What we do
Penelope Ventures supports strategic development, transactions and change management in the global events industry and related sectors
Meet the Team
Denzil Rankine is the founder of Penelope Ventures
Our Services
CLIENTS
PV continues to work with Stax as well as with other clients
About Denzil Rankine
Denzil Rankine is the founder of PV. He has 40 years of experience in strategic development, change management and transaction support. Supporting players across the global events industry eco-system. He has worked on the ground in over 30 countries.
Highlights
Early Career
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Denzil’s early career included supporting UK companies with their entry into North America, with a focus on industrial products. Travelling extensively, he has visited 49 States
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He then joined The Seer Group, a management consulting firm founded by former Deloitte partners
AMR International
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In 1991 Denzil founded AMR International, a pioneer in commercial due diligence, supporting acquirers with acquisitions
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AMR worked across industries, but by 2000 Denzil chose to focus predominantly on events, media and information
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Denzil drove the international expansion of AMR, opening offices in Paris, Frankfurt and New York, where he also lived for a period
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Denzil supported many hundreds of transactions across the size range. Larger deals included the merger of Informa and UBM, the largest in the history of the events industry
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In addition to corporates, he also supported numerous PE funds with their events deals. These ranged from the largest such as Blackstone and Providence through to the lower mid market
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Denzil also pushed the agenda for the transformation of the industry and supported performance improvement programmes of events businesses, working on each of the world's major continents
Stax and Penelope Ventures
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In 2022, Stax acquired AMR International primarily for its presence in London and continental Europe
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Denzil continued full time with Stax, while also founding Penelope Ventures (PV) for his continuing Non-Executive (Outside) Director (NED) work
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In 2024 Denzil reduced his time with Stax, focussing more on NED and Advisory roles
Non-Executive (Outside) Director roles and Advisory
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Denzil has held NED roles since 2000. Notable examples include Leisure Pass Group, Easyfairs and Montgomery Group
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From 2024 Denzil has engaged in advisory roles through PV, working with businesses across the events ecosystem both in the US and Europe
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Denzil also supports select causes Pro Bono
Authorship and thought leadership in events
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Denzil is author of six M&A related books, including Acquisition Essentials and Why Acquisitions Fail
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He is also co-author of Reinventing Live – The Always-on Future of Events
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Denzil is a recognized thought leader in the global events industry, setting the agenda for its transformation with concepts including Exhibitions 2.0, Exhibitions 3.0 and Community Catalyst
