dwayne has a rich background in business development, sales and client services having worked across several organisations. He then progressed to be a business development executive within research and development tax relief.
He’s now plying his trade within BABR, coupling this experience with a bachelor’s degree in software systems for art and media from the University of Hertfordshire. Dwayne is a keen networker across the local southeast area, introducing himself and sharing knowledge on how BABR might support local businesses and individuals in the future.
Outside work Dwayne has spent time volunteering with the Metropolitan Police as a special constable. He has a passion for cooking and on weekends he’s either agonising over how his beloved Arsenal football club are getting on or donning his dancing shoes ballroom dancing to Cuban salsa.
Sarah Broom
Sarah joined BABR in April 2018 as a case administrator, following an initial interview during a 20k walk for charity! She specialises in Members Voluntary Liquidation’s (MVLs) and works diligently to support the team and strives to consistently provide excellent customer service.
Sarah worked for Barclays for 16 years and spent the last few years there specialising in credit risk. She became an attendance officer in a very busy primary school for 11 years, which proved an incredibly varied role.
Sarah is keen to keep active and loves watching and playing sport. She values going on holiday with family and friends. She’s been white water rafting on four different continents and done a bungee jump in New Zealand and can’t wait to get back out there again!
Harrison Jacques
Harrison joined BABR in May 2020 as a case administrator. In 2019, Harrison graduated with a 2:1 in Law with European Legal Studies from the University of Hull. During his degree he studied in the Netherlands for one year as an exchange student at the University of Utrecht, living like a local!
Harrison kick started his career in Leeds, working as a paralegal at Ward Hadaway law firm before joining BABR to build a career and professional reputation in insolvency. He is currently studying for the Certificate in Insolvency which he aims to pass in 2023 to fast-track into the profession.
Harrison loves running and cycling. He follows the Tour de France closely and had previously cycled up Mont Ventoux, a mountain in the Provence region of France. He also loves spending time with friends and family, making the most of the weekends together.
Teah Mitchell
Teah joined the BABR team in June 2022 as a trainee client manager in the onboarding team. She graduated in 2020 with a 2:1 in Criminology. Her main focus within the company is liaising with directors to find the relevant information to place a company into voluntary liquidation.
Teah intends to further her career within BABR by making the most of the professional training courses on offer continuing to work across the different disciplines of BABR to gain more experience and expertise within insolvency.
Outside of work, Teah loves to travel and experience the culture and diversity of other countries. She also enjoys going on long walks and taking part in the global treasure hunt of Geocaching.
Katie Tew
With over 25 years of experience in supporting senior executives, Katie joined BABR in April 2021 as an Executive Assistant. In late 2022, she transitioned into the role of Sales & Marketing Lead, contributing to the development of a self-sustaining business within BABR Group by spearheading marketing and sales strategies, fostering product innovation, and prioritising client satisfaction.
Katie’s role encompasses overseeing efficient operations of the business and engaging in strategic tasks and project management, refining internal processes, managing IT relationships, and providing operational support across accounting, HR, and office management.
Katie is married and lives with her husband and daughter in Gloucestershire. A fun fact about Katie is that she’s ridden a Grand National Winner!
Molly Dunn
Molly joined BABR in February 2023 as a case administrator. She studied law at Aberystwyth University and then went on to achieve a master’s in law with the LPC LLM at the University of Law London. Molly also spent time living in the Netherlands as part of her Batchelors degree, followed by some time with an NGO in Nepal.
Molly spent two years working in insolvency before a stint in the charitable sector working for a charity she feels very passionately about. She is now looking forward to continuing her career in insolvency, obtaining the Certificate in Insolvency and further qualifications.
Outside of work Molly enjoys spending time with her family, cooking and having her beloved Everton FC ruin her weekends.
Sue Pyne
Sue joined the team in March 2023 as Insolvency & Compliance Manager and has over 20 years’ experience in both corporate and personal insolvency. She has previously been involved in technical and compliance training which compliments a keen interest in personal development.
Sue is looking forward to getting back to her case management roots as well as continuing with her passion for training and development in her role at BABR.
When not at her desk Sue can be found walking in the local countryside, throwing some weights around at the gym and, during the summer months, trying to stay upright on a wakeboard. Sue lives on the Wiltshire/Hampshire border with her daughter and her three dogs.
Charlotte Beauchamp
Assistant Insolvency Manager
Charlotte joined BABR in May 2023 and has over 20 years’ experience in the Insolvency Sector dealing with both corporate and personal insolvency.
She is looking forward to the new challenge of managing a case team as well as taking control of her own case load. Charlotte is very keen to engage in the training programme and further her career with BABR.
Charlotte lives on the edge of the New Forest with her family and spends her spare time walking her dogs and reading.
Andrew Everett MCICM
Sarah Ellis
Sarah started working within Insolvency as an Office Junior and progressed her career from there. Having taken a break from the profession for a few years, she joined BABR in October 2023. She’s looking forward to being part of our dynamic team, getting to know our clients, and supporting them through the insolvency process. Sarah is keen to expand her knowledge and skills further and possibly take insolvency and AAT exams.
Sarah hails from the steel city of Sheffield, is a Sheffield United fan, loves animals, and has taken in a stray dog, much to her cat’s dismay! Living on the doorstep of the Peak District, Sarah loves the open air and TransPennine trail walks and has recently joined a running club.
Artur Moura
Artur brings a unique perspective to his role as Process Engineer at BABR that stems from his diverse background and interests. Before transitioning into process improvement, Artur served as a firefighter where he learned the importance of preparation, decisiveness, and teamwork when responding to emergencies. He also previously worked as a Data Scientist in a health/fitness tech company gaining first-hand experience innovating in the industry.
In his role today, Artur leverages the skills from these experiences to optimize workflows, automate processes, and integrate artificial intelligence. His mission is to increase efficiency, and position BABR for future growth.
Outside of work, Artur enjoys activities like traveling, reading, surfing, and scuba diving that provide new perspectives and constant learning. He also studied history, literature, and philosophy in high school which honed his critical thinking abilities and developed a passion for understanding diverse viewpoints.
Artur’s multifaceted background enables him to approach process engineering with creativity and a solutions-oriented mindset. His experiences have molded an analytical yet adaptable thinker who can improve and future-proof BABR operations.
Bernelle Mitchell-Cundy
Bernelle joined the BABR team in September 2023 as an Account Manager on the Debt Solutions team. She graduated with a law degree and began her career within the Insolvency sector dealing with both personal and corporate cases.
As well as 5 years Insolvency experience, Bernelle has over 18 months involvement within debt solutions working with lenders and SME’s to maximise recoveries. She is keen to expand her knowledge in this area and become CICM qualified.
Outside work, Bernelle loves to travel and visited 7 countries in 1 year! She enjoys spending time with family and friends and keeps fit with body combat classes and boxing; an interesting fact, she boxed in the ABA Championship Finals back in 2008.
Fiona Conway
Senior Leadership Team EA
Karen McKinney
Nichola Burns
Nicki is a licensed insolvency practitioner and chartered certified accountant who started working with BABR in January 2024. She has almost 30 years’ experience in insolvency and restructuring and has worked with a number of firms in that time, including 19 years at Deloitte.
Nicki has worked on a wide range of corporate and personal insolvency assignments, and with her knowledge and experience provides compliance support and assistance to the firm.
Rebecca Danby
Rebecca joined BABR as an Insolvency Onboarding Administrator in February 2024. She is based in Yorkshire’s “Last of the Summer Wine” country, boarding the Peak District.
With 20 years of experience in conveyancing, Rebecca is a perfect fit for our onboarding team and works alongside our insolvency practitioners, case management team, and clients.
When she’s not working, Rebecca loves spending time with her family and participating in all manner of charity events. She has signed up for the Leeds Half Marathon (again) and has previously completed The Great North Run!
Natasha Connor
Natasha joined BABR as a Relationship Manager in March 2024, having previously worked in banking for nearly three decades. Her career began at Barclays retail and developed to positions in international, private, and wealth divisions, culminating in a credit risk debt recovery role.
Natasha spent 10 years as a relationship manager, focusing on a portfolio of international corporate and personal wealth clients, later specialising in oil and mining companies based in South and West Africa. Natasha was also a restructuring and recoveries manager for 12 years, supporting businesses experiencing financial distress. She enjoyed engaging with insolvency practitioners, lawyers, and service providers to recover payments for Barclays. Her work also included debt restructuring and monitoring. Her experience is perfectly aligned to working at BABR, where she will use her extensive skill set and expand her knowledge in debt recovery and commercial finance.
Natasha has identical twin boys who keep her busy, and she loves travelling with family and friends as well as going to music concerts, the theatre and art galleries.
Lesley Braidford
JUNIOR INSOLVENCY ADMINISTRATOR
Testimonials
We were recommended to BABR, and after engaging with Sarah, I must say I was very impressed. The process was managed in a highly professional and efficient manner. Sarah was proactive and kept us informed at every stage.
