Meet the team
The people behind the work
Jonathan leads Practice Edge's client engagements, working directly with firm leaders on the priorities that shape how their firms develop and grow. Around him, a group of experienced collaborators and advisers contribute in the specific areas that shape how professional services firms develop their people and their client relationships. That includes research and insight, executive coaching, facilitation, financial strategy, bid management and transformation.
Jonathan Lancaster
Principal
Jonathan Lancaster helps firm leaders build the skills, behaviours and capabilities to differentiate their services, compete successfully and develop more valuable client relationships.
He set up the business that became Practice Edge in 2016. He brought substantial experience of winning work in competitive and regulated environments, spanning start-ups, PLC technology companies and consulting. Four years with a specialist culture consultancy deepened his understanding of how leadership and culture shape what changes inside organisations.
In 2020, while looking for a new accountant for his own business, he noticed a pattern. His research and interviews across law and accounting showed it was widespread: most firms were competing in similar ways and missing the opportunity to build more valuable client relationships across the firm.
His clients include top 20 and mid-sized firms in the UK, Ireland and internationally, and global networks of member firms. For one network, he has developed guidance on competing for and winning more valuable work, made available to more than 200 member firms worldwide. Other work includes supporting firms on the role of culture in audit quality under the International Standard on Quality Management (ISQM).
He has co-designed and delivered programmes for emerging leaders, and continues to oversee them as they expand across countries and regions. Participants have brought new ways of working back to their firms, improving performance and results.
He is also a trained executive coach and experienced group facilitator.
Collaborators and Advisers
Neil O'Brien
Mastermind Facilitator
Neil O'Brien is a Chartered Management Accountant and published author who has worked with more than 250 professional services firms and business owners. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience, he helps firms grow profitably and with focus. His work blends financial and behavioural understanding with practical tools such as 80:20 analysis and pricing strategy to identify and act on priorities that deliver measurable improvement. Neil facilitates structured Mastermind programmes that encourage reflection, accountability, and progress.
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Duncan Emery
Integration and Value Optimisation
Duncan Emery is the Managing Director of Emery Quinn, a specialist firm that supports clients through significant strategic and operational change. With over 25 years of experience, he has delivered transformation across global manufacturing, industrial, and service organisations. Earlier in his career, Duncan spent six years with McKinsey & Company before moving into senior roles, including Global Operations Director and COO. His expertise covers mergers, acquisitions, and post-integration value creation, helping firms improve performance, strengthen leadership, and realise long-term gains.
Philip Brady
Executive Coach and Leadership Facilitator
Philip Brady is an experienced executive coach, leadership facilitator and 2x TedX speaker. Over the past 15 years, he has worked with senior leaders across international financial services, including a long-standing relationship with Citi on talent, learning, and leadership development. His approach combines presence-based coaching, physiological awareness and practical leadership tools to strengthen communication, decision-making and resilience in complex environments. Philip works with firm leaders and the next generation on the development that shapes how they lead and perform.
Jim Irving
Co-founder | Adviser
Jim Irving is a retired business leader, author, and mentor with more than 40 years of experience in sales and business growth. As a former UK Managing Director for a global software company, he led teams through complex, high-value transactions and strategic change. Over the past decade, Jim has shared his experience through mentoring start-ups and SMEs and as an Entrepreneur in Residence at Catalyst, Northern Ireland Science Park. He is the author of three Amazon bestselling business books. Jim played a key role in shaping Practice Edge in its early years and now supports the team in an advisory capacity.
Fiona Norman
Research and Strategic Insight
Fiona Norman is the Managing Director of FN Research and an experienced market research and insight specialist with more than 35 years’ experience supporting organisations to make evidence-led decisions. She works with professional services firms to bring structured research into leadership discussions, helping them understand how they are experienced by clients, teams, and stakeholders, and how this shapes performance over time. Fiona supports Practice Edge clients through research that informs direction, positioning, and internal alignment during periods of growth, change, or integration.
Kevin McNulty
Fractional CFO | Adviser
With more than two decades of international business experience, spanning ten years in accountancy practice and the rest in industry, Kevin McNulty specialises in strategic business planning, data analytics, and financial performance. His background in chemistry, food technology, and pharmaceuticals across Ireland and Europe gives him a distinctive blend of technical and commercial insight. Kevin has developed budgets exceeding £500 million, led financial due diligence on deals up to £130 million, and helps firms turn financial data into actionable insights that improve profitability and growth.
Noel Clerkin
Executive Coach and Team Facilitator
Noel Clerkin has been practising as an executive coach and team facilitator since 2002, following a career in financial services across Dublin, Paris, London, and New York. He works with senior leaders, founders, and HR directors to help them lead effectively, manage change, and build alignment within their teams. Noel's international experience and pragmatic style make him a valued resource for leaders who want to strengthen collaboration, culture, and performance across their firms.
Jules Alexander
Project and Bid Management
Jules Alexander brings over a decade of experience in project management, business development, and competitive bid strategy across professional services and construction. A certified proposal management professional (CF APMP), she has supported teams at Deloitte and other leading firms across the UK, Ireland, and EMEA. Jules combines structure and clear communication with a collaborative approach that keeps projects aligned, efficient, and outcome-focused from start to finish.
Get in Touch
Tel: +447931 944 288
Practice Edge Ltd
94F Hamilton Road
Bangor, BT20 4LG
Company registered in Northern Ireland with company number: NI674011
