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 CFO’ operating in the Venture Capital space. If you think a CFO’ 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.
Jonathan Biggs
COO & CFO — London of Accel
Jon Biggs joined Accel in 2001 and is Accel London’s chief operating officer. Jon runs the operations of the London office. He sits on the judging panel of the UK Private Business Awards and was instrumental in working with NACUE in its efforts to champion employment in early stage companies for new graduates. Prior to Accel, Jon worked at AXA Investment Managers, and before that worked at Deutsche Bank and Mirabaud & Cie in London. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant at PWC. Jon is from the South of England and graduated from the University of Bristol.
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About Accel: Accel is an early and growth-stage venture capital firm that helps a global community of entrepreneurs.
Alex Goodway
CFO of Kindred Capital
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About Kindred Capital: Kindred is an early stage venture capital fund based in London that practises equitable venture.
Giovanni Pericolini
Finance Director & CFO of Medicxi Ventures
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About Medicxi Ventures: Medicxi is a life sciences-focused investment firm.
Ben Wilkinson
CFO of Molten Ventures
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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.
Ian Milbourn
Chief Financial Officer of Notion Capital
Ian is a partner at Notion; he co-founded the firm in 2009 and is the Chief Financial Officer. Ian sits on the board of Zattikka and eSeller within Notion’s portfolio and focuses on the Consumer Services sector. Ian has a wealth of experience in corporate finance having led a number of transactions during his career. He is a qualified accountant and started his career at Ernst & Young in their entrepreneurial services division where he worked with a wide range of early to mid-stage growth businesses. Ian joined MessageLabs in 2003 where he led transactions for both MessageLabs and Star covering financing and M&A in both the UK and US markets. Additionally, Ian managed all aspects of tax, equity incentives and financing for the company. Ian holds an honours degree in Business Management from University of Leeds.
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About Notion Capital, SeedCloud: Notion is an early-stage venture fund that focuses on technology and cloud computing markets.
Amjid Zaman
Chief Financial Officer of Oakley Capital
Amjid joined Pembroke as Chief Operating Officer in December 2017, and has held operational and investment led responsibilities within Oakley Capital’s private equity fund where he was Managing Director for 9 years. Amjid’s diverse career includes CFOof tech start up Humyo.com, Group Financial Controller for Pipex Communications Plc and has led the restructure and buy and build strategies of 2e2 Datacentres and Broadstone respectively.
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About Oakley Capital, Pembroke VCT: Oakley Capital is a mid-market private equity investor.
Andrew Jones
Chief Financial Officer of RIT Capital Partners
Andrew Jones is the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Risk Officer of J. Rothschild Capital Management Limited. JRCM is the investment manager for RIT Capital Partners plc and responsible for the day to day management of the Group. Prior to joining the Company in 2008, he spent three years in venture capital and four years at Nomura, advising on its private equity investments as well as risk, global corporate development and strategy. He qualified as a chartered accountant with Deloitte LLP where he spent time in audit before specialising in valuation advice. Andrew is a fellow of the ICAEW and a member of its Valuation Community Advisory Group, as well as a member of the Audit Committee of the British Academy.
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About RIT Capital Partners: RIT Capital Partners plc is an investment trust listed on the London Stock Exchange with net assets of some £1.9 billion.
Graeme Bayley
Partner & Group CFO of GP Bullhound
Graeme joined GP Bullhound in 2009 and is responsible for GP Bullhound’s Finance, Compliance, IT, HR and Operations. He started his career at Deloitte Haskins & Sells (now PwC) where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant before working in corporate finance. He then moved to HSBC Investment Bank where he ran the Growth Companies Team, later joining Noble & Co as a Director in Corporate Finance before taking on the management of Noble’s finance, compliance and operations. Graeme is a Fellow of the ICAEW and holds their Corporate Finance qualification along with a BSc in Physics from Southampton University.
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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.
Raxita Kapashi
Chief Financial Officer of Dawn Capital
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About Dawn Capital: Dawn Capital is an early-stage venture fund that focuses on investing in the enterprise software and FinTech sectors.
Duncan Cameron
Chief Financial Officer & Director of Catapult Ventures
Duncan is Catapult’s CFO and directly manages a number of portfolio companies, as well as serving on the three Catapult Investment Committees. He has nearly 25 years’ experience within the private equity industry since joining NatWest’s venture capital business in 1989. Duncan has experience of making, managing and realising investments across industry sectors including automotive design, transportation, professional services, software, renewable energy and telecoms.
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About Catapult Ventures: Catapult Ventures specialises in providing Equity Capital for businesses requiring between £50k and £2m.
Monica Pinto
Managing Director, CFO / COO of Apis Partners
Monica has over 20 years of experience in direct investing, management and strategy consulting, primarily in Growth Markets. Prior to Apis, she was a Director at Banco Efisa. She was the head of the business unit focused on private equity investments, debt financing and corporate finance in international markets (Africa, India, Middle East, Eastern Europe and Brazil). She was responsible for all aspects ofmanagement including P&L, capital allocation, investment criteria, origination, end to end execution of transactions and management of the team. Monica was also a strategy consultant for Marakon Associates in London, where she led teams in Europe and Brazil for global banks in a variety of strategic issues. At Procter & Gamble, she worked in Europe, Latin America and South East Asia setting up new companies. She is passionate about history, arts, adventurous travelling off the beaten track (over 55 countries and counting, lived in three continents) and trekking, and dedicates her free time in honing her Ikebana skills or sailing in the Atlantic, off the coast of her native Lisbon.
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About Apis Partners: Apis Partners is a private equity asset manager focused on Financial Services in Growth Markets.
James Dawes
Chief Financial Officer of 3i Group
James is Chief Financial Officer for 3i Group’s Infrastructure business and joined in January 2016. He manages all of the operational, financial and reporting requirements for the Infrastructure business line within 3i Group, as well as performing CFO duties for 3i Infrastructure plc. Prior to joining 3i, James was with Legal & General Investment Management where he held a number of senior finance roles, including Finance Director of LGV Capital from 2007 to 2015. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.
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About 3i Group: 3i is an international investment manager focused on mid-market Private Equity, Infrastructure & Debt Management.
Ronan Shally
Partner & CFO of Highland Europe
Ronan is the CFO for Highland Capital Partners Europe. Ronan joined in 2014 and is responsible for the financial and administrative functions of the Europe office. Before joining Highland, Ronan was Head of Private Clients at an accounting firm in Ireland that focussed on complex investment funds. Prior to that, he spent 11 years in the Channel Islands focussing on the administration of offshore investment fund structures, including 7 years in the private equity arena with the Aztec Group. Ronan holds a B.B.S., Business Studies from the University of Limerick and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. Ronan is a keen follower of Liverpool F.C. and also likes to keep in touch with rugby and Gaelic games in his native Ireland. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons in addition to indulging in his passion for athletics where he previously represented Guernsey in the Island Games and at British Athletics league events.
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About Highland Europe: Highland Europe is a growth-stage technology fund that invests in European internet, mobile, and software companies.
Will Pearson
Chief Financial Officer of True.
Will began his career at Deloitte, meeting Matt and Paul in the process, and subsequently spent twelve years at GE Capital holding several CFO and senior finance roles.
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About True.: True is a consumer-focused investment and innovation firm reimagining what good business looks like.
Andy Halford
Group Chief Financial Officer of Standard Chartered Bank
Andy Halford was appointed as Group Finance Director and Group Executive Director of Standard Chartered plc on 1 July 2014. He is based in London and is responsible for Finance and Corporate Treasury. Andy joined Standard Chartered from Vodafone Group plc, where he spent the last 15 years and the last 9 years as Chief Financial Officer. Andy joined Vodafone Group plc in 1999 as Financial Director for Vodafone Limited, the UK operating company, and in 2001 he became Financial Director for Vodafone’s Northern Europe, Middle East and Africa Region. In 2002, Andy was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Verizon Wireless in the US and was a Member of the Board of Representatives of the Verizon Wireless Partnership. Andy became Chief Financial Officer of Vodafone Group plc in July 2005, a position which he held until March 2014 when he retired from the group. Prior to Vodafone, Andy was Group Finance Director at East Midlands Electricity Plc. Andy is a non-executive director of Marks and Spencer plc and is a former Chairman of the Hundred Group of Finance Directors. Andy holds a bachelor degree in Industrial Economics from Nottingham University and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
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About M&S Financial Services, Standard Chartered Bank: Standard Chartered Bank is an international banking group.
Paul Cunningham
Partner, Chief Financial Officer of Helios Investment Partners
Mr Cunningham has overall responsibility for all matters relating to accounting, financial control, taxation, fund administration and reporting and regulatory compliance for the Helios group entities. An experienced private equity finance and administration executive with 33 years in the industry, he served as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer for Barclays Private Equity (“BPE”) for six years prior to joining Helios in May 2008, and previously as Director, Head of Finance & Product Control Projects at Barclays Capital. His responsibilities included the reporting and administration of various managed funds as well as internal reporting / administration for BPE’s proprietary business. Mr Cunningham is Chairman of the International Private Equity and Venture Capital Valuation Guidelines (“IPEV”) Board. Prior to joining Barclays, he worked within the finance functions of various major investment banks, including Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse, since qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Whinney in 1989. He graduated with a BS (Hons) in Mathematics from Imperial College.
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About Helios Investment Partners: Helios Investment Partners is a private equity and venture capital firm that focuses on African companies.
Clea Whitley
CFO of Earlymarket
Clea studied Architecture at Oxford Brookes University, graduating with a BA(Hons) in 2008, before becoming an accountant due to the recession and disappointment in the lack of maths involved in being an architect. She is now a part-qualified ACCA. Rowed competitively with City of Oxford Rowing Club for 3 years before moving to London. She continues to be creative in her spare time through her jewellery shop on Etsy, CleaMadeThis, and joining the London Amateur Ballet (as of January 2016).
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About Earlymarket: Earlymarket is a London-based investment fund that provides seed capital to companies in the technology industry.
Jonathan Hull
CFO of Third Bridge Group
Jonathan oversees Third Bridge’s financial strategy. He focuses his time on working with our business units, to understand how each is performing and to ensure resources are effectively allocated in order to achieve our strategic objectives. Jonathan is an experienced CFO, having held senior executive roles at Vodafone, Unite plc and Quadriga. Prior to joining Third Bridge in December 2015, Jonathan was CFO at AlertMe, a pioneer in the Internet of Things; the company was successfully sold in March 2015 to British Gas. Outside work, Jonathan enjoys the occasional round of golf, hillwalking and spending time with his family.
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About Third Bridge Group: Third Bridge Group is a provider of research services to private equity and hedge funds.
Martin Glanfield
Chief Financial Officer of Mercia Asset Management PLC
Martin is the Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary of Mercia Technologies PLC. He is responsible for the long-term financial planning of the Group, as well as for presenting and reporting accurate financial information to shareholders. Martin’s responsibilities also include managing the financial risks of the Group and the Group’s compliance function. He also has Board responsibility for Mercia’s successful debt funds activities. Martin is based at the Group’s head office in Henley-in-Arden.
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About Mercia Asset Management, Mercia Asset Management PLC: Mercia is a proactive, specialist asset manager focused on supporting regional businesses to achieve their growth aspirations.
Paul Richings
Partner & Chief Financial Officer of Bridges Fund Management
Paul joined Bridges as Chief Financial Officer in 2014. Prior to this, he had worked in the investment management industry for over 20 years, most recently as a partner at Langholm Capital, having joined the firm as CFO at its inception in 2002. Paul previously worked at Mercury Asset Management, joining Mercury prior to its acquisition by Merrill Lynch; in total he spent almost 6 years at Merrill Lynch Investment Managers in a variety of finance roles, both in the UK and Asia. He qualified as a chartered accountant with Coopers & Lybrand (now PwC), working primarily on the audit of investment management firms. Paul has a degree in economics from Cambridge University.
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About Bridges Fund Management: Bridges Fund Management is a specialist fund manager dedicated to sustainable and impact investment.
James Yates
CFO of IK Investment Partners
James Yates is IK’s CFO and responsible for Finance & Administration, Information Technology and Corporate Counsel & Legal Control. Prior to joining IK in 2002, James worked at Arthur Andersen and Moores Rowland International. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1997 and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and of the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment. James graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in 1993 with a BA (hons) Degree in Accounting.
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About IK Investment Partners: IK Partners is a European private equity advisory group with Nordic roots, operating across Northern Continental Europe.
James Rawlingson
Chief Financial Officer of Arix Bioscience
James has substantial experience at board and senior management level gained over 20 years of involvement in financial services and UK public companies. James’ former role was Group CFO of Charles Stanley plc, a leading wealth manager with over £20 billion of funds under management and administration. Previously, James was Group CFO for Coutts Bank, where he was responsible for the global finance function and held a key role in setting strategy. Before this James spent two years at UBS Wealth Management based in Zurich after promotion from his role as CFO of UBS Wealth UK.
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About Arix Bioscience: Arix Bioscience is a healthcare and life science company.
Hugh Hall
Chief Financial Officer of Scottish Enterprise
Hugh Hall is Scottish Enterprise’s Chief Financial Officer. Hugh has responsibility for all of Scottish Enterprise’s finances and for ensuring that strategic financial management and value for money are at the heart of the business and its decision-making processes. Hugh and his team work closely with the Scottish Government and other key stakeholders to ensure that public funding is invested to best effect to meet Scottish Enterprise’s business objectives. Hugh has lead responsibility for the following corporate functions: * Finance, * Innovative Funding, * Investments, * Audit, * Legal Services, * Procurement, * Information Services (IS), and * Corporate Services such as health and safety and facilities management.
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About Scottish Enterprise: Scottish Enterprise is Scotland’s main economic, enterprise, innovation and investment agency.
Steven Dunne
Senior Partner, CFO and head of portfolio of Frog Capital
Steven Dunne has been a partner at Frog Capital since 2015, leading the finance, operations and portfolio management functions. He joined following two successful exits and wide-ranging operational experience as CFO in growth-stage companies that is now invaluable in helping our portfolio through their scale-up journey. Previously Steven worked at Livingbridge (Portfolio director), HSBC Investment Bank and PWC. Steven is a fellow of the ICAEW and in addition to holding a MA in Economics from Cambridge University, he has a diploma in Organisational Psychology.
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About Frog Capital: Frog invests in software enabled scale-up stage tech companies in Europe.
Tom Barrett
CFO of JUST DEVELOP iT
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About JUST DEVELOP iT: Just Develop It (JDi) is a Hampshire based investment company that specialises in early stage and growth capital across.
Cristian Young
CFO of Smedvig Capital
Cristian is CFO of Smedvig Capital, which he joined in 2007 from KPMG’s Operational Restructuring practice in London. He began his career with KPMG in the financial sector audit practice where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ACA). From there he joined the restructuring practice, where he focused on bank side financial advisory work as well as working capital and cost management projects across multiple industry sectors. Cristian has a degree in Business and German from Nottingham University and speaks fluent German having spent some time, in his early career, working with Siemens Business Services in Munich. Cristian’s role at Smedvig Capital covers much of the Firm’s third party Private Equity investing as well as advisory projects on the direct investment side and internal structuring and compliance. He is currently a board member of PPC and LoveSpace, and has previously held a board role at Ocean Outdoor and Blink Point.
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About Smedvig Capital: 25 years of supporting ambitious founders from Series A to exit.
Chris Ferguson
Chief Financial Officer of Preqin
Chris is responsible for the strategic development and operations of the Solutions products – Preqin’s private capital portfolio management software. Chris joined the Preqin team having consulted on the initial investment in the business in January 2015, and moved over to the Solutions division full time in November 2016 following the final acquisition, having served as a non-executive director for two years. Prior to joining Preqin, Chris worked for the Lereko Metier Sustainable Capital Fund, a private equity fund focused on sustainable investments in sub-Saharan Africa. He is a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants having completed his articles at Ernst & Young in Johannesburg.
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About Preqin: Preqin provides financial data and information on the alternative assets market.
John Bradshaw
Chief Financial Officer of Syncona Partners LLP
John Bradshaw is the Chief Financial Officer of Syncona Investment Management Ltd. He has worked extensively with companies in the life science sector as a part-time and interim CFO. He was previously CFO of Gyrus Group PLC and qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen. John has a degree in Law from the University of Liverpool.
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About Avillion, Syncona Partners LLP: Syncona Partners LLP is a healthcare company focused on investing in and building global leaders in life science.
Alan Hart
CFO of Capital on Tap
Alan Hart is a CFO at Capital On Tap where he is responsible for helping the business to grow as well as all finance, equity & debt capital markets, treasury, and legal-related functions. He earned an MBA in Strategy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at Imperial College London.
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About Capital on Tap: Capital on Tap is a fintech company that provides small and medium-sized businesses with credit cards.
Tushar Pabari
Chief Financial Officer of Mayfair Equity Partners
Tushar joined Mayfair in 2018 and is responsible for managing the financial, compliance and operational aspects of the firm. He was previously Chief Financial Officer at Headway Capital Partners. Prior to this, he was Fund Controller at Cognetas and an audit manager at KPMG. Tushar is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and graduated with an Economics degree from the University of Manchester. He is a member of the Invest Europe Working Group on Accounting Standards, Valuation and Reporting.
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About Mayfair Equity Partners: Mayfair Equity Partners provides buyout and growth capital to dynamic businesses in the TMT and Consumer sectors.
Thomas Nicholls
CFO of Renaissance Capital Partners
Thomas Nicholls is the CFO at Renaissance Capital Partners.
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About Renaissance Capital Partners: Renaissance Capital Partners invests funds in high-growth, innovative, and entrepreneurial businesses and also built environment projects.
Richard Pereira
CFO & Partner of Zouk Capital
Richard Pereira joined Zouk as a Partner in 2007 and is the CFO and COO.
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About Zouk Capital: Zouk Capital is an independent private equity fund manager investing in companies that advance resource efficiency.
Christopher Fox
Chief Financial Officer of British Business Bank
Christopher is Chief Financial Officer and is also responsible for central functions including HR, IT and Admin. Prior to joining the British Business Bank, Christopher was Head of Banking at UK Financial Investments, where he was responsible for overseeing HM Government’s shareholders in Lloyds Banking Group, Royal Bank of Scotland and UK Asset Resolution. He was also a Non-Executive Director at UK Asset Resolution, Bradford & Bingley and NRAM. Christopher joined UKFI from UBS, where he gained extensive experience of financial services over nearly 20 years, having provided capital markets and investment banking advice to a range of governments and financial institutions around the world. He joined UBS in 1993 and is a qualified accountant.
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About British Business Bank: The British Business Bank aims to make finance markets for smaller businesses work better.
Nick Taylor
CFO and Co-Founder of Envestors
Educated at Uppingham School, Nick then took Articles and qualified with Price Waterhouse Cooper in London. He has held senior positions with private and public companies, including manufacturer Astell Scientific (Holdings) and listed City based property agent Baker Harris Saunders Plc. He co-founded the Sportscard Credit Card Company which was listed on AIM and later sold to the online bookmaker UK Betting plc, also an established private restaurant group and The London Distillery Company. Nick was a co-founder of Envestors in 2004. In his spare time, he enjoys food and drink, golf, and watching cricket/rugby.
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About Envestors: Envestors digital platform connects entrepreneurs and investors
Alex Crocombe
Co Founder, Chief Financial Officer of Goji Investments
Co-founder and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for an FCA regulated private asset investment platform. Qualified accountant with a background in fintech M&A and strategic advisory.
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About Goji Investments: Investment platform providing access to regulated investment products from across the direct lending sector
Stacey Seltzer
Partner & CFO of Prehype
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About Prehype: Prehype is a venture development firm, co creating startups with the world’s finest corporations and entrepreneurs.
Adrian Allen
Chief Financial Officer of Newable
Adrian Allen With a background in design for manufacture, Adrian has been involved in R&D and commercialisation for many years, including IP management, start-ups, incubators, product development services and access to finance. Adrian currently manages a team of Innovation Advisers providing fully-funded innovation support to companies as part of the national Innovate2Succeed programme.
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About Newable: Newable provides finance, consulting, and property services for start-ups, and small and medium-sized businesses in the UK.
David Burndred
Chief Financial Officer of Big Society Capital
David joined Big Society Capital in August 2017 and is responsible for the delivery of effective support to Big Society Capital through leadership of the Finance, Legal/Compliance and Operations teams. Prior to joining Big Society Capital, David was CFO at Lewis Silkin LLP, a leading professional services firm, and previously held a number of senior financial leadership roles at Eversheds LLP and Laird Plc, a FTSE 250 technology business. Earlier in his career David spent 9 years at CDC Group as an Investment Manager growing and managing a portfolio of impact investments in several African countries and is currently a member of the CDC Alumni Committee. David started his career with PWC and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and a graduate of Exeter University. David is also actively involved with his local community as a Trustee of a Community Sports organisation and as a steering group member for a local community hub development project. He also regularly participates in a mentoring programme for year 7-9 pupils at an Academy in Inner London.
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About Big Society Capital: Big Society Capital is developing a strong, diverse and sustainable social investment market in the UK.
Gareth Groome
Partner & Chief Financial Officer of Deepbridge Capital
As CFO at Deepbridge, Gareth manages and oversees the financial and investment accounting function. A full member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, coupled with a solid commercial background as a Chartered Accountant and Finance Director, Gareth has a proven depth of understanding of the efficient management of complex fund and investment structures. His wide breadth of experience includes directorships in a number of financial services companies, as well as regulatory, legislative and risk management expertise.
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About Deepbridge Capital: Deepbridge is a different kind of investment manager.
