Nick Ball, Group FD - Plastics Capital
Nick, who is the Group Finance Director of Plastics Capital, joined in October 2005. Previously he spent 10 years working at Deloitte & Touche, initially in Audit and then in Corporate Finance, where he principally worked on financial due diligence for manufacturing businesses and lead advisory work for the private equity industry. He has also worked in leveraged finance at ScotiaCapital. He is a graduate of Bath University and is an ACA accountant.
Dr. Arnab Basu, CEO - Kromek
Dr Arnab Basu MBE, CEO, has a PhD in physics from Durham University, specialising in semiconducting sensor materials. Arnab held senior management positions in his family business which manufactured materials for the electronics industry. He worked in commercial product development for Elmwood Sensors Ltd, (Honeywell Group, UK). A prominent figure within the business community, he was awarded Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year (2009) and received an MBE for services to regional development and international trade (2014).
Mike Boydell, MD - Shares
Mike is Managing Director of AJ Bell Media and has overall responsibility for the business, covering print, online, events and third party solutions. He was previously founding MD of ADVFN plc, which was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2000. He has hosted and presented at hundreds of investment-focused events and has appeared on BBC Radio and TV, ITV, Sky, CNBC, Bloomberg, Al Jazeera and was a regular commentator on LBC radio.
Alastair Brown, CEO - Lombard Risk
Alastair Brown joined Lombard Risk from Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) where he worked for 15 years in a variety of technology leadership roles in Global Banking and Markets, Chief Information Officer of International Banking and most recently Head of eChannels, Global Transaction Services. Alastair began his career in technology management at NatWest Markets.
Roger Bullen, Chief Finance and Operating Officer - Rosslyn Data Technologies
Roger has more than 20 years of finance, executive and operational leadership experience in technology-based companies, including start-ups, large cap and consulting firms around the world.
Roger recently held senior roles with Navigant Consulting Inc. as head of the international division and as Sapients VP of International Finance. He has also worked with private equity companies, successfully taking companies to market and trade sale.
Roger has been a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants since 1990.
Simon Clifton, Founder & Chief Technology Officer - Satellite Solutions Worldwide
Simon has a background in satellite broadband product development that goes back twelve years, and was one of the founders of SSW. Simon has developed the companys satellite broadband product portfolio, and is responsible for the IT and network infrastructure including SSWs in house IT system Aurora which forms the interface between back-office systems, customers and the satellite owners own networks. This enables SSW to deliver real time multi-currency, multi-lingual sales order processing, support and provisioning across multiple satellites, 24/7.
Daniel Coatsworth, Investment Analyst - AJ Bell
Dan Coatsworth is a Stock Market Analyst at AJ Bell and co-host of the Money & Markets podcast. He has written about investing for the past 18 years and his work has appeared in many of the UKs leading newspapers, websites and magazines.
Hugh Cox, Founder & Chief Data Officer - Rosslyn Data Technologies
Hugh co-founded Rosslyn Data Technologies. Hugh is an expert in helping organisations tackle business issues through technologies including cloud computing, data management and analytics. Hugh has authored and spoken extensively on the subject of data analysis with particular focus on fraud prevention and detection. Prior to establishing Rosslyn Data Technologies, Hugh held senior positions with COO Investments and Citigroup Private Bank. After leaving the British Army, Hugh took a BSc in Computer Science and an MBA from City University Business School.
John Cronin, Executive Chairman - CyanConnode
John is a highly successful Chairman, CEO and MD in International markets (Europe, Americas, SE. Asia) in the technology, media and telecommunications sectors.
John is a successful professional with experience in raising equity, debt facility and vendor finance funding, as well as setting up operations in international markets. He has created significant value for shareholders with four company exits in Picochip, Azure Solutions, i2 and Netsource Europe, totalling $600m. He has been instrumental in mergers and acquisitions worldwide, including Cyans recent acquisition of Connode.
Ian Dighé, Executive Chairman - Premier Miton Group PLC
Ian Dighé has over 25 years of direct market experience in the financial services industry and public markets. He was formerly a Director of Manchester & Exchange Investment Bank, McLeod Russell Holdings Plc, and as Head of Corporate Finance at Singer & Friedlander Ltd. in 2000, he led the management buyout of Singer & Friedlander Corporate Finance, which laid the foundation of the Bridgewell Group Plc, where he remained as Deputy Chairman until its sale in August 2007.
He formed Matterley Asset Management in late 2007, a Fund Management business whose interests were acquired by Charles Stanley Group Plc in September 2009. Ian is also a non-executive director of Strategic Equity Capital Plc and a director of various private companies and charitable trusts.
Tony Dunleavy, CEO - Strat Aero
Mr. Dunleavy is a PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP trained international accountant with more than 30 years of Corporate Finance, Business Development, Financial & General Management experience. He has worked in a variety of industries, including aviation and healthcare. He was previously a Director, responsible for Corporate Finance, at PJ Carroll PLC and General Manager of Finance at TSB Bank. Mr. Dunleavy has also lectured on Corporate Finance at The UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, part of University College Dublin.
Mark Dunne, Growth Companies Reporter - Shares
Mark Dunne is the editor of Shares quarterly supplement Shares Spotlight: Innovation & Growth and has written for the magazine since 2012, specialising in financial services and pharmaceuticals. He has covered growth companies, the capital markets and acquisitive businesses for the past 15 years.
Mark Fahy, Head of UK Small & Mid-Cap Companies - London Stock Exchange Group
Mark is Head of the UK Small & Mid-Cap team at the London Stock Exchange covering UK Equity Primary Markets. Mark is also specifically responsible for the North of England, Northern Ireland and Scotland and as part of that role manages the Exchanges relationship with over 300 quoted companies on both the Main Market and AIM. He has further responsibility for the Exchanges relationships with private companies considering flotation and the Advisory and Financial Sponsor community across the same regions. Mark also supports the ELITE programme across the UK Regions, ELITE is a unique platform designed to help the UKs most exciting and ambitious private companies prepare and structure for their next stage of growth.Previously he was an Institutional Fund Manager running a UK Pension Fund and is also an Associate of the Society of Investment Professionals.
Elizabeth Gooch, MBE, CEO - eg solutions
Elizabeth Gooch pioneered the introduction of production management methodologies into the service sector and used these techniques as the basis for achieving improvements in customer service and guaranteed cost reduction for clients.
As a recognised leading British IT entrepreneur, she designed and launched the eg operational intelligence(r) software suite to deliver sustainable benefits.
eg solutions pioneered the back office optimisation market, now worth approximately $3bn and egs software is now recognised as the most complete purpose built back office optimisation suite in the world.
Michael Hunt, CFO - ReNeuron Group
Michael Hunt joined ReNeuron in 2001. Between 2005 and 2014 he served as its CEO, leading the business through its early development to its current position as one of the global leaders in regenerative medicine. Prior to ReNeuron, Michael spent six years at Biocompatibles International plc (sold to BTG plc) where he held a number of senior financial and general management positions. His early industrial career was spent at Bunzl plc. He qualified as a chartered accountant at Ernst & Young.
Bruno Jactel, CEO - TyraTech
Dr. Jactel was appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in January 2013. He spent 12 years at Merial Limited, the Animal Health subsidiary of the Sanofi Group as combined Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Marketing Officer. Before Merial, Dr. Jactel was Deputy Minister for Economic and Commercial Affairs at the French Embassy in Washington D.C. Prior to that, he was Assistant Professor at National Veterinary School of Alfort, Paris. Dr. Jactel is a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and has a Masters in Economic Sciences from the Sorbonne University in Paris.
Simon Kings, Executive Director - TP Group
Simon joined TP Group in 2014 as Managing Director of Atmosphere Control International, and was appointed to the Board in April 2015. Simon joined from Raytheon UK, where he was Business Development Director following a 30 year naval career including active service as Commodore and with responsibility for the UKs naval shipbuilding programme, ship sensors and weapons.
Gavin Lavelle, CEO - Brady
Gavin joined Brady in September 2007, with over 25 years experience in the international financial software and banking industry. Prior to Brady, Gavin worked in investment banking for over 10 years with Banque Paribas as Head of Equity Derivative Trading and latterly as Director of Deutsche Bank, heading up Global Equity Derivative Trading. Gavin then founded RioFin, a software company focusing on capital makets, which was subsequently acquired by Sunguard.
Russ Mould, Investment Director - AJ Bell
Russ Mould has 26 years experience in the capital markets. He started at Scottish Equitable in 1991 as a fund manager and in 1993 he joined SG Warburg, now part of UBS investment bank, where he worked as an equity analyst covering the technology sector for 12 years. Russ joined Shares in November 2005 as technology correspondent and became Editor of the magazine in July 2008. He was appointed as Investment Director in summer 2013 following AJ Bells acquisition of Shares parent company, MSM Media.
Andrew Newland, Chief Executive - ANGLE
Andrew Newland is the founder and Chief Executive of ANGLE plc.
Andrew has an MA in Engineering Science from the University of Cambridge and is a qualified Chartered Accountant. Andrew has co-founded and led eleven technology companies in partnership with world class research organisations, both in the UK and the US.
Andrew was a founder of ANGLEs Parsortix non-invasive cancer diagnostics and has lead ANGLEs team building this business since 2005.
Dr. Mark Payton, CEO - Mercia Asset Management
Mark is CEO of Mercia Technologies PLC, having led the flotation in December 2014 and before that the management buyout of its precursor Mercia Fund Management in 2010. Latterly he led the acquisition in 2016 of Enterprise Ventures. Mark chairs the executive committee and the boards of Mercias wholly owned fund management businesses (Mercia Fund Management, Enterprise Ventures and EV Business Loans). In addition he sits on the board of portfolio company Oxford Genetics and has portfolio responsibility for PsiOxus Therapeutics.
Richard Penny, Senior Fund Manager - Legal & General Group PLC
Richard started his investment career in 1992 and has been a fund manager since 1994. Most recently he has been the manager of the Legal and General UK Alpha Trust, winner of the Money observer best UK Growth fund award in 2009, 2010 and 2011. The Fund is an aggressive stock picking Fund looking for investments that can double or more over three years. It uses a mix of deep value and strong growth strategies.
Nik Philpot, CEO - Eckoh
Nik brings nearly 30 years experience as a proven entrepreneur and leader within the technology and telecom industries. A founder of Eckoh with over 20 years service, Niks focus on innovation and growth has driven the Company to become a global leader in the customer contact space. His insight and investment into payment security is transforming the way customers and brands are protected, and has fuelled a climb in Eckohs market value of over 500% in just the past three years.
Graeme Purdy, CEO - ILIKA
As CEO of Ilika, Graemes work has revolved around the commercialisation of energy storage technologies and in particular, solid-state batteries. Ilika is a pioneer in solid-state devices. Graeme has been with the company since it was founded and has steered it through three rounds of venture funding before floating it on AIM. Graeme holds degrees in Natural Sciences and Chemical Engineering from Cambridge and an MBA from INSEAD business school in France.
Richard Pye, Director of Corporate Communications - Summit Therapeutics
Richard joined Summit in 2004 as a Senior Scientist and was involved in the formative development of the Company. He subsequently moved into the corporate side of the business and currently has responsibility for corporate communications, investor relations whilst also being involved with general corporate development activities including Summits recent listing on NASDAQ. Richard has a broad range of experience and skills including equity financing on AIM and NASDAQ and securing not-for-profit funding. Richard holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry.
Phil Reason, CEO - Instem
Phil is an experienced chief executive who has developed a number of IT businesses in the life sciences and nuclear industries, organically and through acquisition. He joined Instems former parent company in 1982 and was appointed Managing Director of the Life Sciences division in 1995 and CEO following a demerger in 1998. Given the importance of the North American market to Instems organic and acquisitive growth, Phil relocated from the UK to the US in 2003, establishing a new headquarters in the Philadelphia area.
Jamal Rushdy, CEO - Collagen Solutions
Mr. Rushdy is CEO of Collagen Solutions Plc (AIM:COS) and brings over 20 years of experience in the medical device industry in successful entrepreneurial and high growth public companies. Prior to joining Collagen Solutions he served in senior commercial and operational leadership positions leading global orthopedic and biologics product marketing teams at DJO and Tornier. He has helped achieve successful exits for private equity and angel investors as a founding member or senior executive of four medical device companies.
Andrew Scaife, CEO - Quantum Pharma
Andrew joined Quantum as Finance Director as part of the MBO in 2009, and became Managing Director in 2010. Since then, Andrew has guided the Group through a period of significant organic and acquisitive growth, as well as setting and delivering the strategy which is currently being followed.
Prior to joining the Group, Andrew spent 12 years at KPMG, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 1999, following which he spent 10 years in the corporate finance team, latterly leading KPMGs corporate finance business in Newcastle.
As well as knowledge of the markets in which the Group operates, Andrew has expertise in finance, corporate transactions, corporate finance, integration of acquired companies and crisis management.
Nicolas Serandour, CFO - Advanced Oncotherapy
Nicolas Serandour joined Advanced Oncotherapy (AVO) in September 2014 as Chief Financial Officer.
He has over 15 years of experience in the investment banking industry, having worked at JP Morgan, Lehman Brother and Lazard, where he was responsible for coordinating the European Healthcare sector coverage. He has extensive experience providing strategic and financial advice to senior executives at leading healthcare companies internationally. He brings with him a great combination of finance, capital allocation, value-based planning and strategy skills.
Crispin Simon, CEO - REX Bionics
Crispin Simon has a 25-year track record in the industry, predominantly in the commercialisation of Medical Technology products.
Following a career which included NM Rothschild, McKinsey, Rexam and Smith & Nephew, where he was latterly President of the Endoscopy Division, Crispin was Chief Executive of Biocompatibles International Plc ("Biocompatibles") until its sale to BTG Plc in early 2011. At Biocompatibles, he led a team that developed three medical products businesses: the Cardiovascular Stent business, sold to Abbott Laboratories Inc for £145 million; the Contact Lens business, sold to Cooper Industries Inc for £80 million and the Drug-eluting Bead business, which was sold as part of the disposal of the whole company to BTG for £165 million. In addition, £123 million cash was returned to shareholders. Crispin was appointed CBE in 2015
Julian Smith, CFO - Abzena
Julian is a Chartered Accountant with 18 years senior experience in listed and privately held technology companies.
He joined the Abzena Group in 2013 as CFO to assist the privately funded acquisition of Antitope; taking the Company public in July 2014 raising £20m; and a secondary placing in 2015 of £20m to support the acquisitions of two US bio technology service providers, Pacific GMP and TCRS.
Prior to this he spent over seven year as a CFO of Imperial Innovations plc guiding it through its IPO, two secondary placings raising £196m, and arranging a £30m loan with the EIB.
Julian has an MA in Engineering Science from Magdalen College, University of Oxford.
Tony Stiff, CEO - Flowgroup
Tony Stiff is CEO of Flowgroup plc, the energy innovation and services business. Tony has played key roles in a number of challenger energy companies, including founding Atlantic Electric and Gas and building his own energy software business. Prior to joining Flowgroup, Tony was Commercial Director at Bglobal plc, the AIM-listed smart metering company.
Simon Strong, Head of Research, Growth Companies - Cenkos Securities
Simon has worked in financial markets for twenty three years, as both a UK equity fund manager and a sell-side analyst. His analyst background is in the Technology sector. He has formally covered Technology equities since 1999 and been involved in numerous successful fundraisings and IPOs. He currently acts as Head of Research for the Growth Companies Team at Cenkos.
Mark Taylor, CEO - Equiniti Financial Services
Mark joined Equiniti in 2009. He has overall responsibility for Equinitis regulated business including Selftrade, wealth management services and international payments.
Mark has over 30 years experience in the financial services industry with a track record in managing start-ups and turnarounds in the retail investment space. He was previously Director at Virgin Money and Egg Invest and has held senior positions at Fidelity and Charles Schwab.
Mark is also a NED for Abundance, the UKs first regulated social investment platform.
José Luis Vázquez, CEO - Mirada
José Luis, founder and CEO of Mirada, is a broadly recognised professional with almost 20 years of experience in the Telecommunications industry. Chairman of AEDETI, José Luis holds a degree in both Advanced Telecommunication Engineering (UPM) and an MBA from IESE Business School. He is a regular conference speaker and is considered one of the most important personalities in the Spanish digital TV industry.
Ory Weihs, Group CEO - XLMedia
Mr. Weihs is one of the founders and leads XLMedias business development and strategy, focusing on expanding the groups reach and technological abilities. Mr. Weihs is an entrepreneur who has been deeply involved in the online gambling & digital advertising industries for over twelve years. He has a B.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from the Technion - Israeli Institute of Technology from 2007.