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 United Kingdom based Manager operating in the Financial Services space. If you think a Manager 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.
Phylia Phoon
Operations Manager of Felix Capital
Phylia is the Operations Manager and also the Team Assistant in Felix Capital. She enjoys the challenges that her roles bring her and is always on the look-out for more responsibilities and to learn about the different areas of the business. Phylia has been an executive assistant at Advent Venture Partners (technology), Cocosa (fashion ecommerce), Bauer Media (Radio, Magazine and Lifestyle Division), AOL Inc. and fish4 (digital media). Born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Phylia is fluent in English, Malay, Cantonese and Mandarin. She has been living in London for over 19 years and is always on the look out for spicy food.
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About Felix Capital: Felix Capital is a venture fund that focuses on digital commerce, digital media, and information technology companies.
Sarveen Chester
Global Expansion Manager of Revolut
Chester is the Growth Launcher for Revolut, responsible for growth launching Europe’s fastest-growing FinTech in Singapore. He also oversees aspects of data analytics, operations, and diversity and inclusion. He was involved in the creation and launch of start-ups in Singapore before completing his undergraduate and postgraduate at Hult International Business School in London, Shanghai, and San Francisco. He started the university’s start up incubation programme called the ‘Hult Founders Lab’ which has worked with various partners, including the Prince Andrew, the Duke of York’s Pitch@Palace Global Initiative, and also worked with the Hult Prize – the world’s largest social innovation competition for youths which awards the winners USD 1 million through President Clinton’s global initiative. He is also an advisor to the United Nations International Telecommunications Union’s start-up accelerator programme.
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About Revolut: Revolut is a financial services company that specializes in mobile banking, card payments, money remittance, and foreign exchange.
Si Jia Wen
Product Operations Manager of Revolut
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About Revolut: Revolut is a financial services company that specializes in mobile banking, card payments, money remittance, and foreign exchange.
Ieva Elvyra Kazakeviciute
PR and Community Manager – Northern Europe of Revolut
Ieva Elvyra Kazakeviciute is a seasoned communications professional and PR and Community Manager for Northern Europe at Revolut – one of the fastest growing start-ups in the world, and UK’s first digital bank unicorn. With a degree in Political Sciences and a title of World’s Debating Champion, Ieva Elvyra has been leading a very colorful professional career in public relations and communication. Passion for writing led her to become the Deputy Editor-in-chief of award-winning design and food art magazine VMG, named World’s Best in 2015 and 2016. She then transferred to television as the Communications and Foreign Relations Executive at TV Play, the largest television production house in the Baltics. Inspired by Revolut’s vision of borderless mobile banking, Ieva Elvyra is now set to contribute to shaping the public discourse on fintech and have Northern Europe talk about Revolut as the future of radically better banking.
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About Revolut: Revolut is a financial services company that specializes in mobile banking, card payments, money remittance, and foreign exchange.
Saket Narula
Investor Relations Manager of Amadeus Capital Partners
Saket is responsible for Amadeus’s investor relations and fundraising activities having joined in 2018. Prior to Amadeus, Saket was a Director with the Anchor Group based between London and Geneva advising and managing both direct and fund-based private market investments for European, Asian and British family offices and institutional clients. Previously he was with Credit Suisse in the investment banking division in London working in the financial sponsors and leveraged finance team, where he was responsible for underwriting and executing leveraged buyouts for private equity clients in EMEA. Saket began his career in the US in IBD focusing on high yield and leveraged acquisition finance for US corporates and M&A transactions. Saket has lived and worked both in the US and India and studied at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, where he gained minors in Systems Engineering and Technology Management Policy and also a B.S. in Commerce from the McIntire School of Commerce. He speaks fluent English and Hindi and is proficient in French and German.
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About Amadeus Capital Partners: Amadeus Capital Partners caters to the technology sector with seed, early, and later stage venture, and private equity investments.
David Sykes
Knowledge Manager of Amadeus Capital Partners
David is the information hub at Amadeus. As Knowledge Manager for the firm, David organises and oversees all investor reporting and deal information. He supports the research efforts of partners and associates, as well as making sure that quarterly investor reports come out on time and on message. If these tasks weren’t enough, David also oversees the running of Amadeus’ London office. David comes to his current role from a background in information management, with a degree in librarianship and experience at reference libraries specialising in science, technology and business. At Warwick University, he was head of the Business Information Service, a business information brokerage providing statistical information and performing research projects for international clients. David was most recently information manager at Montanaro Investment Managers and Apax Partners.
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About Amadeus Capital Partners: Amadeus Capital Partners caters to the technology sector with seed, early, and later stage venture, and private equity investments.
Frankie Lynn
Business Development Manager of Rocket Internet
Frankie Lynn is the senior business development manager at [CaterWings](https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/caterwings), an internet startup that serves the corporate catering industry. Prior to this position, she was employed as a business development manager at Rocket Internet. Lynn holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Nottingham.
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About Rocket Internet: Rocket Internet incubates and invests in internet and technology companies globally.
Roy Bailey
Delivery Lead & Senior Development Manager of UBS
More than two decades of leadership in designing and engineering software solutions. Always customer facing, always team management, always delivering. Clarity is my focus. Keeping it simple, commercial, fit for purpose. Management of technical debt and total support costs are first class considerations. A broad range of technologies, front to back, I can easily turn my hand to new business domains and technical challenges. Specialising in financial markets, market and instrument data, risk systems, trading systems, and just about anything that requires quality software engineering.
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About UBS: UBS is a global financial services company that engages in the provision of financial management solutions.
Megan Matter
Team Business Manager of UBS
Megan Matter is a Director of Strategic Partnerships at CoatChex.
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About UBS: UBS is a global financial services company that engages in the provision of financial management solutions.
Kaitlin Fronczek
Investor Relations Manager of Apax Partners
Kaitlin Fronczek is an Associate in the Investor Relations team. She joined the New York office in 2010 and is currently based in London. Prior to joining Apax Partners, Kaitlin worked in Investor Relations at Tailwind Capital and at Lionhart Advisors in New York. Kaitlin holds a BA in Psychology with honours from Vanderbilt University.
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About Apax Partners: Apax Partners is an independent global partnership focused solely on long-term investment in growth companies.
Rachel Lambert
Investor Relations Manager of Apax Partners
Rachel Lambert is an Investor Relations Manager and oversees and manages a global contact programme of meetings with investors. Based in London, Rachel joined Apax Partners in 2005 and was involved in the preparation phase and fundraising process for Apax Europe VII. Prior to joining Apax Partners, Rachel was an Investor Relations Manager at Baring Private Equity Partners (BPEP), a firm specialising in growth funds in emerging markets. She worked at BPEP for 12 years both in contact management and in the management of a global PR programme. Rachel began her career in the Training and Development department of the London Stock Exchange. Rachel holds a BA in Latin from Bristol University and a Postgraduate Diploma in Vocal Training from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
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About Apax Partners: Apax Partners is an independent global partnership focused solely on long-term investment in growth companies.
Jessica Cameron
Senior Human Centred Design Manager of Lloyds Banking Group
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About Lloyds Banking Group: Lloyds Banking Group is a major British financial institution formed through the acquisition of HBOS by Lloyds TSB in 2009.
Joanna Mangan
Office Manager of TowerBrook Capital Partners
Joanna Mangan is Office Manager for the London office of TowerBrook. Prior to joining TowerBrook, she was Executive Assistant and HR Administrator at Reed Elsevier, where she worked in the Technology Services department.
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About TowerBrook Capital Partners: TowerBrook Capital Partners is a London-based investment management firm that funds European and North American companies.
Amy Roberts
Business Development Manager UK of Spotcap
Amy Roberts is a business development manager with Spotcap. Her focus is on adopting growth opportunities that allow Spotcap to provide UK SMEs with tailored finance. She was previously with iiPay, where she developed their network of global partners. In her free time, Amy likes to spend time outdoors. She completed the London Marathon in April, 2017.
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About Spotcap: Spotcap empowers SMEs with tailored finance, allowing them to focus on their business.
Seb Burnett
General Manager ConvergeHEALTH Europe of Deloitte
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About Deloitte: Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
Samuel Erskine
Head of Cloud Engagement (Deloitte NSE) | Sr. Manager of Deloitte
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About Deloitte: Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
Daniel Senter
Senior Manager of Deloitte
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About Deloitte: Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
Richard Bowyer
Category Manager – IT Procurement of Deloitte
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About Deloitte: Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
Dave Clemente
Senior Manager – Cyber Risk of Deloitte
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About Deloitte: Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
Michelle Lee
Senior Manager and AI Ethics Lead, Risk Analytics of Deloitte
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About Deloitte: Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk management, tax, and other related services.
Derek Ooi
Senior Supply Chain Manager & Portfolio Operations of Baird Capital
Derek Ooi joined Baird Capital in 2006 as Senior Supply Chain Manager. Prior to Baird Capital, Derek served as a Senior Supply Chain Manager at Flextronics Shanghai where he was responsible for the supply chain management of telecommunications products. Derek also spent five years working for Komag (USD) in Malaysia as a Senior Purchasing Executive, overseeing procurement strategies and activities. Derek started his career in a leading freight management company in Malaysia. Derek is fluent in English, Malay and Mandarin and received his Degree of Commerce from Deakin University in Australia.
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About Baird Capital: Baird Capital makes venture capital, growth equity, and private equity investments in strategically-targeted sectors around the world.
Michael Holgate
Investment Manager & Partner of Baird Capital
Michael Holgate joined Baird Capital’s U.K. Private Equity team in 2014 from Spectrum Corporate Finance. Prior to joining Spectrum, Michael spent three years working in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Transaction Services team, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Michael has a First Class Master’s Degree in chemistry from Bristol University, including an industrial placement year spent working at GlaxoSmithKline.
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About Baird Capital: Baird Capital makes venture capital, growth equity, and private equity investments in strategically-targeted sectors around the world.
Tom Croy
Investment Manager of Par Equity
Tom Croy is an Investment Manager at Par Equity.
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About Par Equity: Par Equity is a leading, early-stage venture capital firm, investing in innovative, high growth technology companies.
Alastair Moore
Investment Manager of Par Equity
Alastair Moore is an Investment Manager at Par Equity.
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About Par Equity: Par Equity is a leading, early-stage venture capital firm, investing in innovative, high growth technology companies.
Will Gibbs
Investment Manager of Octopus Ventures
Will joined the team in 2013 and focusses on identifying new seed, series A and growth deals in the UK. He also works with a range of portfolio companies and is involved in fundraising. He was previously based in the New York office of Octopus Ventures, helping portfolio companies looking to internationalise to the US. Prior to joining Octopus, Will set-up and scaled an organic spirits company and a rare breed pig farm, and holds a degree in Ancient History from the University of Oxford.
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About Octopus Ventures: Octopus is a multi stage European venture capital investor specializing in health, money, deep tech, and consumer.
Matt Chandler
Investment Manager of Octopus Ventures
Matt Chandler serves as an Investment Manager at Octopus Ventures. Prior to joining Octopus Ventures in 2021, Matt was a Commercial Associate at True, a retail and consumer sector specialist investor and innovation consultant. Matt focused on early-stage investments into both consumer tech and B2B software companies and consulted multi-national retailers on digital strategy. Prior to True, Matt co-founded Mojo, a consumer Saas platform for the beauty and wellness industry. Matt is a graduate of the University of Nottingham Business School. Outside of work, he is an unprolific footballer, nervous skier, occasional painter, and avid backgammoner.
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About Octopus Ventures: Octopus is a multi stage European venture capital investor specializing in health, money, deep tech, and consumer.
George Whitehead
Venture Partner Manager of Octopus Ventures
Partner at ACF Investors.
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About ACF Investors, Clean Growth Fund, Octopus Ventures: Octopus is a multi stage European venture capital investor specializing in health, money, deep tech, and consumer.
Ruomeng Wang
Research and Analysis Manager: Fintech Intelligence Service of IHS Markit
Ruomeng Wang is a senior analyst covering fintech and blockchain intelligence service at IHS Markit. Her reports and analysis include coverage of: blockchain opportunities in telecoms and media, the payment strategies of leading operators, technology and media platforms; payments and financial inclusion in emerging markets. She is a regular speaker at industry conferences and widely quoted in coverage of fintech and mobile financial services by leading news organisations including Forbes, CNBC, Reuters and Mobile World Live.
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About IHS Markit: IHS provides information and analysis to support the decision-making process of businesses and governments in regards to various industries.
Alzbeta Fellenbaum
Research Manager, Telecomunications of IHS Markit
Alzbeta Fellenbaum is a Senior Analyst in IHS Technology’s Broadband Media and Operators teams covering broadband access data and content trends. In her role, she closely follows and advises on internet service providers’ strategies and monitors technical and regulatory developments across the industry. Since 2013, Alzbeta has been managing the Broadband Coverage in Europe project conducted by IHS Technology on behalf of the European Commission analyzing availability of broadband access technologies in 31 European countries. Prior to joining IHS in July 2012, Alzbeta worked as an Audience Research and Market Insights Coordinator at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a U.S. broadcasting organization based in Prague, analyzing media environment data of RFE/RL broadcasting regions (spanning the Balkans, Russia, Ukraine, Caucasus, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq). Alzbeta holds M.A. degrees in International Relations and American Studies from Charles University in Prague and studied at the University of Miami and Georgetown University.
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About IHS Markit, Omdia: IHS provides information and analysis to support the decision-making process of businesses and governments in regards to various industries.
Alzbeta Fellenbaum
Research Manager, Telecomunications of IHS Markit
Alzbeta Fellenbaum is a Senior Analyst in IHS Technology’s Broadband Media and Operators teams covering broadband access data and content trends. In her role, she closely follows and advises on internet service providers’ strategies and monitors technical and regulatory developments across the industry. Since 2013, Alzbeta has been managing the Broadband Coverage in Europe project conducted by IHS Technology on behalf of the European Commission analyzing availability of broadband access technologies in 31 European countries. Prior to joining IHS in July 2012, Alzbeta worked as an Audience Research and Market Insights Coordinator at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, a U.S. broadcasting organization based in Prague, analyzing media environment data of RFE/RL broadcasting regions (spanning the Balkans, Russia, Ukraine, Caucasus, Central Asia, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq). Alzbeta holds M.A. degrees in International Relations and American Studies from Charles University in Prague and studied at the University of Miami and Georgetown University.
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About IHS Markit, Omdia: IHS provides information and analysis to support the decision-making process of businesses and governments in regards to various industries.
Paula Darlison
Group Administration Manager of Molten Ventures
Paula is the Group Administration Manager and has been with Draper Esprit since its inception, having worked alongside the founding team since 2000. Prior to Draper Esprit she has worked as an executive assistant at Cazenove, JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley throughout more than 25 years within the City of London.
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About Molten Ventures: Molten Ventures is Europe’s largest listed tech VC firm. We inject the most visionary companies with energy to help them transform and grow.
Adam Rajpal
Senior Project/ Programme Manager, Transformation of OakNorth
Adam Rajpal is a Senior Project/ Programme Manager, Transformation at OakNorth.
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About OakNorth: OakNorth is the creator of the ON Credit Intelligence Suite – proven cloud software that transforms commercial lending
Lucas Stoops
Investment Manager of Force Over Mass Capital
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About Force Over Mass Capital: Force Over Mass Capital is a London based venture capital firm focused on early-stage technology investments.
Sam Burton
Talent Acquisition Manager of Soldo
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About Soldo: Soldo is a multi-user expense account helping companies manage their budgets.
Naomi Crawford
Program Manager – Application Deco and Next Gen Tooling of Barclays
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About Barclays: Barclays is a global financial services company that provides various financial products and services worldwide.
Joanna Harris
Propositions Manager of Barclays
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About Barclays: Barclays is a global financial services company that provides various financial products and services worldwide.
Lucy Kennard
Operations Manager of Concentric
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About Concentric: Concentric invests in software technology business in the financial services, mobility, real estate, industrial, and logistics sectors.
Jiri Jerabek
Design Manager of Intuit
Jiri Jerabek is the Design Manager at Intuit.
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About Intuit: Intuit offers business and financial management solutions for SMBs, financial institutions, consumers, and accounting professionals.
Clare Truscott
Operations and Compliance Manager of Notion Capital
My life with the Notion founders started in a small meeting room in Gloucester in 2005, allegedly being interviewed by Chris Tottman for a company called Star Technology but it ended up being a convoluted discussion about ‘Crossroads’. I should have realised then that the following years would be interesting to say the least … I came to Star from a background of Operations/Project Management and EA – I have always loved working at the rock face, giving my opinion (always appreciated?), influencing key decision making and making cost savings and efficiencies along the way. My role of Project Manager/EA started with me working at C-level with the team at both Star Technology and MessageLabs, assisting Chris to run the Global HR team at ML and ended up with being locked away spending a busy (but fascinating) few months as part of the small deal team working alongside Ian Milbourn and Stephen Chandler on the MessageLabs exit to Symantec in 2008! I then jumped ship with the ML founders and became Employee No. 1 at Notion, working from our very first offices in Cheltenham as the Ops Manager, a great opportunity to set things up properly from the beginning. It’s been fabulous to see Notion develop over the last 8 years into our busy team in Marylebone with the portfolio that we have. My current role encompasses all back office work, central administration and systems and has recently expanded to include Compliance; my natural ability to question, query and drive through process and data help to make sure our investment processes are robust and accurate.
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About Notion Capital: Notion is an early-stage venture fund that focuses on technology and cloud computing markets.
Chris Johnson
Senior Product Manager, Market Data of HSBC
Chris joined HSBC Securities Services in 2006 and is the Head of Product Management, Market Data Services. Chris was previously at Threadneedle Investments where he was Head of Investment Information Services. Before then he was a Director at UBS. Chris started work in the city with Laurie, Milbank stockbrokers, in their futures and options operations team, continuing with Chase Manhattan for a further ten years, culminating in three years as head of the equity derivatives middle office. He also headed OTC derivative client valuations at Bankers Trust. Chris is a member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment
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About HSBC: HSBC is a banking and financial services organization that offers a comprehensive range of services.
Lauren Brain
Lead Propositions Development Manager, UK Wealth of HSBC
Lauren is a skilled professional with over 10 years’ experience in Financial Services. Having joined the HSBC branch network in 2008 she quickly progressed and following a successful career in Financial planning and Wealth management she moved to the bank’s UK head office in 2018. In her current role, Lauren combines her Financial Planning expertise and her passion for customer led proposition design to lead the transformation of HSBCs Multi-Channel Wealth offering. This includes helping deliver HSBCs first digital advice service – HSBC My Investment. Lauren has a Bachelor of Science Degree and a Diploma in Regulated Financial Planning.
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About HSBC: HSBC is a banking and financial services organization that offers a comprehensive range of services.
Guy Ward Thomas
Investment Manager of DN Capital
Guy joined DN Capital in 2015 as an Associate, having gained entrepreneurial experience in a Rocket Internet venture. He began his career in strategy consulting spending 4 years at OC&C advising PE Funds and large European TMT, retail and FMCG clients. Guy graduated from Cambridge with a first in Social and Political Sciences and subsequently spent a year studying Economics and Management at the Judge Business School. His sectors of focus include marketplaces, ecommerce and software.
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About DN Capital: DN Capital operates as an early-stage venture capital firm.
Melanie Green
Senior Security Manager of Nationwide Building Society
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About Nationwide Building Society: Nationwide Building Society is a British mutual financial institution and the largest building society in the UK.
Simon Gallimore
Senior Manager Casualty and Auto Claims Uk & Ireland of American International Group
Simon Gallimore Senior Manager Complex Casualty Claims UK & Ireland AIG Prior to joining AIG in 2011 Simon spent the previous 20 years working in the personal lines claims arena where he held a number of senior leadership roles at RBSI and more latterly Tesco Bank where he held the role of Head of Claims. Upon joining AIG and making the move into the Commercial claims arena he has overseen a roots and branch review of AIG’s claims Casualty Claims service with a focus on putting the customer back at the heart of the claims process. Listening to the customer and evolving the service you deliver based on what they tell you remain the principles on which Simon continues to lead the AIG Casualty Teams he manages across the UK and Ireland. A father of 3 and a passionate Manchester United fan Simon describes his time away from work as either cleaning up spilt milk or crying over it, referencing his teams recent demise from greatness.
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About American International Group: American International Group operates as a global insurance company.
Neil Hoyne
Senior Vice President, Funds Client Service Manager of Neuberger Berman Group
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About Neuberger Berman Group: Neuberger Berman is an independent and employee-controlled asset management company, providing global investment solutions.
Beverley Boettcher
Personal Assistant & Manchester Office Manager of GP Bullhound
Beverley is the Personal Assistant to Hugh Campbell and the Manchester office manager. Beverley is a senior Executive Assistant with extensive exposure operating at Board level for a variety of businesses, large and small, with the latter part of her career spent with a technology company and an international software company. Beverley has been an Executive Assistant to the CEO of we7 and to the CEO and CFO of Surfcontrol Plc.
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About GP Bullhound: GP Bullhound is a technology advisory and investment firm that provides transaction advice and capital to entrepreneurs and founders.
Beverley Boettcher
Personal Assistant & Manchester Office Manager of GP Bullhound
Beverley is the Personal Assistant to Hugh Campbell and the Manchester office manager. Beverley is a senior Executive Assistant with extensive exposure operating at Board level for a variety of businesses, large and small, with the latter part of her career spent with a technology company and an international software company. Beverley has been an Executive Assistant to the CEO of we7 and to the CEO and CFO of Surfcontrol Plc.
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About GP Bullhound: GP Bullhound is a technology advisory and investment firm that provides transaction advice and capital to entrepreneurs and founders.
Angus Allan
Digital Adoption Manager of M&G Plc
Recipient of the UK Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) Visa – Angus is an experienced digital professional who has worked with clients around the world on a variety of digital projects, ranging from the creation of digital strategies, through to large-scale transformation. He specialises in helping businesses navigate disruption and leads high performing teams. Alongside his work helping clients to achieve their goals, he is also passionate about technology, change, and business strategy. He has spoken about these topics at various events in New Zealand and the UK. He was recently one of only two hundred each year to receive a prestigious endorsement from Tech Nation for the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) visa to the UK, enabling him to live and work in the UK. He is currently based in Scotland and has a particular interest in financial services and fintech products/companies.
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About Hello Digital, M&G Plc: M&G plc is a leading savings and investments business.
Sabine Khater
Portfolio Manager of Citi Ventures
Sabine Khater currently works as the Vice President for Citi Ventures. She previously worked at SFO Group as the Associate Director.
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About Citi Ventures: Citi Ventures harnesses the power of Citi to help people, businesses, and communities thrive in a world of technological change.
Fergus Wadsley
Data Science Manager of Capital One
Data Science Manager – supporting Marketing, Operations, Collections and Finance.
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About Capital One: Capital One is a diversified banking company that offers early and later stage venture, and debt financing investments.
Raj Pharhani
Regional Portfolio Manager of Business Growth Fund
Raj Singh Pharhani is the Regional Portfolio Manager at BGF.
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About Business Growth Fund: Business Growth Fund is an influential investor in small and mid-sized businesses.
Naomi Fieldus
Talent Network Manager of Business Growth Fund
Naomi joined BGF in May 2013 as a Manager in the Talent Network team, with specific focus on developing the network of senior finance professionals. She joined BGF from an executive search firm, where she worked with a range of private equity clients, finding CFOs for their current and potential investee businesses. Prior to this Naomi spent ten years with PwC in Corporate Finance, advising private equity and corporate clients on acquisitions and disposals, primarily in the Consumer and Leisure sectors. Naomi holds a BSc in Mathematics and Economics from The London School of Economics & Political Science.
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About Business Growth Fund: Business Growth Fund is an influential investor in small and mid-sized businesses.
Adam Hussey
Knowledge Manager of Business Growth Fund
Adam Hussey is the Knowledge Manager at Business Growth Fund.
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About Business Growth Fund: Business Growth Fund is an influential investor in small and mid-sized businesses.
Joanna De Saulles
Investment Manager, South of LDC
Jo joined LDC in 2006 and holds a degree in Business and Economics from Oxford Brookes University. Jo spent two years at Lloyds TSB Group working in mid-market lending and debt recovery in London and New York. She holds a degree in Business and Economics from Oxford Brookes University.
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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.
Felix Werdin
Senior Investment Manager of Bregal Unternehmerkapital
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About Bregal Unternehmerkapital: Bregal Unternehmerkapital is a private equity firm that invests in the automotive, industrial goods, healthcare and e-commerce sectors.
Jessica Pedroni Thorell
Investment Manager of Kinnevik AB
Jessica Pedroni Thorell is a growth investor at Kinnevik, based in their London office.
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About Cityblock Health, Kinnevik AB, Quit Genius: Kinnevik is an entrepreneurial investment group focused on building digital consumer businesses.
Lindsey Lamb
Office Manager of Endless LLP
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About Endless LLP: Endless is an investor that specializes in supporting management buyouts, acquisition of non-core businesses, and turnaround investments.
Sajid Sabir
Investment Manager of Maven Capital Partners
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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.
Alex Marsh
Investment Manager of Maven Capital Partners
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About Growth Partner, Maven Capital Partners: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Gavin Bell
Investment Manager of Maven Capital Partners
Gavin joined Maven in September 2016 as an Investment Manager based in the Manchester office, responsible for new investments across Greater Manchester and the North of England. Gavin has over 10 years of experience in Private Equity. Prior to joining Maven, he was at NorthEdge Capital in Manchester where he was responsible for both new private equity investment activity and fundraising. Gavin began his private equity career at Greenpark Capital (now Stepstone), a secondaries private equity fund manager in London investing into private equity funds globally, where he spent 8 years. His prior experience was as an analyst at Schroders in London, where he spent 5 years, and at Bank of New York. Gavin holds a Bsc. (Hons) in Economics from the University of Birmingham and is a CFA Charterholder.
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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.
Mike Collis
Portfolio Manager of Maven Capital Partners
Mike is a senior consultant helping Maven drive its portfolio management process and responsible for generating and protecting shareholder value, exit planning and monitoring performance. He joined the team at Aberdeen Asset Management in 2001, and was promoted to Head of Portfolio Management in 2005. Mike spent his early career with Arthur Andersen before spending five years in industry serving in CFO roles in the heavy engineering and textile related sectors. He is a Fellow of the Institute for Turnaround and chaired the Midlands Steering Committee until 2011. Mike qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1992.
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About Arthur Andersen LLP, Maven Capital Partners, VYRE Limited: Maven Capital Partners is a private equity firm that provides a range of funding options to SMEs and investment opportunities.
Martin Clark
Investment Manager of Maven Capital Partners
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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.
James Darlington
Investment Manager of Maven Capital Partners
James is based in Manchester and is responsible for investments on behalf of the Northern Powerhouse Fund as well as Private Equity transactions across the North of England. James joined Maven in 2017, having previously spent 6 years at EY within the Assurance and Corporate Finance divisions in Manchester, where he was involved in a range of transactions including acquisition finance, large corporate refinancing and stressed deals, and worked on a variety of deal structures. James holds an Honours degree in Accounting & Finance from the University of Newcastle and is a Chartered Accountant.
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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.
Jeremy Thompson
Investment Manager of Maven Capital Partners
Based in our Manchester office, Jeremy is responsible for new investments across the North of England for the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund, and also works with portfolio companies in the region. He joined Maven in 2017 having previously worked as a corporate lawyer for Squire Patton Boggs in Manchester, where he spent over four years as a Senior Associate specialising in private equity, venture capital and acquisitions. He has experience advising management teams and companies across all stages of their development from initial investment, including follow-on fundraisings, bolt-on acquisitions, commercial contracts and exits. Jeremy is a qualified solicitor who graduated from Leeds University with a BA (Hons) degree in History & Politics and completed a graduate diploma in Law at BPP Law School in Manchester.
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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.
Steven Ford
Marketing Manager of Maven Capital Partners
Steven joined Maven in 2010 and is based in the Glasgow office. He is responsible for all campaigns across its traditional and digital marketing channels, as well as defining the strategic marketing direction for all Maven’s business areas. Steven started his career in the drinks industry with InBev UK before moving into financial services, working in a number of marketing roles. He previoulsy worked as an Assistant Marketing Manager at the Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh, managing communications to its private banking customers. Steven has a BA Honours degree in Geography as well as an MSc in Marketing from the University of Strathclyde. He is also a member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
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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.
Martin McLaren
Investment Manager of Maven Capital Partners
Martin is an Investment Manager responsible for new Private Equity investments across Scotland. He joined Maven in September 2013 from Lloyds Banking Group, where he worked in the Equity Risk Management Division, providing risk oversight on the Bank’s equity portfolio, and then in the Corporate Real Estate Business Support Unit. Martin previously spent 5 years with Henderson Loggie CA, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ICAS) and worked in Corporate Finance. Martin graduated from Heriot Watt University in 2005 with a MA Honours in Economics and Business.
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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.
Rebecca Nordstrom
HR & Office Manager of Highland Europe
Rebecca is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations and administration of the London office. Rebecca joined Highland in January 2015 and is a core member of the Europe team. Rebecca previously worked at Kreab GavinAnderson as Head of Office Administration and at AllianceBernstein –, organising various client events including seminars, networking receptions and conferences, in addition to several in–house events. In her spare time she studies Human Resources Management, when not sampling London’s restaurants, museums and theatres. A native Swede she lives in London with her husband.
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About Highland Europe: Highland Europe is a growth-stage technology fund that invests in European internet, mobile, and software companies.
Rebecca Nordstrom
HR & Office Manager of Highland Europe
Rebecca is responsible for managing the day-to-day operations and administration of the London office. Rebecca joined Highland in January 2015 and is a core member of the Europe team. Rebecca previously worked at Kreab GavinAnderson as Head of Office Administration and at AllianceBernstein –, organising various client events including seminars, networking receptions and conferences, in addition to several in–house events. In her spare time she studies Human Resources Management, when not sampling London’s restaurants, museums and theatres. A native Swede she lives in London with her husband.
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About Highland Europe: Highland Europe is a growth-stage technology fund that invests in European internet, mobile, and software companies.
Stephen Lindsay
UK Business Development Manager of SFC Capital
Stephen is co-founder and Head of Business Development at Ixty. Before moving to the angel investing and startup world, Stephen developed his career in financial services and sales and worked in countries like Singapore and France. His main role at Startup Funding Club is introducing new investors to tax efficient investing through the Fund and angel network.
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About Ixty, SFC Capital: Early-stage investor combining its own angel syndicate & seed funds to provide investors with diversified exposure to SEIS/EIS businesses.
Natasha Asher-Relf
Marketing Communications Manager of True.
Natasha has over six years’ experience in public relations, most recently holding the PR Manager role at LG Electronics. Her background is in the technology and consumer sectors, working for businesses such as Amazon, Panasonic, and Whitbread.
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About True.: True is a consumer-focused investment and innovation firm reimagining what good business looks like.
Evelina Olago
Investor Relations Senior Manager of Helios Investment Partners
Evelina Olago is previously in Helios’ Portfolio Operations Group and rejoined in September 2018 from McKinsey in London, where she was an Associate. Prior to joining Helios in 2014, she was an Assurance Associate in the Oil & Gas team at Ernst & Young in London.
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About Helios Investment Partners: Helios Investment Partners is a private equity and venture capital firm that focuses on African companies.
Sonny Bardhan
Senior Manager, Intellectual Capital of Omidyar Network
As a senior manager on the intellectual capital team, Sonny advances Omidyar Network’s strategy, research, impact and learning agendas across regions and initiatives. Prior to joining Omidyar Network in 2014, Sonny served as an investment manager at the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, where he developed strategy, built the investment pipeline, and originated and developed high impact opportunities to improve children’s welfare in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Sonny previously served as an engagement manager at McKinsey & Company, where he worked in both the financial institutions group and the social sector office. He began his career at Capital One, and has also worked with Innovations for Poverty Action and UnLtd. Sonny received an MPA in international development from the Harvard Kennedy School, where he was a Reynolds Fellow in social entrepreneurship. He holds an MBA with distinction from the University of Oxford and a first class MA in natural sciences from the University of Cambridge.
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About Omidyar Network: Omidyar Network is an investment firm.
Jon Hodges
VP Product – Head of Buy-Side Portfolio Manager of FIS
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About FIS: FIS focuses on retail and institutional banking, payments, asset and wealth management, risk and compliance, and outsourcing solutions.
Sean Stiefel
Portfolio Manager & Founder of Navy Capital
Sean Stiefel founded Navy Capital in 2014, where he manages a long/short portfolio structured to minimize beta to the overall market by using bottom-up and fundamental analysis. Prior to founding Navy Capital, Mr. Stiefel was a research analyst and trader for Northwoods Capital Management Partners, a global long/short fund with a fundamental value and special situations investment strategy. Mr. Stiefel had previously served as an associate within an equity long/short fund at Millennium Partners, and he began his career as an equities trading analyst for Barclays Capital. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business.
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About Navy Capital: Navy Capital is focuses on identifying attractive opportunities within the legal cannabis space.
James Newbery
Investment Manager of British Pearl
James Newbery brings broad experience from the portfolio management and wealth management markets having spent two decades in financial services, including Salomon Brothers, Citigroup, Western Asset Management and Legal & General. He has worked extensively on risk and investment frameworks in both large institutional and smaller new start-up businesses together with systems design and project and team management. He is currently a consultant in the wealth management sector providing guidance on investment strategy, risk profiling and business controls. He graduated from Bangor University with a B.A. (Hons) in Banking, Insurance and Finance. He is a member of the CFA Institute.
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About British Pearl: British Pearl is an online property investment platform facilitating share and loan-based investment in UK property.
Ciprian Blujdea
Product Manager of Juni
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About Juni: Juni is a fintech company that develops a banking app and platform for e-commerce and online marketing entrepreneurs.
Katalin Tischhauser
Head of External Manager Selection and Asset Management of Sygnum
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About Sygnum: Sygnum is a regulated digital asset specialist focused on institutional and private investors.
Francisco Gutierrez
Global Investment Manager of Startupbootcamp
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About Startupbootcamp: Startupbootcamp is a global network of industry-focused startup accelerators that provides investment and mentorship services.
Katherine Woodfine
Investment Manager of Horizon Capital
Katherine Woodfine currently works as the Investment Manager for Horizon Capital. She previously worked at Augusta Ventures as the Investment Manager.
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About Horizon Capital: Horizon Capital private equity firm invests in high-growth technology and business services companies.
Chloe Richardson
Investor Relations Manager of Parkwalk Advisors
Chloe is the office administrator at Parkwalk, helping on-board clients, managing EIS3s and liaising with their advisers and wealth managers. Before Parkwalk, Chloe worked for a technology company after graduating from the University of Southampton.
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About Parkwalk Advisors: Parkwalk is an investment management firm focused on UK-based technology companies that are spun out of UK university and research centres.
Ian Broadhurst
Business Devlopment Manager of Parkwalk Advisors
Ian worked with the Private Wealth Management units of BNP Paribas and Prudential Bache for the last ten years. He holds an MBA from Cranfield.
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About Parkwalk Advisors: Parkwalk is an investment management firm focused on UK-based technology companies that are spun out of UK university and research centres.
Alison Bloom-Feshbach
Senior Product Manager of CommonBond
Alison Bloom-Feshbach is a Senior Product Manager at CommondBond.co. She is a former CEO and Co-Founder of Know Your Crew and Consulting Associate at Arc Aspicio. Ms. Bloom-Feshbach graduated from Yale University with a bachelor of arts in Cognitive Science (Decision-making concentration) and received an MBA in Organizational Strategy and Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania – The Wharton School.
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About CommonBond: CommonBond was founded in 2012 to help relieve the student loan burden, and since then we’ve funded over $4 billion in better loans.
Jamie Brooke
Fund Manager of Lombard Odier
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About Lombard Odier: Lombard Odier is one of the largest private banks in Switzerland and Europe.
Deepak Colluru
Principal Product Manager of GoCardless
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About GoCardless: GoCardless is a payment company that makes collecting payments by direct debit easy for everyone.
David Stobs-Stobart
Senior Product Manager of GoCardless
David builds and leads enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) products and product teams for growth-stage technology companies. He brings a wealth of experience in product management and user experience (UX) within technically complex online environments, in both large and small teams. David specialises in products relating to analytics/ business intelligence (BI) and customer experience (CX) management. Users are increasingly mobile, social and demand a more personalized, human interaction with the brands they use. I’m proud to be working in the enterprise space helping organisations to engage with their customers, make better decisions and improve their workflows; solving complexity with well-designed applications users love. Over the last 10 years, he has taken the lead product role in 4 early-stage companies and built the product team and product management function. During that time, he has launched 7 products covering search, analytics, machine learning, content optimisation, conversion rate optimisation, self service, workflow management, data mining, social media, APIs, customer service and customer experience.
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About GoCardless: GoCardless is a payment company that makes collecting payments by direct debit easy for everyone.
Carl Hunt
Senior Manager of KPMG International Limited
Carl Hunt is the Director at KPMG
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About KPMG International Limited, KPMG UK: KPMG is a network of independent member firms offering audit, tax and advisory services.
Ashish Patel
Investment Manager, Head of Research of Mercia Asset Management PLC
Ash serves as Head of Research at Mercia Technologies, where his team delivers data-driven insights to support investment and strategic decision-making. He is also an active investor focusing on early and growth-stage healthcare, biotech and life science companies.
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About Mercia Asset Management PLC: Mercia is a proactive, specialist asset manager focused on supporting regional businesses to achieve their growth aspirations.
Jonathan Craig
Senior Investment Manager of Mercia Asset Management PLC
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About Mercia Asset Management PLC: Mercia is a proactive, specialist asset manager focused on supporting regional businesses to achieve their growth aspirations.
Brijesh Roy
Investment Manager of Mercia Asset Management PLC
Brijesh is an Investment Manager with a focus on university spinouts across the Midlands region. Prior to joining Mercia, Brijesh worked at Isis Innovation Ltd as a Technology Transfer Manager, managing a diverse portfolio of early stage biotech. medtech and software technologies from Oxford University. Over five years, he filed numerous patents, negotiated dozens of intellectual property licensing deals and also raised £12m to create gene therapy company Nightstarx Ltd, the largest venture capital investment ever made to a new university spinout in Europe at that time. Brijesh also worked as an Associate Strategy Consultant at L.E.K Consulting and interned as a Healthcare Analyst at hedge fund Millennium Partners. He holds a Ph.D in Biochemistry from University College London, and an MBiochem in Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry from the University of Oxford. He has also co-authored numerous academic papers within the field of Biochemistry.
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About Mercia Asset Management PLC: Mercia is a proactive, specialist asset manager focused on supporting regional businesses to achieve their growth aspirations.
Jonathan Diggines
Fund Manager of Mercia Asset Management PLC
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About Mercia Asset Management PLC: Mercia is a proactive, specialist asset manager focused on supporting regional businesses to achieve their growth aspirations.
Carl Deguara
Control and Risk Manager – UK Local Operations of BNP Paribas Private Equity
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About BNP Paribas Private Equity: BNP Paribas is a French private equity firm that provides a range of asset management services to its institutional and retail clients.
Charlotte Wright
Senior Marketing Manager – EMEA of OFX
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About OFX, Open Mobile Media: OFX is a global provider of online international payment services for personal and business customers.
Johannes Lenhard
Investment Manager of NFQ Capital
Johannes Lenhard is an ethnographer of venture capital and homelessness and currently teaching and researching at the University of Cambridge (as the Centre Coordinator of the Max Planck Centre Cambridge for the Study of Ethics, the Economy and Social Change). Having worked towards a better understanding of survival practices of homeless people in London and Paris for his PhD, he has spent the last four years researching the ethics of venture capital investors. His monograph ‘Making Better Lives – Hope, Freedom and Home-Making among people sleeping rough in Paris’ will be published later this year and so will his co-authored book ‘Better Venture’ focused DEI in tech and VC. He contributes regularly to journalistic outlets, such as Techcrunch, Prospect, Sifted, Aeon, the Conversation and Crunchbase.
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About NFQ Capital: NFQ funds early stage ventures and accelerates them with the support of 400+ specialists for company-building services via NFQ Technologies.
Leon Howard-Spink
Fund Manager of Schroders
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About Schroders: Schroders is an asset management company.
Mila Lukic
Investment Manager of Bridges Fund Management
Mila previously worked as a Management Consultant with Accenture focusing on transformational change management, organizational alignment and process design and improvement work. Mila also spent 4 years working on Education Generation, an online community working together to fund scholarships for young leaders in developing world countries to participate in some of the world’s most forward-thinking education programs. Most recently Mila worked as an intern at High Trees Community Development Trust in Tulse Hill, Lambeth.
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About Bridges Fund Management: Bridges Fund Management is a specialist fund manager dedicated to sustainable and impact investment.
Jane Thorburn
Project Manager of Railsbank
Jane Thorburn is a project manager at Railsbank.
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About Railsbank: Railsbank, the global Embedded Finance Experience Platform.
Graham Hewson
Incubator Manager of Imperial Innovations
Graham joined Imperial Innovations as the Incubator Manager in 2010. The Imperial Incubator is a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, providing office and laboratory space for early-stage companies including many spinouts from Imperial College London. Graham has worked in Incubation for over nine years, and has previously managed a successful digital media incubator in London’s tech city.
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About Imperial Innovations: Imperial Innovations is a technology commercialization and venture capital investor that focuses on technology.
Sylvain Delion
Manager of Macquarie Bank
Sylvain joined Macquarie Capital in 2004 in the Infrastructure Projects and Principal team which acts for Macquarie as developer, sponsor and financial investor in greenfield projects (using Macquarie own balance sheet) but also provides third party financial advisory services to external clients. Since joining Macquarie. Sylvain has been involved in developing, financing and investing in greenfield infrastructure assets across a wide variety of sectors: PPPs, data centers, fiber, transport, accommodation, healthcare, street lighting, energy and renewables. He has closed infrastructure project finance transactions representing more than €10bn of investments in many different European countries.
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About Macquarie Bank: Macquarie Bank, a subsidiary of Macquarie Group, provides various retail financing and commercial banking services primarily in Australia.
Colin Moar
Director – Global Equities – Investment Manager – Global Technology of Barings
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About Barings: Barings is a global financial services firm dedicated to meeting the evolving investment and capital needs.
Colin Moar
Director – Global Equities – Investment Manager – Global Technology of Barings
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About Barings: Barings is a global financial services firm dedicated to meeting the evolving investment and capital needs.
Daniel Bull
Investment Manager of Columbia Lake Partners
Daniel Bull is an Investment Manager at Columbia Lake Partners. He is responsible for the sourcing, financial analysis, structuring, documentation, and management of debt relationships with technology companies. Prior to joining CLP, Daniel worked as an Assistant Vice President in the Venture Capital Group at Comerica Bank in San Francisco. Daniel graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Business Administration from the University of Oregon.
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About Columbia Lake Partners: Columbia Lake Partners is an experienced team of investors providing growth loans to European technology companies.
