Associate Partners
At Lagercrantz & Lombardi Advisers, we collaborate with a select group of Associate Partners — seasoned professionals who bring deep expertise in governance, leadership, and strategy. These trusted specialists complement our advisory work, offering insights tailored to the evolving needs of boards and leadership teams.
Each Associate Partner has a proven track record in corporate governance, executive development, and board effectiveness, ensuring our clients benefit from world-class expertise across industries and disciplines.
Cate Poulson, UK
Cate Poulson brings two decades of experience in board formation, governance, and leadership performance. With a background spanning executive search, private equity, and consulting, she helps boards and executive teams build capability and deliver value through people.
Following early roles in executive assessment with Korn Ferry International, Cate joined 3i Private Equity to support the evaluation and development of portfolio company boards. She later spent 12 years at BGF, the UK’s most active growth capital investor, where she created and scaled the BGF Talent Network — one of the largest board-focused value creation platforms in the European private investment market.
Cate has advised across the investment cycle, developed frameworks for board evaluation and leadership assessment, and recruited over 400 Chairs and Non-Executive Directors.
She is currently an independent Non-Executive Director at the ScaleUp Institute and continues to advise boards and leadership teams on governance and performance.
Cate holds a BA (Hons) from University of Oxford.
Alison Purdue, UK
Alison Purdue brings a rare blend of governance expertise, strategic insight, and a deep understanding of leadership dynamics. With 25 years of experience spanning corporate and consulting roles, she helps boards and executive teams strengthen governance, culture, and leadership impact.
As Chief of Staff and Head of Global Programmes at Vodafone Group Plc., Alison led strategy, governance, and communications across 26 countries. Since 2018, she has advised public and private companies on board effectiveness, corporate governance, and sustainability, as well as coaching over 30 C-suite leaders to enhance their impact.
Alison holds an MBA, a Master’s in HR Management, and a qualification in Business Sustainability from the University of Cambridge. She is an endorsed ICF Executive Coach and holds a diploma in Corporate Governance.
Lena Eriksson, Sweden
Lena Eriksson is a seasoned corporate governance advisor with deep experience in board work, legal leadership, and governance development across complex organisations.
She advises boards and management teams on how to clarify governance structures, strengthen board effectiveness, and create more efficient decision-making processes. Her assignments have covered financial institutions, companies, and not-for-profit organisations in Sweden and internationally, including governance reviews, board evaluations, board composition, director induction, information flows, policies, and Board secretary functions.
Before becoming an independent advisor, Lena spent more than two decades in senior legal roles at Nordea. From 2003 to 2018, she served as General Counsel of the group, one of Europe’s largest banks, following several leadership positions within Nordea’s legal function.
In addition to her advisory work, Lena is regularly engaged as a lecturer, panellist, coach, and leadership development advisor. Between 2021 and 2025, she also acted as senior advisor to Nestor Advisors Ltd, a London-based corporate governance consultancy later integrated into Sodali & Co.
Lena holds a legal degree from Uppsala University.