Team
Jason Briggs
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Jason is Co-Founder & Director of Pyro.Solutions & PyroTalks CIC, Consulting Partner for BWF Europe and Fellow for Halpin Partnership. Previously Jason was Director of Development at Cavendish Cancer Care, Consultant at Graham-Pelton, Head of Research & Insight, and Member of the Senate’s Academic Research Ethics Committee at The University of Sheffield, and Development Coordinator for Learning for the Fourth Age.
Jason is a Committee Member of the Institute of Fundraising, Researchers in Fundraising Committee, is Founding Trustee of Land of Joy raising £1.2m to create a Tibetan retreat centre, and a previous Trustee of Foundation for Developing Compassion & Wisdom, a global education program. He also Chairs the International Temple Project which works for the preservation of Tibetan culture and philosophy, and has served as Visiting Lecturer on philanthropy at The University of Sheffield.
Jason is the recipient of multiple awards. In 2016 he was awarded an Insight in Fundraising Award for innovative work on international philanthropy analytics, and CASE Europe Iain More Award 2017 ‘for emerging development professional’. In 2022, he received Social Enterprise of the Year at the StartUp National Awards as a Co-Founder of PyroTalks CIC. He also holds a 1st Class degree in History & Philosophy and a Diploma in Fundraising Management.
Jonathan Jeffery
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Jonathan is Co-Founder & Director of Pyro.Solutions & PyroTalks CIC and leads on data analytics and education.
Jonathan graduated in 2002 with a First Class Honours Degree in Business studies, specialising in finance, and holds a MSC in Banking and Finance with Distinction.
After graduating, Jonathan worked for a leading firm as a senior investment analyst, specialising in portfolio management and investment analysis, gaining a number of professional qualifications.
Jonathan then moved into higher education and lectured in company analysis, portfolio management and financial derivatives at Undergraduate, Postgraduate and MBA level. He was also appointed as Associate Dean for Education for the University of Sheffield Management school. He left this role in 2022 to focus on Pyro.Solutions and PyroTalks CIC.
.Jonathan has also taught at some of the leading European Business schools, and was a visiting professor at EDHEC University between 2013-2019. He also continues to undertake risk management and treasury consultancy for a number of leading professional bodies and organisations.
Connect > LinkedIn
Joshua Birkholz
Board Member & Advisor
In his nearly 25 years in the industry, Josh Birkholz has been driven to help turn tomorrow’s dreams into today’s realities. Philanthropy inspires him because “giving is the most tangible, collective, and inspiring demonstration of this essential human quality. To enable philanthropy is among the noblest of pursuits.”
Josh, who literally wrote the book on fundraising analytics, has been recognized for his contributions to the field, having received Apra’s Visionary Award, been ranked 4th among the “Top 40 Most Effective Fundraising Consultants” by Business of Giving, and earned CASE’s Crystal Apple Award for Teaching Excellence.
At BWF, he oversees organizational fundraising leadership and innovation, strategic planning and change engineering, enterprise-wide data-driven strategies, campaign management and counsel, and high net worth program development. He has served clients by designing multi-billion-dollar campaigns, conducting advancement-wide strategic planning, building major and principal gift programs, conducting high-touch donor sentiment analysis, and helping to integrate data science and technology to achieve measurable growth.
Connect > LinkedIn
Lauren Mallett
Head Of Operations
Lauren Mallett is our Head Of Operations for Pyro.Solutions, where she is involved in the running of the organisation from client liaison and scheduling meetings to data research and back-end website and CRM editing.
Prior to joining the Pyro.Solutions team, Lauren worked as a consultant advising multiple start-up companies in both administrative and marketing capacities. Lauren has a background of working in management, handling her clients day-to-day business, project management and promotion. Lauren also works with exhibition organisers and helps with the planning and running of large-scale exhibitions in the UK.
Lauren oversees all of the operational activities, handling client communications, allowing the senior team to focus on what they do best. Working with the entire team on strategic planning, ensuring that all operational practices are in place as well as implementing new processes. Lauren also makes sure that the business has the best working environment by keeping documents and processes up-to-date, managing communications between the senior team and providing assistance where required.
Katherine Kneebone
Director of International External Relations
Katherine Kneebone is a specialist in prospect research and development operations. Prior to joining Pyro.Solutions, she was Head of Operations at the British Heart Foundation, and Researcher at the Natural History Museum.
Katherine has a keen interest in data driven prospect research strategies, and leveraging fundraising data to improve return on investment and customer journeys. She has implemented tracking and analytics frameworks for major giving fundraising teams, and developed prospect research strategies for campaigns over £50 million. Additionally, Katherine has a passion for knowledge sharing, and has organised masterclasses in marketing and communications excellence for high value fundraising.
Katherine is a First-Class graduate in History from Brunel University, and recipient of the Timothy Fernyhough prize. She went on to complete her Master’s degree in History: Africa at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) where she graduated with Distinction.
Dom Briggs
Senior Product Management & Design
Dom is an experienced product manager and is head of design at Capsule CRM, a worldwide leading Customer Relationship Management platform. Dom has played a pivotal role during the founding stages of the company when he started over 11 years ago. From a small early stage startup, Capsule has grown to a global success. Dom’s contributions lie in software development, interface design and now product management & strategy, paving the way for Capsule’s unique features and market position.
As a Consultant Dom advises on product direction, design and feature development. Contributing to overall strategy and management of delivery.
Dom graduated from the University of Manchester with a 1st BSc Honours in Computer Science and Business Management, and spends much of his time travelling the globe, mostly settling in South America, while previously living in France and Italy.
Tuna Veysi
Data Analyst, Global
I am a University of Sheffield Alumni from Accounting and Financial Management with 1st Class Honours – specialising in Finance and Capital & Security Markets.
I gained practical experience in analysing and interpreting both financial and non-financial data through my time at the University of Sheffield Investment Society (USIS) Twikker Fund after being part of the team which managed a portfolio with a significant amount of AUM and by writing my own investment reports for my lectures (i.e., Company Analysis and Portfolio Management, Financial Derivatives, and Emerging Markets). Besides, I completed the University of Oxford Saïd Business School Online Algorithmic Trading Programme where I had the opportunity to develop financial coding skills and understand how Machine Learning works.
I am now working with my colleagues at the Pyro.Solutions as a data analyst and helping them to deliver their vision!
Stephen Rowe
Consulting Partner - AUS & NZ
As Consulting Partner, Australia/New Zealand for Pyro.Solutions, Stephen leads on creation and management of customer relationships for the Code tool, in the Australia-New Zealand region. His substantive role is the Head of Prospect Research & Briefing Manager at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia.
Previously, Stephen was a co-founder and President, from 2017 to 2021, of Apra Australia, the first chapter of this member organisation founded outside of North America. He received Apra International’s Margaret Fuhry Award in 2018 for “commitment to the prospect development profession based on his or her leadership, mentorship and volunteerism.” Stephen still enjoys mentoring to this day. Prior to his role at ANU, Stephen was a prospect researcher at the universities of Sydney and Auckland.
Stephen is also the Regional President of Amnesty International Australia’s Activist Leadership Committee for the Australian Capital Territory/Southern New South Wales region.