The Board

Richard Admiraal
Director and Business Owner
Richard Admiraal
Director and Business Owner
Richard is a founding partner and director at The Route, starting it in 2000, after holding senior management positions in several retail financial services companies. He is responsible for formulating and delivering the overall business plan. He provides input and guidance into the ongoing evolvement of the Member Proposition and the club concept, to ensure that The Route puts client satisfaction at the forefront of its operational decision making.
Prior to establishing The Route, Richard was an equity partner at a Private wealth Management company, responsible for both client relations and the management of advisors. He started work in the City after completing a degree in Business Studies at the University of Bath.

Lisa McLeod
Head of Operations
Lisa McLeod
Head of Operations
Lisa oversees all operations at The Route. In partnership with the executive management team, she assists in creating effective working practices to support The Route’s mission and goals. She has oversight responsibility for operational efficiency and applies an ongoing review process to ensure a ‘Best in practice’ approach.
Prior to The Route, Lisa worked in banking, accountancy and financial services, gaining a wealth of experience in operational support, administration and management.

Alan Gunner
Company Secretary
Alan Gunner
Company Secretary
Alan has been company secretary for The Route since its inception. He has been qualified as a Chartered Accountant for over forty years. Following his time in the profession, Alan held financial positions in a variety of industries including retailing, clothing importing and financial services.
He has previously been a Finance Director in a publicly quoted company and, in 2002, formed his own consultancy practice to provide accountancy services.

Richard Admiraal
Director and Business Owner
Richard is a founding partner and director at The Route, starting it in 2000, after holding senior management positions in several retail financial services companies. He is responsible for formulating and delivering the overall business plan. He provides input and guidance into the ongoing evolvement of the Member Proposition and the club concept, to ensure that The Route puts client satisfaction at the forefront of its operational decision making.
Prior to establishing The Route, Richard was an equity partner at a Private wealth Management company, responsible for both client relations and the management of advisors. He started work in the City after completing a degree in Business Studies at the University of Bath.

Lisa McLeod
Head of Operations
Lisa oversees all operations at The Route. In partnership with the executive management team, she assists in creating effective working practices to support The Route’s mission and goals. She has oversight responsibility for operational efficiency and applies an ongoing review process to ensure a ‘Best in practice’ approach.
Prior to The Route, Lisa worked in banking, accountancy and financial services, gaining a wealth of experience in operational support, administration and management.

Alan Gunner
Company Secretary
Alan has been company secretary for The Route since its inception. He has been qualified as a Chartered Accountant for over forty years. Following his time in the profession, Alan held financial positions in a variety of industries including retailing, clothing importing and financial services.
He has previously been a Finance Director in a publicly quoted company and, in 2002, formed his own consultancy practice to provide accountancy services.
The Team

Will Carpmael
Relationship Manager
The Route – Property
Will Carpmael
Relationship Manager
The Route – Property
Will works as a Relationship Manager in The Route – Property. He is responsible for the delivery of the Buy-To-Let Service to The Route’s Members who are interested in equity property investment. He assists each Member in negotiating the marketplace, liaising with service providers and for further developing the Member offering.
Will has over 20 years’ financial services experience, having traded equities for investment banks and hedge funds. He read mathematics at Jesus College, Cambridge and enjoys cricket, tennis and country life.


Kyleigh Lynch
Private Debt Platform Manager
The Route – Finance
Kyleigh Lynch
Private Debt Platform Manager
The Route – Finance
Kyleigh works for The Route – Finance managing the Private Debt Platform’s portfolio of tasks enabling Member participation in Secured Loan raises. This involves ensuring that the raise processes are efficient and effective in bringing the projects to The Route’s Members, and completings each loan raise. Kyleigh has worked in financial services since 2005 .

Simon Pimblett
Head of Research & Monitoring
Simon Pimblett
Head of Research & Monitoring
Simon is Head of Research and Monitoring at The Route. This involves internal product development and due diligence, as well as managing The Route – Finance’s Secured Loans projects to conclusion. He is also responsible for producing much of the internal & external comment on financial matters, including newsletters and reports. Simon attended the University of Manchester, where he studied Management Science. He joined the financial services industry in 1987 and specialises in technical aspects.
Simon joined The Route in 2003 as a specialist technical adviser.

Katanya West
Business Manager
The Route – Finance
Katanya West
Business Manager
The Route – Finance
Katanya works in The Route – Finance, managing the Private Debt Platform’s portfolio of tasks for Secured Loan raises for The Route’s Members. This involves ensuring that it follows an efficient and effective process to bring projects to Members and completing each loan raise.
Katanya joined the financial services industry in 1989, working in customer services at various banks, and mortgage administration for a brokerage. She joined The Route in 2002.

Richard Wilkinson
Consultant
Richard Wilkinson
Consultant
Richard has acted as a consultant to both The Route’s Board & Senior Management Team since 2014. His expertise has assisted in better delivering the overall business plan and developing The Route’s corporate culture.
Richard is a graduate of Oxford University and the Cass Business School (CBS). His career has spanned positions globally in both finance and industry. Richard has been a mentor and guest lecturer in Structured Finance for the MBA programme at CBS.
He has a senior practitioner level Post Graduate certificate in coaching board level executives and entrepreneurs. In 2015, he completed an Executive Masters in the Neuroscience of Leadership, and has been a Non-Executive Director on the boards of public and private companies based in the UK and overseas.

George Poole
Private Debt Platform Analyst
The Route – Finance
George Poole
Private Debt Platform Analyst
The Route – Finance
George is responsible for the origination of Secured Loan projects for The Private Debt Platform.
His role involves working with brokers and intermediaries to source new opportunities for the Platform and provide underwriting support to assess each project’s suitability for lending purposes.
After completing a work placement at The Route in 2017, as part of his four year course in Business Administration at the University of Bath, George joined the team full time in 2020.

Gareth Pulman
Head of Business
The Route – Future
Gareth Pulman
Head of Business
The Route – Future
Gareth is Head of The Route – Future and responsible for delivering regulated financial advice and planning solutions to Members. In conjunction with The Route – Membership, he works with new and existing Members during the Member Integration and Annual Service Plan.
Having worked in financial services for 25 years and as a Financial Advisor for the last 15, Gareth has a wealth of experience advising High Net Worth Individuals and Family Offices both on and off-shore.

Will Carpmael
Relationship Manager
The Route – Property
Will works as a Relationship Manager in The Route – Property. He is responsible for the delivery of the Buy-To-Let Service to The Route’s Members who are interested in equity property investment. He assists each Member in negotiating the marketplace, liaising with service providers and for further developing the Member offering.
Will has over 20 years’ financial services experience, having traded equities for investment banks and hedge funds. He read mathematics at Jesus College, Cambridge and enjoys cricket, tennis and country life.

Henry Hair
Head of Business
The Route – Membership

Kyleigh Lynch
Private Debt Platform Manager
The Route – Finance
Kyleigh works for The Route – Finance managing the Private Debt Platform’s portfolio of tasks enabling Member participation in Secured Loan raises. This involves ensuring that the raise processes are efficient and effective in bringing the projects to The Route’s Members, and completings each loan raise. Kyleigh has worked in financial services since 2005 .

Ella Mcleod
Administrator
The Route – Future

Simon Pimblett
Head of Research & Monitoring
Simon is Head of Research and Monitoring at The Route. This involves internal product development and due diligence, as well as managing The Route – Finance’s Secured Loans projects to conclusion. He is also responsible for producing much of the internal & external comment on financial matters, including newsletters and reports. Simon attended the University of Manchester, where he studied Management Science. He joined the financial services industry in 1987 and specialises in technical aspects.
Simon joined The Route in 2003 as a specialist technical adviser.

Katanya West
Business Manager
The Route – Finance
Katanya works in The Route – Finance, managing the Private Debt Platform’s portfolio of tasks for Secured Loan raises for The Route’s Members. This involves ensuring that it follows an efficient and effective process to bring projects to Members and completing each loan raise.
Katanya joined the financial services industry in 1989, working in customer services at various banks, and mortgage administration for a brokerage. She joined The Route in 2002.

Richard Wilkinson
Consultant
Richard has acted as a consultant to both The Route’s Board & Senior Management Team since 2014. His expertise has assisted in better delivering the overall business plan and developing The Route’s corporate culture.
Richard is a graduate of Oxford University and the Cass Business School (CBS). His career has spanned positions globally in both finance and industry. Richard has been a mentor and guest lecturer in Structured Finance for the MBA programme at CBS.
He has a senior practitioner level Post Graduate certificate in coaching board level executives and entrepreneurs. In 2015, he completed an Executive Masters in the Neuroscience of Leadership, and has been a Non-Executive Director on the boards of public and private companies based in the UK and overseas.

George Poole
Private Debt Platform Analyst
The Route – Finance
George is responsible for the origination of Secured Loan projects for The Private Debt Platform.
His role involves working with brokers and intermediaries to source new opportunities for the Platform and provide underwriting support to assess each project’s suitability for lending purposes.
After completing a work placement at The Route in 2017, as part of his four year course in Business Administration at the University of Bath, George joined the team full time in 2020.

Gareth Pulman
Head of Business
The Route – Future
Gareth is Head of The Route – Future and responsible for delivering regulated financial advice and planning solutions to Members. In conjunction with The Route – Membership, he works with new and existing Members during the Member Integration and Annual Service Plan.
Having worked in financial services for 25 years and as a Financial Advisor for the last 15, Gareth has a wealth of experience advising High Net Worth Individuals and Family Offices both on and off-shore.