Edward, known as Eddie to his clients, is the Managing Director of Marfire and focuses on providing Directorship and Token Administration Services to web3 funds, DAOs /foundations and OpCo’s.

In his previous role, Eddie served as an Audit Director at KPMG in the Cayman Islands, where he fulfilled the engagement leader role signing external audit opinions for some of the world’s largest digital asset and asset management funds. He was a founding member of KPMG's digital asset sub-practice helping develop the methodology, tools and resources now used globally by KPMG. Eddie has over 10 years of external audit experience, leading digital asset and asset management clients including a wide range of both onshore and offshore investment management structures, strategies, and investment products in both the digital asset and traditional asset management sectors.

Eddie had his first experience with digital assets in 2016, initially effecting an arbitrage trading strategy with Bitcoin. This led to a deep dive into Bitcoin, and eventually the larger ecosystem with Eddie’s interest now being predominantly in the DeFi sub-sector, where he personally enjoys experimenting with liquidity pools, lending protocols and other DeFi activities across multiple blockchains.

Eddie grew up in South Africa, where he completed his education in accounting and finance.

Eddie has been a resident of the Cayman Islands for over 10 years, giving him a keen insight into the mechanics of navigating offshore jurisdictions and a deep knowledge and network of both offshore and onshore service providers.

Qualifications:

o   Bachelor of Commerce – Accounting (University of KwaZuluNatal) 2010

o   Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting (University of KwaZuluNatal) 2011

o   Chartered Accountant CA (SA)

o   Member of the Cayman Islands Institute of Professional Accountants

Oliver is the founder of Marfire.

Prior to founding Marfire, Oliver was an attorney for over 15 years. Most recently, Oliver was a Partner of Walkers’ Cayman Islands office where he specialized in the structuring of offshore blockchain projects as well as the establishment of digital asset funds.

Leveraging off his prior experience as an attorney in the digital asset space, Oliver provides specialist, offshore directorship services to token issuers using Cayman foundation structures, and to digital asset funds.

Oliver is a permanent resident of the Cayman Islands.

Admitted as an Attorney in (but not practising):
Cayman Islands – 2018
British Virgin Islands – 2011
Supreme Court of England and Wales – 2008
Professional Qualifications:
Legal Practice Course, The College of Law (UK)
Graduate Diploma in Law, The College of Law (UK)
Bachelor of Arts in Economics, University of Durham (UK)

Kate is a South African-qualified Chartered Accountant with extensive international experience in financial leadership. After relocating to the Cayman Islands in early 2009, she joined KPMG as a Manager before moving to Walkers Professional Services in 2011 to cut her teeth in the role of a Financial Controller. Kate then joined DMS Governance (now Waystone) in 2012, where she ultimately served as Director of Finance until mid-2020.

Kate later became the Chief Financial Officer of Doctors Hospital, serving from 2020 to 2021. Since 2021, she has been involved in the Web 3 space, serving as the CFO of Marfire, a Web3 governance company. In addition, she holds CFO roles with Autonomous Projects and Architech, both boutique Web3 consulting firms.

Known for a strategic mindset and a dependable, steady-handed approach, Kate is a trusted financial leader for startups and emerging businesses, especially those operating in innovative and fast-evolving industries.

Qualifications:

o   Bachelor of Commerce – Accounting (University of Cape Town) 2004

o   Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting – (University of Cape Town) 2005

o   Chartered Accountant CA (SA)

o   Previous associate board member of the Cayman Islands Institute of Professional Accountants

Sarah is a Director at Marfire and a resident of the Cayman Islands, where she provides independent directorship services to foundation companies, funds, and operating companies with a Web3 strategy.

Sarah practised as a lawyer for 12 years at A&O Shearman, Wilmer Hale and Barclays Bank PLC before joining the U.K. regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), then more recently, the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA).

At the FCA, Sarah worked closely with overseas regulators and U.K. Government stakeholders to implement several new financial crime initiatives including a new ‘supervisor of supervisors’, an intelligence network for ‘professional enablers’ and the Financial Action Task Force (‘FATF’)’s rules for virtual asset service providers (VASPs). She also co-chaired the FATF’s Risk-Based Guidance for Lawyers, Accountants and TCSPs.

More recently, as Head of the AML Division at CIMA, Sarah led the implementation of the VASP supervisory regime in the Cayman Islands. She spear headed the first AML/CFT risk assessment of VASPs and virtual assets, established a methodology for identifying unregulated entities and collecting Travel Rule information, and drafted the framework for assessing and approving registration applications. Additionally, she was responsible for conducting the first onsite inspections of VASPs and taking enforcement actions for non-registration.

Sarah played a pivotal role in advocating for the Cayman Islands' removal from the FATF’s grey list and acted as a FATF Financial Assessor for the Mutual Evaluation of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Passionate about excellence and innovation and the Web3 space, she believes Cayman is an ideal location for top-tier blockchain-driven businesses and DAOs. She is the Chair of the Blockchain Association of Cayman Islands’ Regulation and Education Committee.

Admitted as an Attorney in (but not practising):

o   Supreme Court of England and Wales (2004)

o   Higher Rights of Audience, England and Wales (2006)

Professional Qualifications:

o   Master of Arts in History(First Class), University of Edinburgh (UK)

o   Post Graduate Diploma in Law, Nottingham Law School(UK)

o   Legal Practice Course, Nottingham Law School(UK)

Darragh is the Head of Funds at Marfire, where he serves as an Independent Director, overseeing corporate governance for a diverse array of investment structures with a wide range of investment strategies across multiple jurisdictions. His portfolio includes funds, operating companies, and special purpose vehicles.

In his role, Darragh also develops and implements solutions to ensure economic substance compliance for relevant entities, adhering to applicable local regulations.

With extensive experience in fund launches, Darragh reviews fund constitutional documents, agreements, and side letters while monitoring the performance of key service providers. He ensures regulatory compliance with global authorities, including the SEC in the United States, the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA), the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the Securities & Futures Commission in Hong Kong (SFC).

Originally from Ireland, Darragh has resided in the Cayman Islands since 2017. Before joining Marfire, he served as an Independent Director at a prominent Fund Governance Firm in the Cayman Islands and previously worked in PwC's International Tax Practice.

Darragh believes that the Cayman Islands is an ideal jurisdiction for investment funds due to its robust regulatory framework and its reputation as a global financial hub. The islands offer a favorable tax environment, allowing both traditional and digital asset investment funds to thrive while benefiting from the expertise of seasoned professionals in the industry.

Qualifications:

o    Bachelor of Commerce (Economics and Accounting), University College Cork (2012)

o    Master’s Degree in Taxation, University of Limerick (2013)

o    Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA), Irish Tax Institute (2017)

Affiliations:

o    Registered Director with the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA)

o    Member of the Cayman Islands Directors Association (CIDA)

Craig provides independent directorship services to foundation companies/DAOs, funds, and operating companies with Web 3 strategies.

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Craig has provided directorship services and governance oversight to a wide range of Web3 projects, including DeFi protocols, decentralized exchanges (DEXs), and zero-knowledge (zk) based platforms, demonstrating his versatility and understanding of the evolving digital asset ecosystem.

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Before joining Marfire, Craig spent over nine years as a Senior Manager at KPMG in the Cayman Islands, where he developed comprehensive expertise in traditional hedge fund structures and operations. His experience encompasses audit, financial reporting, and regulatory compliance. This diverse background has equipped Craig with a thorough understanding of the Cayman Islands regulatory framework and its practical applications in both traditional and emerging financial sectors.

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With a strong personal interest in digital assets and blockchain technology, combined with his extensive experience in traditional financial services, Craig is well-positioned to bridge the gap between conventional financial structures and the emerging Web3 ecosystem. Craig is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (“SAICA”). Originally from South Africa, Craig has resided in the Cayman Islands since 2016.

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Qualifications:

o Bachelor of Accounting (University of Stellenbosch) 2011

o Bachelor of Accounting Honours (University of Stellenbosch) 2012

o Chartered Accountant CA (SA)

o Member of the Cayman Islands Institute of Professional Accountants

Kelly provides independent directorship services to foundation companies/DAOs, operating companies, funds, and a broad range of Web3 projects, including DeFi protocols, DEXs, grant-making foundations, zero-knowledge platforms, and gaming protocols.
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Prior to joining Marfire, Kelly worked as an Audit Manager at KPMG in the Cayman Islands and as an Audit Senior at Deloitte in South Africa. During her tenures at these Big 4 firms, Kelly specialized in auditing clients reporting under key financial frameworks such as IFRS and US GAAP within the asset management industry. She developed a deep expertise in various fund structures including Private Equity, Venture Capital and Hedge Funds, where she played a crucial role in ensuring accuracy and compliance of financial reporting within these complex and evolving environments.
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Kelly’s passion for investment structures and the wide spectrum of investment vehicles has naturally drawn her into the exciting and rapidly evolving world of Web3 and digital assets. Her understanding of the diverse structuring opportunities available to Web3 projects in the Cayman Islands continues to fuel her commitment to promoting Cayman as an attractive jurisdiction for the Web3 space.
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Kelly is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), serves on the 100 Women in Finance Cayman Committee, and is actively involved with the Events Committee of the Blockchain Association of the Cayman Islands (BACI). Beyond her professional roles, she is engaged in the local Web3 community and is committed to advancing diversity within the sector.

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Originally from South Africa, Kelly has been living in the Cayman Islands since December 2021.

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Qualifications:

o Bachelor of Commerce – Accounting Sciences (University of Pretoria) 2017

o Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting Sciences (University of Pretoria) 2019

o Certificate of Theory in Accounting Sciences (University of Pretoria) 2019

o Chartered Accountant CA (SA)

o Member of the Cayman Islands Institute of Professional Accountants (CIIPA)

o Member of the Cayman Islands Director Association (CIDA)

Edward Birkinshaw is an Associate Director at Marfire.

Prior to joining Marfire, Edward was a Manager at Kroll in the Cayman Islands, where he played a key role in the provision of investment management services to SEC-registered closed-ended funds. He also worked in fund governance, supporting Cayman SIBL-registered entities with regulatory oversight and compliance with local economic substance requirements.

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His personal interest in DeFi began through hands-on experimentation with protocols such as staking, bridging, and perpetual futures trading.

Edward’s background in traditional financial services, combined with his active engagement in digital asset markets, positions him to support clients operating across both traditional fund vehicles and Web3-native structures.

Originally from the United Kingdom, Edward has lived in the Cayman Islands since 2020.

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Professional Qualifications

- LLB (Hons) Law with Business – Northumbria University

- MSc International Business Management – Newcastle University

- Certified Ethereum Professional

Maximilian Tavner Petkovsek is a Canadian CPA with nearly a decade of experience in international and offshore financial structures, now focusing on providing strong crypto-native operational expertise to foundations, web3 projects and traditional fund or operating vehicles that are pursuing digital asset growth.

In his past life, Max served as the Chief Operating Officer for KPMG’s Asset Management practice across the Islands Group, where his role was to develop and direct sustainable growth strategies for both traditional and digital asset strategies alongside providing operational oversight across fourteen offshore countries including Cayman, BVI, Bermuda, Bahamas, and the Channel Islands, covering over 1,000 professionals between them.

Prior to this, Max was the Chief Operating Officer for Hash Data - a digital assets data aggregation start-up that designed SOC1-accredited SAAS to consolidate and parse both on-chain and off-chain (i.e.,: CEX) data on a live basis, with integrations across all major exchanges and the most popular L1s and L2s. Max oversaw the development team, led business development, and ran digital asset training programs for institutional clients to upskill teams on understanding complex DeFi interactions. During this time, Max was also one of the co-founders of Lemma – a services company working with crypto foundations and DAOs to provide operational and governance support to some of the largest DAO sin the space.

Max began working professionally in cryptocurrency during 2019 as part of KPMG’s initial digital assets sub-practice, where he was one of the first accountants within the Big Four to begin working with digital assets. Outside of his professional role, Max has been an independent builder of personal projects in the blockchain space since 2020 specializing in Web3 integrations for on-site NFT mints and diving unreasonably deep into bespoke tokenomic designs. He has also lost more than he would care to admit over the past decade on obscure DeFi protocols.

Max hails from Ontario, Canada where he completed his education then eventually fled to the warmth of the Cayman Islands where he has been since 2017 alongside his wife.

Qualifications:

o   Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) - Canada

o   Member of the Cayman Islands Institute of Professional Accountants (CIIPA)

o   Bachelor of Commerce – Queen’s University, Canada

o   Post-Graduate Diploma in Accounting – Queen’s University, Canada

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Ms. Nightingale is an accomplished anti-money laundering professional with a broad experience with funds, corporate governance and the compliance requirements of the Cayman Islands fund industry having worked for global fund administrators and corporate services providers since 2011. Angela has over 15 years of compliance, fund administration and financial services experience.

She is an active member of the Cayman Islands Compliance Association (CICA), an executive member of the Cayman Islands Fund Administrators Association (CIFAA), a member of the Cayman Islands Directors Association (CIDA) and 100 Women in Finance (100WF) and is a participant in a number of other industry groups and committees.

Angela is resident in the Cayman Islands and is a Cayman Islands Monetary Authority registered director under the Director Registration & Licensing Act.

Qualifications

·        BAcc from the University of Phoenix

·        CAMS (Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist)

·        Int. Adv. Cert (Comp) (ICA Advanced Certificate in Compliance)

·        ICSA Accredited Director designation (Acc. Dir) from the Chartered Governance Institute of Canada

·        Notary Public

Before joining Marfire, Norman spent nearly a decade at Waystone, a global service provider in the asset management industry.    

Norman previously worked in the investment funds teams at Campbells and Carey Olsen in the Cayman Islands.  

He originally trained as a corporate/M&A lawyer in Australia before taking a role as Assistant Company Secretary and Legal Counsel at an ASX 200 company until his move to Cayman.  Norman draws on his lengthy experience advising a broad range of clients to lead Marfire's in-house legal team.    

Norman is a permanent resident of the Cayman Islands.

Admitted as an Attorney in:

Cayman Islands - 2013

Australia - 2008 (not practising)

Professional Qualifications:

Bachelor of Laws (The University of Western Australia)

Bachelor of Commerce (The University of Western Australia)

Graduate Certificate in Applied Finance (Kaplan)

Sasha is all about bringing people, strategy, and creativity together to build strong cultures and impactful brands. With 20 years of experience across operations, finance, and legal sectors in the Caribbean and Africa, she knows how to streamline processes while keeping the heart of a business alive.

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She thrives in environments where collaboration, innovation, and purpose drive success. Whether it’s fine-tuning workflows, shaping brand narratives, or leading cultural initiatives, Sasha keeps businesses agile, competitive, and authentic.

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Originally from South Africa, Sasha has lived in the Cayman Islands for 13 years and brings a fresh global perspective to the Marfire and Autonomous teams. With a talent for balancing big-picture strategy with creative vision, Sasha is here to help businesses grow in ways that feel sustainable, smart, and meaningful.

Jacqui joins Marfire with extensive financial management experience, having held controller roles in legal, financial services and non-profit sectors. Jacqui started off her career in South Africa at Grant Thornton, before moving to Cayman Islands to work in the funds industry. From there she moved into the financial accounting role and has gained extensive experience across various sectors.

Jacqui is perfectly positioned for Marfire in this rapid growth phase as she enjoys developing and implementing systems, and policies and procedures.

Professional Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Commerce – Accounting (University of Pretoria) 2003
• Honours in Accounting (University of Pretoria) 2004
• Chartered Accountant CA (SA)
• Member of the Cayman Islands Institute of Professional Accountants

Camille is part of the in-house legal team at Marfire. Before joining the team, she worked in the corporate department of a leading Cayman law firm, gaining experience across the full lifecycle of Cayman structures – from launch to liquidation.

Camille joined the Marfire team to support senior leadership in building out scalable, cross-functional processes during the company’s early growth phase. This hands-on role gave her the opportunity to work across departments, having a hand in “all the cookie jars”, and gain a deep understanding of the business from the inside out.

As Marfire has grown, Camille has transitioned into the legal team alongside the General Counsel, allowing her to focus more fully on her legal career while continuing to contribute to the company's evolution. She works closely with the IT and compliance teams to support the company’s regulatory obligations, particularly in the areas of data protection, risk, and governance.

As the youngest member of the team, Camille brings a fresh perspective and helps embody Marfire’s youthful, forward-thinking values in both tone and practice.

Originally from Canada, Camille has called Cayman home for nearly a decade and is deeply passionate about giving back to the community through her active involvement in local charities and volunteer initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Laws (The University of Essex)
• Graduate Certificate in Paralegal Studies (National Association of Licensed Paralegals)

Zoe, aka Z, is passionate about creating smooth, supportive experiences for teams and clients alike. At Marfire, she works across support services to help build systems that make everyday operations more efficient, thoughtful, and people-focused. With a background in governance and operations in the Cayman Islands, Zoe brings a practical mindset and a genuine care for the people she works with.

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Before joining Marfire, Zoe contributed to internal governance and service delivery at The Catalyst Group, where she helped shape processes that made work more intuitive and collaborative. She’s known for her calm approach, her ability to simplify complexity, and her belief that strong internal support is key to any organization’s success. Her guiding philosophy —“My colleagues are my clients”—reflects her commitment to empathy, respect, and shared success.
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Zoe enjoys working behind the scenes to help others shine. She values curiosity, clear communication, and continuous learning, and she’s proud to be part of a team that embraces innovation and integrity. Outside of work, she stays connected to her community and finds joy in the small moments that make a big difference.

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