Philip was appointed Chairman of Merlin in March 2009. He is counsel to the Directors, particularly on matters of business development.

Philip was Vice-Chairman of Investment Banking at NM Rothschild from 2001 until his retirement in September 2008, having originally joined NM Rothschild in 1979 as a Corporate Financier, becoming a Director in 1986. He subsequently became a Managing Director and later Co-Head of Investment Banking.

During his distinguished career with NM Rothschild, the bank made significant progress in repositioning itself as a leading global advisory firm and a permanent fixture at or near the top of the major M&A league tables.  He was accordingly involved in numerous transactions, including the sale of Chubb to Williams, Northern Foods’ acquisition of Express Dairies, the IPOs of Vodafone and William Hill, the defence of BPB plc against a hostile bid from St Gobain, and the sale of Abbot Group plc to First Reserve.

Philip qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG after graduating from Christ Church, Oxford. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, and a member of the Advisory Board at Carlton Partners LLP.