Founded in 2001, Cairneagle has built a reputation for supporting operators and investors to be more effective by applying an evidence-based and commercial lens to their issues. A six-time winner in the consulting category at the EducationInvestor awards, their work includes working with strategics to re-think their strategies, propositions, business models and ways of working, as well as supporting investors with portfolio reviews, M&A screens, and both buy-side and vendor commercial due diligence.
In 2022, Cairneagle formed a strategic partnership with VWV, a law firm with a strong presence in the education sector. This collaboration has enabled both organisations to broaden their reach and deepen their impact across education professional services. The hires of Ian and Fionnuala reflect Cairneagle’s continued commitment to investing in leading talent and to expanding its business across subsectors, geographies, deal sizes and offering.
Ian Koxvold brings over 25 years of experience in consulting and industry. This appointment marks a return to Cairneagle, where he previously worked from 2007 to 2015 and co-founded the education practice alongside Rupert Barclay. Since then, Ian has led Education Strategy at PwC (2015–2021) and served as Head of Education, Strategy and Corporate Development at Supporting Education Group (2021–2025).
Fionnuala Duggan brings extensive executive and board-level experience in higher education, ed-tech, corporate training, and publishing. She previously held leadership roles at EMI, Macmillan, and Random House, where she led digital transformation and built technology-enabled businesses at scale. She also ran online education and training businesses, delivering growth across B2B and B2C markets and has served on multiple boards across the industry.
Arun Kanwar, Managing Partner, commented, “Their appointments mark an exciting chapter for Cairneagle as we continue to invest in growing our capabilities and deepening our impact across the education landscape. Together, we are looking forward to driving forward our shared vision and delivering even greater value to our clients.”
Ian added, “Cairneagle has already played such a strong part in my career; I am delighted to rejoin my former partners, and have the chance to also work with Fionnuala and an extraordinarily talented wider team. I am very lucky to return to an organisation that has developed far beyond the level at which I left it.”
Fionnuala also commented, “I am delighted to join Cairneagle as part of their respected and capable partnership team. With decades of experience in executive and non-executive roles within education and related sectors, I bring a complementary skill set to Cairneagle. This expertise will further strengthen the valuable insights and guidance we provide to our clients.”
