Chief Investment Officer play a crucial role in any startup. It takes an extraordinary person to fulfil the Chief Investment Officer role. We have selected these Chief Investment Officer’s for this list as they are inspiring for a variety of reasons – whether that’s pushing boundaries, creating groundbreaking products, or doing their bit to save the world.
Our analysts did their best to select be best, and most innovative Chief Investment Officer’s. The list is in no particular order!
Nikhil Srinivasan
Chief Investment Officer @ PartnerRe
Follow Nikhil Srinivasan on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Mr Srinivasan is a Singapore national. He attended Cambridge University and Harvard’s Kennedy School. Before joining Generali, he worked for the Allianz Group since 2003, holding several investment functions in Asia and in Munich. His last position was as Group CIO of Allianz Investment Management and a member of Allianz Group’s International Executive Committee. In February 2013 Nikhil Srinivasan was appointed as new Generali Group Chief Investment Officer. Mr Srinivasan is also a member of the Generali Group Management Committee and Chairman of Generali Investments Europe. Since March 2013 he is also Member of the Board of Directors of GPH.
Learn more about Nikhil Srinivasan on Crunchbase… Read more about PartnerRe on Crunchbase…
Joe Giannamore
Founder, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Investment Officer @ AnaCap
Follow Joe Giannamore on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Joe founded AnaCap Financial Partners in 2005 as Europe’s first specialist private equity firm focusing on the financial services sector. Since inception, the partnership has grown from €300 million to more than €3 billion of assets under management, and AnaCap is now the leading financial services investor in Europe, owning three insurance businesses and banks in five jurisdictions. Before founding AnaCap, Joe co-founded auto finance company On:line Finance, which was the first investment grade rated start-up in Europe and the first lender over the internet in Europe. From launch, On:line grew to over a billion dollars in assets within five years, and was one of the ten fastest growing companies in the UK during that period. On:line was subsequently acquired by GMAC UK, the UK finance arm of General Motors, with Joe becoming CEO of GMAC UK. Previously, he was a Vice President at Salomon Brothers. Joe holds a Bachelor’s degree from American University in Washington and an MBA from London Business School.
Learn more about Joe Giannamore on Crunchbase… Read more about AnaCap on Crunchbase…
David Semmens
Chief Investment Officer @ Wealthify
Follow David Semmens on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
David Semmens is currently Chief Investment Officer at leading UK digital wealth management service, Wealthify. Since completing an M.Sc. in Economics at the University of Warwick, David has worked in London, New York and Paris across a range of industries covering banking, insurance and asset management for HSBC Asset Management, Euler Hermes and Standard Chartered Bank. David is also a CFA charterholder with an Executive MBA from the University of Cambridge. He is passionate about improving financial literacy and helping people to gain the confidence to become investors. In his spare time he enjoys playing cards, crime novels and walking his dog.
Learn more about David Semmens on Crunchbase…Wealthify offers effortless, transparent, and affordable investing for everyone. Read more about Wealthify on Crunchbase…
Kenneth Caplan
Sr. Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer @ Blackstone Group
Follow Kenneth Caplan on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Kenneth A. Caplan is a Senior Managing Director and Global Chief Investment Officer of the Real Estate Group. Since joining Blackstone in 1997, Kenneth Caplan has been involved in over $100 billion of real estate acquisitions and initiatives in the United States, Europe and Asia. These include major acquisitions such as Equity Office Properties, Hilton Hotels, Trizec Properties and La Quinta. Prior to his current role, Kenneth Caplan was Head of Real Estate Europe. Before joining Blackstone, he was at Lazard Frères & Co. in the real estate investment banking group. Kenneth Caplan received an A.B. in Economics from Harvard College, where he graduated magna cum laude, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and was a John Harvard Scholar. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Prep for Prep.
Learn more about Kenneth Caplan on Crunchbase… Read more about Blackstone Group on Crunchbase…
Suhail Rizvi
Co-Founder & Chief Investment Officer @ Rizvi Traverse Management
Follow Suhail Rizvi on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Suhail Rizvi is the co-founder and Chief Investment Officer of Rizvi Traverse Management and related entities. He is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and serves on the school’s Executive Board. Rizvi serves as a Partner at Emerald Venture Capital. Previously he was a Financial Analyst at MIG Companies as well as Founder and Principal at Suntel, Inc. He has also held various roles as Chairman or Director at JN Industries, Lotsoff Capital Management, the Avatar Group, and Innovo Group Inc. In 1995, Rizvi bought the Telephone Manufacturing division of the Puerto Rican phone company and boosted its annual revenue from $10 million to $450 million in the process. Suhail Rizvi has quietly [amassed a stake of more than 15 percent in the real-time information network Twitter for himself and his investors](http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/03/us-twitter-ipo-rizvi-insight-idUSBRE9920VW20131003). He was supposedly a matchmaker between Twitter’s founders and global financiers, and has an elusive web presence.
Learn more about Suhail Rizvi on Crunchbase… Read more about Rizvi Traverse Management on Crunchbase…
Chris Coles
Chief Investment Officer @ CDC Group
Follow Chris Coles on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
By his mid-40s, after working almost 25 years primarily in the investment banking industry, Chris had decided it was time to look for a new challenge. While working in leveraged finance he was introduced to the world of international private equity. Combined with a personal interest in emerging markets and development finance, it was not a hard decision to join Actis. Chris studied Politics and Economics as an undergraduate at Oxford, and then did a Masters’ degree in International Development in 2007. He is a passionate believer in private sector led economic development in the emerging markets. Actis is the perfect platform to witness its impact and benefits first hand, as well as providing the opportunity to make a personal contribution. More specifically in 1990, Chris visited Zambia. It was his first visit to Africa and after that he says he knew that one day he wanted to ‘return’ in a more meaningful way.
Learn more about Chris Coles on Crunchbase… Read more about CDC Group on Crunchbase…
Benoit Durteste
Chief Investment Officer and Chief Executive Officer @ Intermediate Capital Group
Follow Benoit Durteste on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Benoît Durteste is Chief Investment Officer and Chief Executive Officer of ICG. He is also a member of the Board of ICG Plc and the Chairman of the BVCA Alternative Lending Working Group. Benoit joined ICG in 2002 from Swiss Re where he was a Managing Director in the Structured Finance division in London. Prior to Swiss Re, Benoit worked in the Leveraged Finance division of BNP Paribas and in GE Capital’s Telecom and Media Private Equity team in London. Benoit is a graduate of the Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Paris.
Learn more about Benoit Durteste on Crunchbase… Read more about Intermediate Capital Group on Crunchbase…
Hugh Crossley
Chief Investment Officer @ Equitix
Follow Hugh Crossley on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Hugh is a founding Director of Equitix and serves as the Group’s Chief Investment Officer. Hugh is responsible for fundraising at Equitix and managed the establishment of EF III which closed on £505 million with 21 investors, EF II which closed on £333 million with 14 investors and the formation of the £104m EF I with 8 investors. He chairs the Investment Committee for all Equitix Funds and oversees the portfolio management functions, responsible for the administration and optimisation of the Funds’ assets. Hugh is also responsible for the majority of Equitix’s secondary acquisitions and has managed the bids for all of the Equitix LIFTCos. Prior to joining Equitix, Hugh was Commercial Manager at John Laing where he managed Laing’s investments into the Social Housing and Hospital sectors including Bart’s and the Royal London Hospital as well as the acquisition of two Canadian Hospitals. Prior to John Laing, he worked for Bechtel Corporation both in London and USA. Hugh graduated with a BSc (Honours) Environmental & Ecological Engineering from the University of Newcastle. He is also a Chartered Management Accountant (CIMA).
Learn more about Hugh Crossley on Crunchbase…Equitix is a company established to deliver and manage infrastructure projects from bidding and closing through to construction. Read more about Equitix on Crunchbase…
Karen McCormick
Chief Investment Officer and Partner @ Beringea
Follow Karen McCormick on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Karen is a Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Beringea responsible for making new investments and working with portfolio companies through to exit. Her investments include D3O Holdings Ltd, MatsSoft, Sealskinz, Thread, InContext Solutions, and Blis. Karen also led investments into Monica Vinader, Watchfinder, Eagle Rock and Cross Solar. Karen was previously with the Boston Consulting Group and ran the Watches division of Swiss Army/Wenger. She also has experience with start-ups as both a founder and advisor. Karen has lived and worked in the US, Europe, and Asia, and has an MBA from INSEAD and a BSBA from Boston University. Karen has lived and worked in the US, Europe, and Asia, and has an MBA from INSEAD and a BSBA from Boston University.
Learn more about Karen McCormick on Crunchbase… Read more about Beringea on Crunchbase…
Alfredo Mattera
Co-Chief Investment Officer & Founding Partner @ Warwick Capital LLP
Follow Alfredo Mattera on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Alfredo co-founded Warwick with Ian Burgess in 2010. Prior to this, Alfredo was at Polygon, responsible for building and managing the global credit business. From 2001-2004 Alfredo was at Barclays Capital overseeing special situations proprietary positions. Alfredo was with CSFB in New York and London from 1997-2001 in the high yield group covering the gaming, telecom, cable & wireless sectors. He started his career at Price Waterhouse in 1994. Alfredo graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Syracuse University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and a CFA Charterholder.
Learn more about Alfredo Mattera on Crunchbase… Read more about Warwick Capital LLP on Crunchbase…
Kieran Hill
Chief Investment Officer @ Ascension Ventures
Follow Kieran Hill on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
[custom-twitter-feeds screenname=”Kieranleehill”]
Spoiler title
Kieran joined Ascension in 2013 running its Operations. He is part of the investment team analysing new business opportunities, and continually works with the portfolio businesses to progress them. Before joining Ascension Ventures, Kieran worked for a proprietary trading house in the city as a Derivatives Trader, an Account Director at an online video start-up, and a Freelance Journalist for the Guardian newspaper. He graduated from Westminster University in 2010, with a first class honours degree in Journalism.
Learn more about Kieran Hill on Crunchbase…Ascension Ventures is an early-stage VC built by exited entrepreneurs to back the next generation of tech and impact founders. Read more about Ascension Ventures on Crunchbase…
Alain Gavin
Chief Investment Officer @ Psion Partners
Follow Alain Gavin on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
[custom-twitter-feeds screenname=”AlainGavin”]
Read more about Psion Partners on Crunchbase…
Raul Biancardi
Chief Investment Officer @ Open Vista
Follow Raul Biancardi on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Raul Biancardi is Open Vista’s Chief Investment Officer. He has 25 years of experience in wealth and asset management, investment research, and private banking, working in the UK, Switzerland, and the Middle East. Before co-founding Open Vista, Raul was Head of International Asset Management and Private Banking at Banco Bradesco, based in London. He successfully created and launched Bradesco’s first globally diversified funds and built the international wealth advisory and investment management operations in Europe. Raul started his career at the beginning of the ‘90s as the founder of Morgan Stanley’s Latin American equities business in Europe. In 1997, he joined Lehman Brothers, where he held several senior positions including Head of Wealth and Asset Management for EMEA, Deputy Head of European Equity Research, and Head of Emerging Markets Equities. In 2008, Raul became the Chief Operating Officer of NCB Capital, the largest investment bank in Saudi Arabia. At NCB, Raul was directly responsible for wealth and asset management and supervised a large team of private bankers. In 2011, Raul moved to Geneva to build the family office of a prominent member of the Saudi Royal Family, where he managed investments in excess of $5 billion. Raul holds a BA from Tulane University and an MBA from Westminster University.
Learn more about Raul Biancardi on Crunchbase… Read more about Open Vista on Crunchbase…
Gordon Power
Owner and Chief Investment Officer @ Earth Capital
Follow Gordon Power on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Gordon Power, a private equity specialist, is Director of Edge’s investment committee, and one of the originators of the VCT business in the UK. Gordon Power has 29 years of venture capital and private equity experience, is Director of Edge’s investment committee and is a private equity investor in his own right. He founded and was CEO of the private equity business, ProVen Private Equity (now renamed Beringea), and led its buy-out from Guinness Mahon in 1997. By 2002 ProVen, which specialised in media and intellectual property rights investments, had funds under management of US $370 million including a highly successful range of VCTs. From 1984 to date, he has achieved an overall return in excess of 29% on 239 realised (i.e. sale, flotation or administration/liquidation) investments and unrealised investments.
Learn more about Gordon Power on Crunchbase…EC is a global private equity investment manager totally focused on Sustainable Development within the climate change nexus. Read more about Earth Capital on Crunchbase…
Nick Moakes
Managing Partner of Investments and Chief Investment Officer @ Wellcome Trust
Follow Nick Moakes on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Nick is directly responsible for Wellcome’s global equity, FX and derivatives exposure, as well as playing a key role in broader investment strategy and management of the Investment Team. He is a member of our Investment Committee. Nick joined Wellcome in 2007 from BlackRock Investment Management where he was Head of the Asia Pacific investment team and co-head of Emerging Markets. He has 27 years’ professional experience in Asia, and 22 years’ experience in global equity markets. He graduated in Modern History and Economics from Balliol College, Oxford, and is a CFA charter holder. Before joining BlackRock in 1997, Nick lived in Hong Kong for nine years. He is a Chinese speaker. He started his career in the Diplomatic Service. Nick is Chair of the Imperial College London Endowment Fund and a Non-Executive Director of the Foreign and Colonial Investment Trust. He’s also a Board Member of the UK Investor Forum, which aims to align the interests of listed companies and long-term shareholders.
Learn more about Nick Moakes on Crunchbase…Wellcome Trust is a medical research charity that funds research that aims to protect and improving human and animal health. Read more about Wellcome Trust on Crunchbase…
Dimitry Griko
Chief Investment Officer @ EG Capital Advisors
Follow Dimitry Griko on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Dimitry heads up the core EG Capital Advisors Fixed Income Investment Team and is responsible for the Emerging Markets Corporate High Yield strategy. His experience in asset management spans over 18 years and includes spells at Everest Asset Management, Sanno Point Capital Management, and Deutsche Bank New York, where he was a senior trader on the convertibles desk.
Learn more about Dimitry Griko on Crunchbase… Read more about EG Capital Advisors on Crunchbase…
Mark Ferguson
Chief Investment Officer @ Generation Investment Management
Follow Mark Ferguson on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Mark is a Founding Partner of Generation Investment Management and Co-Chief Investment Officer of the Global Equity strategy, covering the Global Financials sector. Previously, Mark was co-Head of the Financials Research Team, Member of Pan European Stock Selection Group, co-Head of Pan European Research and Global Equity Portfolio Manager for Goldman Sachs Asset Management, and an analyst at Schroder Investment Management. Mark received a BSc in Urban Land Economy from Sheffield Hallam University, and an MBA from the European University in Paris.
Learn more about Mark Ferguson on Crunchbase… Read more about Generation Investment Management on Crunchbase…
Alexander (Sandy) Smart
Partner and Chief Investment Officer @ WestBridge Capital
Follow Alexander (Sandy) Smart on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Alexander (Sandy) Smart has over 30 years’ experience of the private equity sector having joined 3i in 1978 where he gained early experience of investment in the SME sector. He then focussed on technology investing with Barclays Development Capital (now Equistone) before joining CVC as a VP and Director, and subsequently PVML (now Silverfleet), investing in larger LBOs / MBOs across all industry sectors. A notable success was his role as a founding investor in IMP Europe which has subsequently grown into Dialog Semiconductor, a $1.4bn revenue electronics business. Sandy is a founding partner and CIO of WestBridge Capital, a UK mid market PE Firm and has been a director of numerous technology driven companies. He is chairman of Keronite Group and Energist (Holdings) Limited. Sandy was previously CEO of a mid market engineering group selling automation products to an international customer base. He has a joint honours degree in enegineering and economics, an MBA and is a chartered engineer.
Learn more about Alexander (Sandy) Smart on Crunchbase…WestBridge Capital is a private equity firm that invests between £10m and £20m in SMEs. Read more about WestBridge Capital on Crunchbase…
Chris Hollowood
Chief Investment Officer @ Syncona Partners LLP
Follow Chris Hollowood on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Chris is the Chief Investment Officer of Syncona Investment Management Ltd. He is currently Chairman at five Syncona companies: NightStar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NITE), Freeline Therapeutics, Gyroscope Therapeutics, Swan Therapeutics and Orbit Biomedical. He has been instrumental in their foundation and development including the acquisition of a gene therapy manufacturing platform from Rentschler Biotechnologie on behalf of Freeline. Previously, he was a partner of Apposite Capital LLP, a venture and growth capital healthcare investment company. Before Apposite, Chris had roles with Bioscience Managers Ltd, Neptune Investment Management Ltd and in the pharmaceutical industry. Chris holds a degree in Natural Sciences and a PhD in Organic Chemistry, both from the University of Cambridge.
Learn more about Chris Hollowood on Crunchbase…Syncona Partners LLP is a healthcare company focused on investing in and building global leaders in life science. Read more about Syncona Partners LLP on Crunchbase…
Paul McCartie
Chief Investment Officer @ Lightsource Renewable Energy
Follow Paul McCartie on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Lightsource is a provider of ground and rooftop solar installations in the UK. Read more about Lightsource Renewable Energy on Crunchbase…
Ola Sowemimo
Chief Investment Officer @ Ecobank
Follow Ola Sowemimo on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Ola Sowemimo is Chief Investment Officer at Ecobank Development Corporation where he is responsible for leading and developing the firm’s investment teams and strategies across Africa. In this capacity, he oversees a team of 12 investment professionals managing over 100 portfolios (13 listed mutual funds) with assets in excess of $600 million across fixed income and equity strategies. In addition, Ola serves as the Chairman of the Investment Committee and is a member of the Ecobank Securities, Wealth and Asset Management Leadership Team. Prior to joining Ecobank in October 2015, Ola spent the previous 10 years investing in Global Emerging and Frontier economies, most recently at Pioneer Investment Management Limited, UK (Now AmundiPioneer) as Vice President, Emerging Markets. He also worked as an emerging markets investment analyst at Legg Mason Global Asset Management and Citigroup Asset Management, focusing on the Financial and Consumer sectors.
Learn more about Ola Sowemimo on Crunchbase… Read more about Ecobank on Crunchbase…
Kirsty Grant
Chief Investment Officer @ Seedrs
Follow Kirsty Grant on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
[custom-twitter-feeds screenname=”kirstydg”]
Spoiler title
Kirsty is a qualified lawyer who joined Seedrs from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP. As a corporate lawyer Kirsty focused on mergers and acquisitions, with experience in London, Singapore and Australia. As Investment Director, Kirsty now manages the investment process from campaign review, through to deal execution and post-investment management.
Learn more about Kirsty Grant on Crunchbase…Seedrs is a UK-based investment and crowdfunding platform. Read more about Seedrs on Crunchbase…
Opkar Sara
Chief Investment Officer @ BP Pension Fund
Follow Opkar Sara on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
BP Pension Fund is a privately owned investment manager that offers retirement funding for eligible BP plc employees. Read more about BP Pension Fund on Crunchbase…
Jonathan Synett
Chief Investment Officer @ NCL Technology Ventures
Follow Jonathan Synett on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
NCL Technology Ventures invests transformational equity capital in entrepreneurs who have truly innovative technologies in healthcare Read more about NCL Technology Ventures on Crunchbase…
Richard Flax
Chief Investment Officer @ Moneyfarm
Follow Richard Flax on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Richard is passionate about using technology to make investing easier and more personalised, so you can build your wealth in the right way over time. Prior to joining Moneyfarm as CIO Richard was a portfolio manager at PIMCO, a global investment management company, he has also worked as an executive director at Goldman Sachs.
Learn more about Richard Flax on Crunchbase…Moneyfarm is a digital wealth manager that offers advice and investments. Read more about Moneyfarm on Crunchbase…
Antoine Pradayrol
Chief Investment Officer @ Green Angel Syndicate
Follow Antoine Pradayrol on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
[custom-twitter-feeds screenname=”pradayrol_a”]
Green Angel Syndicate is a provider of investors and projects internationally. Read more about Green Angel Syndicate on Crunchbase…
Ian Burgess
Co-Chief Investment Officer & Founding Partner @ Warwick Capital LLP
Follow Ian Burgess on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Ian co-founded Warwick with Alfredo Mattera in 2010. Between 2006 and 2009 Ian was jointly responsible for the credit strategy at Polygon. Prior to joining Polygon, Ian was a partner and European head of MatlinPatterson, a private equity firm, whose mandate is to invest in and take control of companies. MatlinPatterson was a 2001 buy-out of the CSFB proprietary special situations group, where Ian was responsible for European investments, having joined in 1997 from a similar role at WestLB. Upon leaving CSFB Ian opened and established MatlinPatterson’s London office. Ian started his career in 1984 at Arthur Andersen, followed by six years, from 1987, as an investment banker at Samuel Montagu, including two years in Italy. Ian holds a Master’s degree in History from Cambridge University and is a Chartered Accountant.
Learn more about Ian Burgess on Crunchbase… Read more about Warwick Capital LLP on Crunchbase…
Joseph Zipfel
Chief Investment Officer @ SFC Capital
Follow Joseph Zipfel on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Read more about SFC Capital on Crunchbase…
Nathan Elstub
Chief Investment Officer & Executive Director @ GetMyFirstJob
Follow Nathan Elstub on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
GetMyFirstJob is a web-based platform that improves the speed and quality of matching young people to the right apprenticeship. Read more about GetMyFirstJob on Crunchbase…
Thomas Kyriakoudis
Chief Investment Officer @ Permira Credit
Follow Thomas Kyriakoudis on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Thomas joined Permira Debt Managers in September 2008, and is Chief Investment Officer for the business and a Partner. He is a member of all PDM investment committees, as well as the PDM Executive Committee.Thomas has worked on a number of Direct Lending transactions, including Quant, Getronics, Soho House, Vizrt, Eaton House Group of Schools, Kinaxia, Knights 1759, Incisive Media, David Brown Santasalo and CLEAN Linen.Thomas is co-portfolio manager of Providus CLO I DAC and led the establishment of PDM’s alternative credit strategy known as the Sigma funds. Previously, Thomas worked on Morgan Stanley’s Structured Credit Trading desk in London. In his early career he worked for Schlumberger Plc in the field of computational fluid dynamics.
Learn more about Thomas Kyriakoudis on Crunchbase… Read more about Permira Credit on Crunchbase…
Joe Anderson
Chief Investment Officer @ Arix Bioscience
Follow Joe Anderson on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Joe has over 25 years’ experience in the life sciences industry, with a successful track record of generating investment returns. He was formerly a Partner at Abingworth LLP for 12 years, where he led venture-capital style investments in public companies. He has founded and managed public equities funds and been a director of Algeta (acquired by Bayer Ag for $2.9bn), Amarin plc, Cytos (merged with Kuros), Epigenomics Ag, and is currently a director of Autolus Ltd. He began his career at the Ciba (now Novartis) Foundation, before joining the The Wellcome Trust in 1990 where he became head of the strategy team. He then moved to the City of London as a pharmaceuticals analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort Benson, before being appointed as Head of Global Healthcare and Portfolio Manager at First State Investments, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, in London. Joe has a PhD in Biochemistry and extensive board level experience of building successful life sciences companies.
Learn more about Joe Anderson on Crunchbase…Arix Bioscience is a healthcare and life science company. Read more about Arix Bioscience on Crunchbase…
Andy Ball
Partner & Chief Investment Officer @ NorthEdge Capital
Follow Andy Ball on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Andy co-founded NorthEdge in 2009 and helped lead the fundraising processes with the Partner team. Andy has 22 years of investment, exit and non-executive board experience across multiple sectors in the North. Andy is a former Managing Director of LDC. He joined LDC’s Leeds office in 1996 and founded the Manchester office in 2000. Together with Grant Berry, Andy was responsible for 32 transactions made in the North from 2000-2008.
Learn more about Andy Ball on Crunchbase…NorthEdge Capital is a middle-market private equity firm provides capital and management solutions to companies in the North of England. Read more about NorthEdge Capital on Crunchbase…
Martin Newson
Chief Executive Officer & Chief Investment Officer & Partner @ Optimus Capital
Follow Martin Newson on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Martin is the CEO and CIO of Optimus Capital, and he chairs the Investment Committee meetings. Martin NewsonIn 2015 Martin took control of Optimus Capital. Until recently he was CEO of Religare Capital Markets an Emerging Markets investment bank headquartered in London with offices in eight countries. Prior to that he was Head of Global Equities, Equity Capital Markets and Hedge Fund Solutions at Dresdner Kleinwort Investment Bank (DKIB) and a member of DKIB’s Executive Committee. He has been Head of US Equities at Deutsche Bank based in New York where he was also a board member of Deutsche Bank Securities and member of the Global Equities Management Committee. At Credit Suisse he was latterly Global Head of European Equities, a member of the Global Equities Management Committee, board member of CSFB Europe Ltd and Deputy Chairman of CSFB Germany. Martin has also been involved in various entrepreneurial ventures and started his career as an equities analyst. In this capacity he was latterly a number one ranked analyst in the equity research department of Goldman Sachs in London and a member of the department’s stock selection committee. He holds a B.Sc.(Econ) from the London School of Economics and holds the UKSIP Level 3 Certificate in Investment Management. He is married with two children and enjoys tennis, skiing and the theatre.
Learn more about Martin Newson on Crunchbase…Optimus Capital provider of asset and portfolio management services. Read more about Optimus Capital on Crunchbase…
Mike Townend
Chief Investment Officer @ IP Group Plc
Follow Mike Townend on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
IP Group is an IP commercialization company specializing in evolving great ideas into world-changing businesses. Read more about IP Group Plc on Crunchbase…
David Hughes
Partner, Chief Investment Officer @ Foresight Group
Follow David Hughes on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
David Hughes joined Foresight Group in 2004 and is the Chief Investment Officer, working in the London office. He has over 45 years of experience and is responsible for the overall management of the Foresight UK investment portfolio, through the complete investment cycle from initial investment to ultimate realisation. Prior to joining Foresight David worked at Advent Venture Partners as a Principal in the VCT Unit, where he was responsible for managing Advent’s two listed Venture Capital Trusts, comprising a portfolio of over thirty unquoted investments, mainly in technology companies. He has also spent almost 20 years working at 3i, where he offered advice to public and private companies on corporate strategy, acquisitions, disposals, mergers and capital raising. David is a Fellow of Chartered Association of Certified Accountants and holds a First Class BSc in Chemistry from the University of Bristol.
Learn more about David Hughes on Crunchbase… Read more about Foresight Group on Crunchbase…
Julian Viggars
Chief Investment Officer @ Mercia Asset Management PLC
Follow Julian Viggars on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Julian joined the Group in 2003 and was previously Head of Technology Investments at Mercia, before being appointed as Chief Investment Officer in April 2018. Julian has over 20 years’ venture capital experience and oversees all of the investment activity of the Group across venture, growth equity and debt, in addition to managing the Investment Team. He is also a Fund Manager for NPIF – Mercia Equity Finance, the RisingStars Growth Funds, and the Finance Yorkshire Seedcorn Fund, which include successful listed businesses Blue Prism, Xeros, and Optibiotix PLC. In addition, Julian has been a non-executive director of Xeros PLC since 2009, and is a member of the BVCA’s membership committee.
Learn more about Julian Viggars on Crunchbase…Mercia is a proactive, specialist asset manager focused on supporting regional businesses to achieve their growth aspirations. Read more about Mercia Asset Management PLC on Crunchbase…
Rayhan Davis
Chief Investment Officer @ Bregal Freshstream
Follow Rayhan Davis on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Rayhan is the Chief Investment Officer of the firm. Previously, Rayhan was a Managing Director and a member of the founding team of TowerBrook, being part of TowerBrook’s spin-out from Soros Private Equity Partners, which he joined in 2004. Prior to TowerBrook, Rayhan worked at Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs. Rayhan graduated from Oxford University with a First Class Masters degree in Chemistry, coming top of his department in his final year.
Learn more about Rayhan Davis on Crunchbase… Read more about Bregal Freshstream on Crunchbase…
Francois van der Merwe
Chief Investment Officer @ The Capital Partnership
Follow Francois van der Merwe on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Francois leads the Portfolio Management and Research effort of TCP. This involves managing the research team as well as shaping investment strategies and processes for TCP and its clients. Before joining TCP in 2008, Francois was Managing Director at Holte Capital, a European special situations hedge fund. His investment career includes being the portfolio manager for the Bank of Bermuda Fund of Hedge Funds (subsequently acquired by HSBC), as well as managing Rasini & C.’s (an international fund of hedge funds) London operation. Francois is a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries and a CAIA charter-holder. He also holds a B.Com (Hons) (Actuarial Science) from the University of Stellenbosch.
Learn more about Francois van der Merwe on Crunchbase… Read more about The Capital Partnership on Crunchbase…
Paul Summers
Chief Investment Officer @ Miroma Ventures
Follow Paul Summers on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Paul is Chief Investment Officer at Miroma Ventures. Paul joined the team in 2014 to further grow Miroma’s media, technology and consumer platforms with new businesses that can benefit from Miroma’s unique blend of industry experience, proprietary media assets and content providers. Paul began his career in Investment Banking at Citigroup in London. He worked in the corporate finance division on capital raising and M&A advisory mandates in the industrial sector. In 2006, Paul joined Sampoerna Capital to help set up the family’s private equity arm following the sale of its tobacco business, HM Sampoerna, to Altria Group (Philip Morris International). Investments were undertaken across a range of businesses in the retail, online gaming, financial services and commodities sectors. Paul held a number of Board positions during this time including at LA-based, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Between 2011 and 2014, Paul served as Investment Director for a UK based family office active in the property and commodities sectors as well as establishing a division within the office focused on technology-driven start-ups, principally with a UK focus.
Learn more about Paul Summers on Crunchbase… Read more about Miroma Ventures on Crunchbase…
Rob Foreman
Partner, Chief Investment Officer @ Primary Capital
Follow Rob Foreman on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
After graduating from Birmingham University with a law degree, Rob joined Deloitte in 1992 to complete his ACA qualification. Rob worked in both Manchester and London before joining Deloitte’s corporate finance division advising on consumer, leisure and financial services transactions. Rob joined Primary in 2002 and has worked on our investments in Leisure Pass Group, Great Rail Journeys, YO! Sushi, The Works, Esteem and Amtech Group. Rob keeps fit with boxing training in his spare time and is an avid snowboarder.
Learn more about Rob Foreman on Crunchbase… Read more about Primary Capital on Crunchbase…
Richard Pindar
Chief Investment Officer @ Literacy Capital
Follow Richard Pindar on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Richard co-founded Literacy Capital in September 2017 and has a background in investing, private equity & related consultancy / advisory roles. Richard worked in Corporate Finance initially, working in a lead advisory M&A capacity His final two years involved time in the Private Equity Group within Transaction Services and performing financial due diligence for large private equity clients.
Learn more about Richard Pindar on Crunchbase… Read more about Literacy Capital on Crunchbase…
Steve Carle
Investment Director & Chief Investment Officer @ Edge VC
Follow Steve Carle on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Steve is an experienced private equity and venture capital specialist and an Investment Director at Edge Investments, where he focuses on investment opportunities through Edge’s largest fund raising to date, the GBP40 million Edge Creative Enterprise Fund, launched in November 2015 with backing from the British Business Bank. Steve is also Chief Investment Officer of Edge Performance VCT. He sits on an Edge investment committee, and also sits on the boards of Coolabi Group, TRX and represents Edge’s interests as an observer of IntentHQ and deltaDNA. Prior to Edge, Steve enjoyed a successful 20-year career with the UK’s two leading mid-market private equity companies. Between 1991 and 1999, Steve worked in the Edinburgh and Cambridge offices of 3i Group plc where he invested in businesses as widely disparate as PPL Therapeutics (who famously cloned Dolly the Sheep), and Greenvale Produce the UK’s largest potato packing business. In 1999 he left 3i to join LDC, the private equity arm of Lloyds Banking Group which, when Steve left the company, had grown to become the UK’s leading mid-market private equity investor. While at LDC, Steve was responsible for some of its most successful deals, including Penn Pharmaceuticals, Insys and Dennis Eagle. The transactions with which he was involved at LDC have already delivered near 100% capital gains.
Learn more about Steve Carle on Crunchbase… Read more about Edge VC on Crunchbase…
Dan Robinson
Chief Investment Officer (Europe) @ CIFC
Follow Dan Robinson on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Read more about CIFC on Crunchbase…
Dan Topping
Chief Investment Officer @ BP Marsh & Partners
Follow Dan Topping on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Dan Topping is the Senior Executive with overall responsibility for the portfolio and investment strategy for B.P. Marsh, working alongside the Board and the Investment Directors to find, structure, develop, support and monitor the portfolio. Dan was appointed as a Director in 2011 having joined B.P. Marsh in February 2007, following two years at an independent London accountancy practice. In January 2016 Dan was appointed Chief Investment Officer of B.P. Marsh. Dan graduated from the University of Durham in 2005 and is member of the Securities and Investment Institute and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators.
Learn more about Dan Topping on Crunchbase…B.P. Marsh & Partners is a specialist private equity investor in early stage financial services business. Read more about BP Marsh & Partners on Crunchbase…
Jeremy Rogers
Chief Investment Officer @ Big Society Capital
Follow Jeremy Rogers on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Jeremy runs the team that invests and manages our portfolio. He is passionate about finding sustainable ways to tackle social challenges and using them to improve peoples lives. Since joining Big Society Capital in 2013 he has been focused on shifting our investment activities to being driven by better understanding of social issues and key partners. Each investment team member now leads issue based groups and hold trustee and volunteer roles in charities and social enterprises. Jeremy has also aimed to expand the breadth of Big Society Capital’s investments to better reflect demand, including charity bonds, simpler loans, community shares, property and crowdfunding – many investment team members now also specialise in product areas. He is increasingly focused on how to improve the quality of social impact analysis and evidence across our portfolio. Jeremy has over 20 years of experience in the charitable and investment sectors. He has had voluntary or non-exec roles at eleven charities or social enterprises including the Princes Trust, Ashoka, Big Issue Invest, Jubilee Debt Campaign and Pilotlight. Jeremy started his investment career as a pit trader on the LIFFE floor for SG Warburg. Jeremy later set up and ran JP Morgan’s European High Yield Trading group, growing it to be the market leader and becoming JP Morgan’s youngest Managing Director. He then became a Partner at Praxient Capital, a multi-asset investment fund. In addition to his roles on Big Society Capital’s Investment Committee and Executive Committee, Jeremy sits on Big Issue Invest’s Investment Committee (since 2009), Access – the Foundation for Social Investment’s Joint Investment Committee and the Lankelly Chase Investment Committee. He is also a governor for his local primary school.
Learn more about Jeremy Rogers on Crunchbase…Big Society Capital is developing a strong, diverse and sustainable social investment market in the UK. Read more about Big Society Capital on Crunchbase…
Stephen Watson
Chief Investment Officer @ South River Asset Management
Follow Stephen Watson on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Stephen Watson is Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director of South River Asset Management Ltd. He manages international multi-asset and equity portfolios and previously he co-ran the 4* Morningstar rated international equity funds at Northern Trust and was responsible for pan-European and Eurozone accounts at Northern Trust Global Investors. Before that he was a Director at Framlington Investment Management where he was head of European equities. Stephen has a BA Hons degree in Politics from Durham University.
Learn more about Stephen Watson on Crunchbase… Read more about South River Asset Management on Crunchbase…
Guy Weldon
Partner and Chief Investment Officer @ Bridgepoint
Follow Guy Weldon on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Guy is a Partner and Chief Investment Officer at Bridgepoint with responsibility for the investment activities of Bridgepoint Europe’s buyout business. He is a member of the Firm’s Group Board, Operating Committee, Investment Advisory Committee and is Chairman of Bridgepoint China. Guy joined the Firm in 1990.
Learn more about Guy Weldon on Crunchbase…Bridgepoint is an international alternative asset fund management firm offering private equity and private debt lending solutions. Read more about Bridgepoint on Crunchbase…
Adaeze Udo Ekwueme
Chief Investment Officer @ Private Investment Office
Follow Adaeze Udo Ekwueme on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Read more about Private Investment Office on Crunchbase…
Bernd Schmid
Chief Investment Officer @ Acatus
Follow Bernd Schmid on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Read more about Acatus on Crunchbase…
Iliya Blazic
Chief Investment Officer @ IQ Student Accommodation
Follow Iliya Blazic on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
IQ Student Accommodation is a student housing company that offers a range of semester contracts. Read more about IQ Student Accommodation on Crunchbase…
Andriy Dudnyk
Chief Investment Officer @ EastOne Group
Follow Andriy Dudnyk on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Read more about EastOne Group on Crunchbase…
Vivek Jeswani
Co-founder & Chief Investment Officer @ Bridge Invest
Follow Vivek Jeswani on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Vivek has over 20 years’ experience in finance, including 7 years at Deutsche Bank both in London and New York. He worked his way up from a runner on the LIFFE exchange to managing a billion pound loan portfolio on the fixed income trading desk. After that, he spent 4 years at Threadneedle Asset Management where he helped establish the structured credit trading desk where he managed property-backed loan funds. More recently, Vivek was Chief Investment Officer at a single-family office which engaged in property development and property-backed lending. He was also Head of Syndication and Head of Treasury at OakNorth Bank which is an active property lender. Vivek graduated with first class honours in Economics from UCL and was a CFA charterholder.
Learn more about Vivek Jeswani on Crunchbase…Boutique short term finance provider in the UK property market Read more about Bridge Invest on Crunchbase…
Ian Watkins
Chief Investment Officer @ Cyrus Investment Management
Follow Ian Watkins on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Read more about Cyrus Investment Management on Crunchbase…
Jim Egan
Chief Investment Officer @ Media Development Investment Fund
Follow Jim Egan on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
[custom-twitter-feeds screenname=”jimegan1″]
Read more about Media Development Investment Fund on Crunchbase…
Nina Matis
chief legal officer and chief investment officer/ partner @ iStar Financial
Follow Nina Matis on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Read more about iStar Financial on Crunchbase…
Paddy Osborn
CIO – Chief Investment Officer & co-founder @ MoneyDrome Ltd
Follow Paddy Osborn on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
MoneyDrome is a hybrid investment & trading platform enhanced by analytics, machine-learning and artificial intelligence Read more about MoneyDrome Ltd on Crunchbase…
Michelle Pearce-Burke
Co-founder & Chief Investment Officer @ Wealthify
Follow Michelle Pearce-Burke on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
[custom-twitter-feeds screenname=”MichellePearceB”]
Wealthify offers effortless, transparent, and affordable investing for everyone. Read more about Wealthify on Crunchbase…
Robert Weaver
Chief Investment Officer @ Property Partner
Follow Robert Weaver on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Spoiler title
Robert is one of the most experienced and respected residential property professionals in the UK. Formerly Global Director of Residential Investments at the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), he also ran a £500m residential fund as Head of Residential Funds at Invista Real Estate. Before this, Robert spent 10 years at Savills heading a specialist team that managed residential investment portfolios. He also set up the Student accommodation investment team at Savills. Robert is also a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and a member of the residential committee of the British Property Federation. Rob also spent 13 years in the Territorial Army, and can often be found tearing across the country on his motorbike, searching for the best property investments for our community.
Learn more about Robert Weaver on Crunchbase…Property Partner is a technology-backed property investment platform. Read more about Property Partner on Crunchbase…
Michelle Lockton Gribbin
Chief Investment Officer @ Profile Pensions
Follow Michelle Lockton Gribbin on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Our pension experts track down your pensions and tell you how we can make you better off in retirement. Read more about Profile Pensions on Crunchbase…
Phil Davies
Chief Investment Officer and Investment Director @ Iona Capital
Follow Phil Davies on Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin.
Iona Capital manages funds which provide equity and subordinated debt into waste projects having a significant renewable element. Read more about Iona Capital on Crunchbase…
Welp Magazine
