An Experienced Team

Karl Parl

Karl Paul - Karl spent ten years in financial services before going into business. He is hugely passionate about Mergers & Acquisitions.

Mark Callaghan

Mark Callaghan - Mark worked for Hewlett Packard before becoming a serial Entrepreneur and Business Leader, buying and growing businesses.

Peter Howarth

Peter Howarth - Peter has an Engineering background, working for Rolls-Royce before going into Tech, E-commerce and Digital Marketing.

Martin Hargreaves

Martin Hargreaves - Martin is an experienced Finance Director, he worked for ITEC Connect growing and exiting them to Xerox in 2020.

Executive Team


Karl Paul - Chairman

Karl Paul

Karl is a results focused, growth hungry and highly creative solution finder.

Experienced in driving growth in many sectors, with vast experience in marketing, lead generation and financial services. Karl is equally comfortable challenging the Board or analysing financial statements, as he is devising a strategy for growth and improved profitability.

After stepping out of the day-to-day of Smarter Media in November 2020, his full focus is now on M&A, creating opportunities, driving shareholder value and supporting charities and worthy causes.

Having personally bought and sold five businesses, his focus is purely on developing the group through acquisition and helping other business owners maximise their value.

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Mark Callaghan - CEO

Mark Callaghan

Mark is an innovator and serial entrepreneur with a growth mindset, who can help you to grow your business. An experienced Managing Director, he provides valuable guidance for Founders and owners on their journey to exit.

Mark worked for Hewlett Packard before going into business. He bought his first business in 2001 selling it three years later and buying British Corner Shop, then a fledgling e-commerce business.

As CEO, Mark brought together a top team and grew the e-commerce business into a multi-award winning £25M export platform, winning the Queen's Award for International Trade and delivering British food worldwide.

With experience in Leadership, Management and Sales, Mark is a people person with a keen eye for placing the right people in the right roles.

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Peter Howarth - CTO

Peter Howarth

Peter is an E-commerce Director and CTO with 20 years experience in full stack software development, web technologies and digital marketing. He is an Engineer, with a Marketing brain.

After gaining his Masters degree in Aeronautical Engineering (MEng) from the University of Bristol, Peter worked at Rolls-Royce on military gas turbine engine design.

Focusing on Software Engineering, he moved to Data Systems & Solutions, Rolls-Royce's Joint Venture IT centre for excellence, working on service delivery platforms and becoming Corporate Webmaster.

Peter found his calling in e-commerce, and went into business first managing an online retail start-up before co-founding British Corner Shop in 2004, where he built the technology platform and ran the digital marketing function, and grew the Direct to Consumer e-commerce business to £16M revenue.

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Martin Hargreaves - CFO

Martin Hargreaves

Martin is a highly experienced CFO and brings a wealth of experience, having excelled during his nine-year tenure at ITEC Connect, a prominent Managed Technology provider in the Southwest.

At ITEC Connect, Martin's journey began as Finance Director and later as Managing Director, where he played a pivotal role in driving substantial growth. Through a strategic blend of acquisitions and robust organic expansion, he propelled ITEC Connects revenues from £10 million to £45 million.

Under his leadership, Martin transformed ITEC Connect from a Managed Print provider into a comprehensive Technology Partner by diversifying their service portfolio. In 2020, this success culminated in the acquisition of ITEC Connect by the Xerox Corporation for £36.1 million. Martin led the integration of the ITEC business into Xerox while simultaneously spearheading the UK sales team.

With his extensive expertise in mergers and acquisitions, Martin will be instrumental in advancing Smarter Capital's growth trajectory, and shaping strategy.

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Advisors To The Board


Ash Kandhari - Group Director, Rex Brown

Ash Kandhari

Ash has over 20 years experience in the consumer goods sector and has spent the past 12 years working with global brands and marketplaces to help accelerate their growth online.

From 2012-2016 he helped build Groupon's newly formed goods business to over $1bn GMV.

Subsequently, as Rex Brown's CEO he has been responsible for repositioning the business as an integrated E-commerce solutions business, servicing numerous high profile brands and clients such as Unilever, L'Oreal, P&G, BP, Nestle and Kimberly-Clark.

More recently Ash has been leading the groups activities in social commerce with partners such a TikTok.

Connect on LinkedIn Rex Brown

Vertical Leaders


Gavin Alexander - Managing Director, E-commerce

Gavin Alexander

With over 20 years of experience, Gavin is a seasoned E-commerce leader and Managing Director who has driven significant growth for brands like Victoria's Secret, The Watches of Switzerland Group, Alfred Dunhill, and Arcadia Group.

His expertise in developing and implementing E-commerce strategies has consistently increased sales and brand visibility.

He excels in managing E-commerce operations, optimising online platforms, and leading cross-functional teams to achieve business goals.

Passionate about leveraging digital channels for sustainable growth, he continuously seeks innovative strategies to drive revenue and profitability.

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Do you want to grow & exit your business?

We are looking to acquire profitable businesses in the Digital Marketing, E-commerce, B2B Distribution, Technology and IT Services & Support sectors, which have growth potential.

If you are an owner of a business that fits our criteria and you are looking to maximise the value of your exit in the next few years, we would love to start a conversation.


Get in Touch