30 Years in Gaming
15 Years in Media
50 Years in Business
Founder and Chief Executive
Matthew Wheeler has been a leading figure in the commercial and investment sector of international sport for over 30 years as a senior executive, entrepreneur and adviser working with clients in Europe, North America and Asia.
He has chaired six private equity backed businesses in the sport and leisure sector and has advised some of the largest international private equity funds (including Bridgepoint, CVC, Advent, KKR, Permira and Cinven) on billion-dollar transactions. He has sat on the boards of two professional football clubs (Eintracht Frankfurt and DC United) and in 2022 helped CVC set up the Gujarat Titans IPL team.
Matthew is a former professional cricketer with Northamptonshire and for 10 years until he stepped down in 2019, was on the board and Non-Executive Chairman of the Professional Cricketers Association in England and Wales. He lives in London but spends significant time in both Mumbai and New York
Co-Founder and Managing Director
Head of America and Director
Andrew is Head of North America at A&W Capital, where he leads the firm’s regional growth and advisory efforts, and oversees its New York office.
Prior to A&W, he founded 1896 Partners, advising operators and investors across the global sports and entertainment ecosystem, with engagements spanning soccer, basketball, as well as combat, racquet, Western, and college sports.
Until 2023, Andrew led Strategy & Corporate Development at WWE, shaping global business strategy including media rights, sponsorship, etc. He also led WWE’s venture activities, including investments in Premier Lacrosse League and JomBoy Media, and served as board observer for Cloud9 and FloSports.
Earlier in his career, he was a management consultant at The Parthenon Group, supporting private equity and corporate clients on growth and investment strategies.
Andrew holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a BA in Economics from Georgetown, where he was a four-year varsity rower.
Director
Having qualified as a Chartered Accountant at KPMG, Doug has spent 25 years working in corporate finance, the last 10 of which have been dedicated to the sports and entertainment sectors.
Doug’s mandates have covered a broad range of advice including public and private market M&A, financing, re-structuring, strategic reviews, structuring and valuation. Doug has advised a broad range of clients including buyers and sellers of teams (including a significant number of European football clubs), global sports federations, financial institutions and sovereign wealth funds.
Doug has also acted as a corporate finance expert witness to the High Court of London.Doug holds a first-class degree in Economics and Finance from University of Manchester where he graduated top of his year and was a KPMG and Arthur Andersen prize winner
Vice President
Anirban joined A&W Capital’s Mumbai office in mid-2020 to help with our India platform build-out.
Prior to joining us, he had close to 7 years of experience in the world of investment banking spread across bulge bracket (J.P. Morgan) and a couple of boutique shops. He is an MBA from IIM Kozhikode and is an engineering graduate from DCE.
An amateur sportsperson, he loves to play cricket over the weekend and has a new-found love for Frisbee and Darts. Occasionally when he is not wasting time watching Instagram reels, he can be found reading books on behavioral psychology and philosophy.
Vice President
Associate
Associate
Lucile joined A&W Capital in 2026, bringing over six years of experience across private equity investing and M&A advisory in London, advising European and US clients. Prior to joining the firm, she worked at Ardian, CIBC, and Accelerate Ventures, advising founders, financial sponsors, and corporates on transactions spanning venture capital to buyout.
She has advised on a range of consumer and sports transactions, including investments in high-growth sports technology companies and strategic advisory mandates for professional football and rugby teams.
Lucile is French and trilingual, having lived in France, Argentina, and the US. She studied at Boston University and Audencia Business School. Outside of work, she competes in long-distance triathlon, including the World Championship in Kona.
Head of Operations & Finance
Sunny Altincik is a qualified Chartered Accountant with a strong track record in scaling finance and operations across international, multi-entity organisations.
She trained with BDO and has over 8 years of experience across finance, operations and business management. Prior to joining A&W Capital, she held senior finance leadership roles within the healthcare sector, overseeing multi-entity organisations and supporting strategic decision-making through financial planning, analysis and operational oversight.
As Head of Finance and Operations, she is responsible for the firm’s financial management, operational processes and governance across its international offices. She works closely with the leadership team to support the continued growth and development of A&W Capital.
Associate
Anmol brings with him a long-standing passion for finance and markets. Prior to A&W, Anmol spent close to 1.5 years at Allegro Capital, where he gained broad experience working with a wide spectrum of institutional investors, including several global private equity firms.
A self-described finance nerd from the very beginning, he developed an early interest in capital markets through hands-on exposure during his undergraduate years, including internships across investment banking and trading roles.
Anmol is a graduate in Commerce from SRCC, Delhi, and holds an MBA from IIM Bangalore. Deeply curious by nature, he enjoys tracking businesses and markets closely and is known for his strong grasp of stock prices and valuations.
A keen follower of sports across disciplines, the Olympics are a particular favourite for him. Outside of work, Anmol is an avid chess enthusiast, plays squash regularly, and enjoys experimenting in the kitchen—often trying his hand at cooking almost anything
Analyst
Ned Rae Smith is an Analyst at A&W Capital. Prior to joining the firm, he interned as an Acquisitions Analyst at Starwood Capital, where he gained experience evaluating real estate investments and supporting transaction execution across multiple asset classes.
Ned studied Economics at Dartmouth College, where he also rowed competitively for four years as a member of the varsity crew team.
Senior Advisor
With more than three decades of experience in the global games and digital entertainment industry, Matt brings deep operational, strategic, and investment expertise to A&W Capital.
During his tenure at Electronic Arts (EA), he played a senior role in building and scaling one of the world’s leading interactive entertainment companies, contributing across strategy, operations, and global market execution. His leadership supported the launch and growth of iconic franchises including EA SPORTS, FIFA (now EA Sports FC), Need for Speed, Plants vs. Zombies, and EA Originals.
Throughout his career, Matt has led high-performing international teams, developed strategic partnerships, and driven innovation in highly competitive markets by leveraging emerging technologies and operational discipline. He now manages an active Angel Fund and serves as an Investment Partner at LVP, a venture capital firm focused on early-stage gaming and digital media. At A&W Capital, he applies this experience to identify, support, and scale high-quality businesses with long-term growth potential.”
Senior Advisor
Rupert read law at Exeter University and qualified with Bird & Bird in 1988. He joined IMG soon afterwards and started his career in media rights and production. After setting up and running European Tour Productions, IMG’s most successful JV, his responsibilities expanded to include IMG’s global golf business with clients including The R&A, Ryder Cup, European Tour, USGA, PGA of America and LPGA. He oversaw hundreds of golf productions (including 15 Ryder Cups) highlighted by a BAFTA for the 2016 production of The Open.
In 2013, Rupert was promoted to EVP and his responsibilities expanded to include Wimbledon. In 2018, he was appointed Board Director of SNTV (a JV with Associated Press) which he subsequently chaired and Euroleague Basketball. In 2020, Rupert was appointed Head of Sports Management with responsibility for all IMG Media’s global clients across multiple sports including golf, tennis, football, NFL, basketball, table tennis, cycling, volleyball, sailing and snooker. He retired from IMG in 2024.”
Senior Advisor
Matt is a global operator, advisor, and investor with over 20 years of experience navigating cross-border transactions between India and international markets.
He was part of the founding team at Saavn, helping build the company from inception to exit, raising more than $200 million from institutional investors including Tiger Global, Bertelsmann, Liberty Media, and Wellington.
As founder of MAE Advisors, Matt provides strategic guidance to entrepreneurs and companies across media, entertainment, and technology. He is also founder of ELK Camp Ventures, supporting over 70 companies across technology, media, and life sciences. He is based between Mumbai, Toronto, and New York.
Senior Advisor
Former Chairman of Liverpool Football Club, Former Deputy Chairman of the International Consolidated Airlines Group. Previously Chairman of British Airways for a decade and he was CEO and Executive Chairman of British American Tobacco plc (BAT) for 11 years and was the President of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) from 2007-09.
Sir Martin has had significant involvement in sport for many years. With BAT, he oversaw the start-up of a Formula One team which was subsequently purchased by Honda. He also served as an Independent Director of the British Horseracing Board (BHB) before becoming its Chairman and overseeing its transformation into a regulatory board.
At the BHB, he was at the forefront of pushing a more coherent strategy for the horseracing industry and utilizing his political skills to pull together the diverse interests of the primary stakeholders (owners, trainers, and operators) together. As Chairman of Liverpool Football Club he was responsible for the sale of the club to its current owners
Analyst
