Dubai, UAE – February 2026 — Hamilton Bradshaw MENA has announced a strategic investment in ELEVION, a UAE based consulting and fractional leadership firm partnering with B2C and B2B companies at defining moments of growth, transformation or strategic change, to turn marketing, customer data, and experience into sustained commercial value.
The investment reflects Hamilton Bradshaw MENA’s commitment to backing founder led, service driven businesses with strong regional relevance, experienced leadership, and the capability to scale sustainably across the Gulf. ELEVION works with startups, scale ups and established businesses at key stages of growth, embedding senior marketing and customer experience leaders within client teams. The firm’s approach combines strategic clarity with hands on delivery, helping leadership teams strengthen execution, build internal capability, and scale faster, more predictably with repeatable growth frameworks. ELEVION was founded by senior operators with deep international and Middle East experience.
Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Elisabetta Aiello brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across Europe, the UK, China, and the Middle East. She has held senior roles at organisations including Starbucks/Alshaya Group, METRO, Deutsche Bank and Ferrero, leading large-scale marketing, digital, CRM, and customer experience transformation programmes across multi-market businesses.
Co-Founder and CEO, Lizzy Johnson, with over 20 years of international experience driving revenue growth, brand repositioning, and digital transformation. She has worked across founder-led, private equity-backed, and multinational organisations in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and the United States. Her background includes senior leadership roles at Heineken, Diageo, and UEFA, and advisory and consulting roles with Deliveroo, Vapiano/McWin Capital Partners, Yas Holding, and Tashas Group, bringing a strong commercial and results-focused approach to growth and value creation.
Commenting on the partnership, Elisabetta Aiello
“Our focus is on supporting leadership teams in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and broader GCC who are navigating growth, transformation, and increasing complexity. The partnership with Hamilton Bradshaw provides long-term backing while allowing us to remain deeply embedded in how we work with clients in the region
Lizzy Johnson added:
“The UAE and wider GCC represent some of the most ambitious growth markets globally. ELEVION was built to help organisations translate that ambition into execution, capability, and sustainable performance.”
James Caan CBE, Chairman of Hamilton Bradshaw, commented:
“ ELEVION is a strong example of a founder led business with the leadership depth and delivery discipline required to succeed in the Gulf. The team understands both the regional context and what it takes to build scalable service businesses.”
Ayman Alashkar, Chief Executive Officer of Hamilton Bradshaw MENA, added:
“ This partnership aligns with our strategy in the UAE and Saudi Arabia to support experienced founders building high quality professional services platforms. ELEVION combines deep operational expertise with a clear and practical approach to growth that is highly relevant to the region.”
With Hamilton Bradshaw MENA’s investment and strategic support, ELEVION plans to expand its presence throughout the UAE and GCC strengthening its leadership bench and extending its ability to support regional organisations with embedded marketing and customer experience expertise.
About Hamilton Bradshaw
Hamilton Bradshaw is a London based private equity firm founded by James Caan CBE, renowned for its people first investment philosophy.
With a focus on professional services, recruitment, and growth stage businesses, Hamilton Bradshaw builds long term value through strategic partnerships, mentorship, and hands on operational support. The firm’s leadership has a strong track record in scaling founder led businesses through access to global networks and disciplined execution.
Hamilton Bradshaw MENA
Chief Executive Officer: ayman@hbpe.com
About ELEVION
ELEVION is a UAE-based consulting and fractional leadership firm operating across the UAE and broader GCC. The firm works with B2C and B2B start-ups, scale-ups, and established organisations during periods of growth, transformation, or strategic change.
ELEVION operates within client organisations, providing senior-level marketing and customer experience leadership across go-to-market strategy, brand positioning, customer acquisition and retention, CRM, and marketing operating models, combining strategic oversight with execution to support measurable commercial outcomes.
