Best Startup
At Best Startup UK we track over 130,000 UK startups and over 500,000 people who hold key positions in these companies. We use this directory of startups to highlight top employees, founders and board members we think deserve more appreciation than they are currently getting.
This list showcases the top Manchester based Director operating in the Finance space. If you think a Director is missing from this list, feel free to contact our editor on editor@beststartup.co.uk.
The individuals on this list have been included because of exceptional performance in one of the following categories:
- Innovation – Operating as a key part in an extremely innovative business or startup.
- Growth – Operating as a key figure in the growth and upscale of a market leading business or startup.
- Management – Showing exceptional management skills.
- Societal impact – Putting their business on the map for their positive societal or environmental impact.
Our Data – We source our data from OSINT (open source intelligence) and public directories such as Companies House UK, Crunchbase, SemRush and many more. The data from these sources should be treated with a degree of caution and verified yourself.
Ged Gould
Senior Director, North West of LDC
A graduate from Manchester University, Ged qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in 1991. Ged has over 20 years of experience from the advisory arena (with KPMG Corporate Finance), private equity (with Bridgepoint Capital), as well as being the Finance Director of two private equity backed businesses. He has experience of a wide range of sectors including support services, manufacturing and retail. Ged currently sits on the board of four investments, namely ATG Access, Bifold, Independent Group and Antler.
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About LDC: LDC is a private equity company which provides funds for buyouts and development capital transactions in UK unquoted companies.
Simon Braham
Investment Director of LDC
Simon has over 16 years experience in advisory, banking, restructuring and private equity. He graduated from UCL before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in Manchester where he specialised in due diligence for private equity transactions. He joined JP Morgan Cazenove’s Equity Capital Markets team in 2004 covering the small/mid-cap space before joining Bank of Scotland where he provided acquisition finance to support private equity transactions. More latterly Simon was a Director in Lloyd’s Banking Group’s restructuring team leading the restructure/workout of a portfolio of private equity assets. Simon joined LDC at the start of 2011, transactions to date include WRG, Kirona, Metronet and Angus Fire, in addition to a number of bolt-on acquisitions for portfolio companies.
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About LDC: LDC is a private equity company which provides funds for buyouts and development capital transactions in UK unquoted companies.
Craig Hopwood
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Based in our Manchester office, Craig is responsible for new private equity investments across the North of England and also works with portfolio companies in the region. He joined Maven in 2017 from HSBC‘s Leverage Portfolio Management team where he was a Relationship Director responsible for a portfolio of larger private equity-backed businesses across the region. Prior to this, Craig worked at Northstar Equity Investors where he set up and ran the Leeds office with overall responsibility for a new £48m Equity Investment Fund. Craig also previously worked with Aberdeen Asset Managements’ Private Equity team, where he was a colleague to a number of current Maven executives, prior to that Aberdeen team leading a buy-out to form Spirit Capital Partners LLP. Craig has a degree in Business Management from Bradford University and trained as a Chartered Accountant with Coopers & Lybrand before working within the Audit, Transaction Services and Corporate Finance practices at PriceWaterhouseCoopers, based in Leeds, Denver and London.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Dave Furlong
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Based in our Manchester office, Dave is responsible for the execution of new investments for the NPIF Equity Finance fund, and also works with portfolio companies across the region. He joined Maven in 2017 from Infinity Debt Capital Management LLP, where he oversaw the launch and overall management of a new SME/mid-market regional debt fund and originated new private equity opportunities. Previously, Dave held senior positions at HSBC across London and the UK regions, and ultimately ran the Leveraged Finance business in the North West, responsible for the origination, execution and monitoring of a £500m portfolio of leveraged facilities across a wide range of transaction sizes and types. He also held a similar role at Lloyds Banking Group in Manchester. Dave completed an MBA at the University of Liverpool in 2013.
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About Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Ryan Bevington
Investment Director of Maven Capital Partners
Ryan is responsible for new investments in the north of England. He joined Aberdeen Asset Management in January 2007 having previously worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Manchester where he spent over 8 years in their Corporate Finance Private Equity team working as an Assistant Director on a wide range of transactions. Ryan qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers having graduated from Leeds University with an LLB (Hons) Law degree in 1998.
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About Healthpoint, Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Claire Alvarez
Director of Foresight Group
Claire joined Foresight’s Manchester office in 2016 from Deloitte’s Manchester practice where she spent six years advising banks and company directors and returning value from distressed SMEs. In this time Claire also completed an 18 month secondment to Barclays Bank Plc. Since graduating from Lancaster University with a 1st class degree in Management, Claire has worked extensively in the North West, initially for KPMG and subsequently at Altium Capital. In this time Claire also completed an MBA for Financial Professionals (with Distinction) through Manchester Business School.
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About Foresight Group: Foresight is an infrastructure and private equity investment manager that manages funds on behalf of institutions and retail clients.
Nick Edgar
Senior Director of Clydesdale Bank
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About Clydesdale Bank: Clydesdale Bank growth finance provides a range of innovative debt solutions for early stage, high growth businesses.
Ian Williams
Director of Communications of Gregory Pennington
Ian Williams is a director of communications at Gregory Pennington. Prior to that, Ian has held positions at Think Money Group, Moneysupermarket.com, Lansons Communications, and Nationwide Building Society. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Portsmouth.
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About Gregory Pennington: Gregory Pennington is a privately held company that provides debt management plans.
Jonathan Farnell
Co-Founder and Director of Arro Money
With over 17 years’ experience working in the UK banking sector, Jonathan specialises in regulatory & operational risk management, compliance and the development of business performance and management information systems. He has undertaken a number of directorships and senior roles, including Risk Management Director at a UK based money remittance consultancy and Director of Management Information at a General Insurance Brokerage.
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About Arro Money: Arro Money is a fast-growing provider of personal and business accounts.
Muhammad Asim
Co-Founder and Director of Arro Money
Awarded the Youngest Successful Business Entrepreneur by the Ministry of Information, Government of Pakistan, Muhammad Asim is a business start-up expert having previously established and developed a number of successful companies. With a particular expertise in strategic planning, brand development and marketing, Muhammad Asim has undertaken a number of senior roles, including Finance Director and General Manager of Administration at AA Exchange Company (PVT).
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About Arro Money: Arro Money is a fast-growing provider of personal and business accounts.
Mahmood Kamran
Co-Founder and Director of Arro Money
A former Inspector of financial institutions for the State Bank of Pakistan, Mahmood Ali Kamran’s areas of expertise include finance, audit and business administration. He has held a number of senior leadership team roles in different multinational companies in United Arab Emirates and Pakistan.
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About Arro Money: Arro Money is a fast-growing provider of personal and business accounts.
Alan Wilson
Co-Founder and Director of Arro Money
Alan Wilson is the Co-Founder and Director at Arro Money. A financial services expert with over 30 years’ experience working in the UK banking sector, Alan has undertaken a number of directorships and senior roles, including Regulatory Compliance Director & Money Laundering Reporting Officer for a large UK based Money Services Business and Compliance Director for an FCA regulated Insurance Brokerage. Areas of expertise include the European Payment Services regulations, anti-money laundering policies and training & competency schemes.
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About Arro Money: Arro Money is a fast-growing provider of personal and business accounts.
Sandra McDowell
Customer Engagement Director of Kin and Carta
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About Kin and Carta: Kin + Carta is a global digital transformation business that advises, creates, and connects marketing and customer experience.
Paul Livsey
Commercial Director of AutoConvert
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About AutoConvert: AutoConvert specializes in finance, insurance and CRM solutions for dealers, brokers and car supermarkets.
Stephen Dyson
Director of R&D Funding Group
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About R&D Funding Group: We help companies secure and maximise R&D Tax Credits, R&D Grants and Video Games Tax Relief
