Strategic Equity

Tony has been Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Gresham House plc since December 2014. He chairs the Investment Committees of Gresham House plc and Strategic Equity Capital plc. He led the management buy-in and established a new management team that transformed the firm from an investment trust into the listed specialist asset manager it is today with over £4bn AUM.

Tony has a long track record of investing and advising numerous public and private equity businesses. From 2002 to 2011, he established and grew SVG Investment Managers before being asked to lead SVG Advisors (formerly Schroder Ventures, London) as CEO. He started his career at Phillips & Drew Fund Management (later UBS Global Asset Management), one of the UK’s most prominent value investment firms with £60bn in assets under management at its peak and where he was a member of the Investment Committee. He was also previously Chair of the LPFA Investment Panel and Non-executive Board member.

Tony has over 25 years of investment experience and holds an MA in Management Studies from the University of Cambridge (where he was also a junior rugby international and Blue).

Ken is Managing Director, Public Equity, and leads the investment team managing public equity investments. He is lead manager for LF Gresham House UK Micro Cap Fund, LF Gresham House UK Multi Cap Income Fund, Strategic Equity Capital plc and manages AIM listed portfolios on behalf of the Baronsmead VCTs. Ken graduated from Brasenose College, Oxford, before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG. He was an equity research analyst with Commerzbank and then Evolution Securities prior to spending the past 12 years as a Fund Manager at Livingbridge and now Gresham House specialising in smaller companies.

Trevor joined Gresham House in 2021 as part of the Mobeus VCTs acquisition. For over 20 years, he has invested in fast-growing businesses at the series A stage and beyond.

Prior roles include at Barclays, RBS, 3i and Beringea. Previous investments and Board positions include Paragon Software, Mondus.com, Cambridge Industries, Southnews plc, Achilles Group, MyOptique, Fjordnet, ILG Digital, Celebrus Technologies, Big Data Partnership, and Preservica.

Trevor holds an MBA from Exeter University, is an associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

Clive joined Gresham House in 2021 as part of the Mobeus VCTs acquisition.  He is an investment management specialist with experience across a wide variety of sectors and stages of company development. He has worked in the private equity industry since 1995 making investments including TeleCity and Kerridge Commercial Systems.  He has been working in the VCT industry since 2008 with previous experience including running his own business and as a Director of NVM Private Equity, Catapult Venture Managers and 3i plc.

Having specialised in portfolio management, Clive has acted as non-executive director and Chairman of a wide range of private equity backed businesses such as Virgin Wines, Entanet and Equip Outdoor Technologies. He now heads VCT portfolio management across the Gresham House VCT stable, sits on the Investment Committee and has responsibility for the portfolio valuations processes.

Clive holds a BSc (Hons) in Applied Physics & Electronics from Durham University, a DipM from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and an MBA from the University of Warwick.

Henry joined Gresham House in November 2018 having previously been at Livingbridge since 2016. He focuses on growth capital investments into software and service businesses in the financial and professional services sectors, with particular interest in process and workflow automation software, service companies looking to drive digital transformation, scale-ups looking to improve the use of data and analytics for large incumbents (banks, insurers, legal firms, etc.), and new methods of communication and collaboration.

Prior to Livingbridge, Henry worked at VCT fund manager Foresight Group for three and a half years, and at TMT focused strategy consultancy Spectrum for six years on projects in wireless communications, technology and media strategy.

He has a first class degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford and is a CFA charter holder.

Rob has over 30 years of financial services experience. Rob joins us from Ahren Innovation Capital, a boutique venture capital fund manager, where he was Chief Financial Officer responsible for finance, operations, compliance, HR and IT. Prior to joining Ahren, Rob was Head of Finance and Fund Administration at Eikoh Research Investment Management, a Japanese equity hedge fund manager. Rob is a fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants.

Greg joined the Mobeus VCT team in 2013. He sources and executes investments into fast-growing businesses and is our resident consumer expert. He combines a natural flair for understanding the drivers of brand value, insight into wider market dynamics and strong corporate finance experience. He sits on the Boards of Buster + Punch and Bleach London.

Greg joined Mobeus from Piper Private Equity and previously worked at PwC in Corporate Finance.

He holds a BA/ ACC in Business Studies & Accounting from the University of Edinburgh and is a Chartered Accountant (ICAS).

Caitlin joined Gresham House in May 2022. Caitlin previously worked at Agilia Infrastructure Partners, an independent specialist consultancy firm, as an Analyst and spent a year at St. James’s Place Wealth Management in Edinburgh.

Caitlin graduated from Durham University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts, first-class Honours degree in International Relations.

With over 20 years in private equity, Hazel is an experienced investor and director, and has helped build numerous quality boards. Hazel qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Arthur Andersen before spending a few years in corporate finance with British Linen Bank advising public and private companies.

She joined 3i in 1993 and in 2000 opened a London private equity office for Bowman Capital, a $6bn hedge fund with $750m for private equity. She invested throughout Europe before gaining operational experience by heading up the UK for Cross Atlantic Capital Partners. Since 2000, Hazel has been sitting on boards for private equity and independently and since 2006, she has been formally helping companies build quality boards and management teams.

Hazel joined Gresham House in March 2019. She continues to help create and maintain quality teams and is a Non-Executive Director at Parsley Box, a food delivery firm.

Benjamin joined Gresham House in August 2022 and works within Gresham House Ventures.

Prior to this he was Head of Portfolio at Bootstrap Europe, a pan-European growth capital fund focused on making and managing investments in early-stage technology companies.

Benjamin started his career within EY’s Private Equity Transaction Advisory team, including a secondment to support Mayfair Equity Partners.

Benjamin holds a first-class degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of Southampton and is a Chartered Accountant.

Rowan joined the Mobeus VCTs team in 2018, originating and executing new deals, including IPV and leading the investment into Connect Childcare. He became part of the Gresham House Ventures team after our acquisition of the Mobeus VCTs in September 2021.

He currently sits on the board of IPV and Connect Childcare, where he brings operational experience from >10 years as an FD working in fast-growth businesses and corporate advisory.

His previous roles include Finance Director at Crussh and Nando’s.

He holds an Hons (CTA) degree in Accounting Sciences from the University of Pretoria and is a Chartered Accountant (SA).

Brendan joined Gresham House in November 2018 having previously been at Livingbridge.

Brendan co-manages the LF Gresham House UK Micro Cap Fund and the LF Gresham House UK Multi Cap Income Fund and leads Gresham House’s Healthcare sector investment strategy.

Prior to Livingbridge Brendan spent four and a half years in technology investment banking at Canaccord Genuity having studied commerce with a focus on finance at Melbourne University.

Tania joined Gresham House in November 2018 having been at Livingbridge for 13 years. She has worked on the Baronsmead VCTs since she joined, progressing from administration assistant to Finance Manager in 2011 and qualifying as a Chartered Management Accountant in 2012 while at Livingbridge.

Tania previously worked at a Chartered Accountancy practice in New Zealand for eight years where she began her accounting training. She holds a BBS in Accounting from the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand.

James joined Gresham House in December 2019 and works as part of our growth equity division, Gresham House Ventures.

Prior to this he spent five years at PwC, latterly working in the financial due diligence team.

James is a Chartered Accountant and read Economics and Accounting at Edinburgh University.

Bob joined the original Mobeus VCTs team in 1998 and was one of the Partners who set up Mobeus when they completed a management buyout from the Matrix Group in 2012. Bob is focused on new deal generation but also looks after a number of portfolio companies, specialising in construction, food manufacturing and sports.

Bob was previously at HSBC where he was Head of HSBC Ventures and prior to that spent time at County Bank.

He holds a BA (Hons) in Business Studies from London Guildhall University.

Cassie joined Gresham House in July 2021 and is based in the London office working as an Investment Manager in the Public Equity team.

Prior to joining the firm, Cassie was part of the Corporate Broking team at Citi, having previously spent two and a half years at Investec.

Cassie graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2015, before completing an MSc at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Matt joined Gresham House Ventures in 2021. His key responsibilities include sourcing new investment opportunities and assisting the deal team with transactions. He specialises in Technology, FMCG and manufacturing.

Matt’s previous roles include at HMT, Audit and Transaction Support as an ICAEW trainee and in Strategy and Transactions at EY.

He is a Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) and holds a BA (Hons) in Accounting and Finance from Newcastle University.

Joe joined the Mobeus VCT team in 2021. He originates and leads growth capital investments in technology-led businesses. Joe has over 20 years’ experience helping to build, transform, and grow companies across North America and Europe. He is passionate about partnering with ambitious entrepreneurs to scale their businesses and deepen their impact, focusing on software, data & analytics, tech-enabled services, and online market places.

Joe joined Mobeus from Frog Capital, where he was a Partner, and previously held roles at Jefferies, 3i and EY. He was named one of the Financial News 40-Under-40 Rising Stars in Private Equity in 2015

He holds a BSc and MSc in Industrial Engineering from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and an MBA from London Business School.

Tom started working at Gresham House in 2018, having previously been at Livingbridge since 2015. Prior to that he was at KPMG for 6 years, working across a number of departments with a focus on private equity transactions. He has a first class BSc (Hons) in Biology from the University of Bristol and is a Chartered Accountant.

Andy joined Gresham House in June 2022 as a Business Analyst in the Strategic Equity division.

Prior to joining Gresham House, he was with Insight Investment as a Finance Analyst. Andy has five years post qualified experience in various industries.

Andy has a BA in Accountancy from the University of Strathclyde and is CIMA qualified.

Matt joined the Mobeus VCT team in 2019 as a Venture Partner working across their VCT investments. He has over 20 years’ experience in early stage and scale-up technology investing.

Previous roles include Corporate Finance at EY, a Partner in 3i’s technology investment business, and CIO roles at the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA) and Mercia Technologies plc.

He holds an MBA from the University of Reading and is a Chartered Accountant (ACA).

Zixin joined the Gresham House Ventures team in August 2022.

Prior to this, she spent over 8 years in the Energy industry, working at Royal Dutch Shell. At Shell, Zixin worked across various business lines including Trading, Retail, Renewable Energy Solutions and Shell Ventures.

During her time as a Senior Investment Associate with Shell Ventures, she focused on early-stage equity investments into fast growing start-ups in the Future of Mobility and CleanTech, across Europe, China and India.

Zixin is a qualified CIMA management accountant and holds a Master’s degree in Financial Engineering and Risk Management.

Rupesh joined Gresham House in January 2021, having spent five years at Praesidian Capital where he was focused on investing and managing minority growth and buy-out investments in entrepreneurial businesses across a range of sectors.

Prior to that, he worked at Grant Thornton for eight years where he led M&A and private equity transactions. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte and graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Physics from Imperial College.

Masrur joined Gresham House in November 2018 having previously been at Livingbridge where he worked across the VCT and Equity Funds’. Prior to that, he spent 2 years in ecommerce and trading at Dixons Carphone and 6 months as a trainee accountant with HT Accountants. He holds a first class BSc in Accounting from the University of Westminster.

Amber joined as Investment Manager in July 2021.

Amber was previously at EY LLP UK FS in the Strategy and Transactions team between September 2013 and July 2021. She was also a Manager in the transactions diligence team specialising in banking capital markets, wealth and asset management, and insurance sectors.

She has seven years of experience across the transaction lifecycle, engaged on over 30 transactions (private and public) for a range of private equity and corporate clients and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2016.

Mackenzie joined Gresham House in December 2019 having previously spent a year in Technology M&A Advisory at BDO LLP, where he worked on a variety of buy-side and sell-side mandates for owner-managed businesses across the UK. Prior to joining the Technology M&A Advisory team he worked in their Business Services team for two years, supporting fast-growth businesses in meeting their compliance and reporting requirements.

Prior to BDO, he spent over a year at Inflexion Private Equity where he focused on sourcing and researching investment opportunities. This is where his interest for investing was sparked.

Maya joined Gresham House in September 2019, having spent 4 years at Octopus Investments, investing in real estate-backed healthcare companies and entrepreneurs.

Prior to that she worked at KPMG for 7 years in audit and corporate finance.

She has a first class degree in Modern History from Oxford and is a Chartered Accountant.

Ed brings nearly 20 years’ experience of helping SMEs to create and realise shareholder value to his role. He has been working with Mobeus VCT management teams since 2017 to help them achieve their ambitions for growth and has overseen several notable exits in that time, including Automated Systems Group, Access-IS and Auction Technology Group. He also led the successful IPO of Virgin Wines in 2021.

Ed represents the Mobeus VCTs directly on the Board of several businesses, including Virgin Wines, RotaGeek and Vivacity Labs. His previous roles include CIO at Catapult Ventures in Assurance and Business Recovery Services at PwC. Ed was named one of Real Deals’ Future 40 Investment Leaders in April 2021.

He holds a BA (Hons) in Ancient History from the University of Nottingham and is a Chartered Accountant (ICAEW).

Giles joined the Mobeus VCTs in 2020. He brings over 11 years’ experience of helping SMEs to create and realise shareholder value. His other main focus is running Vedge Snacks, his start-up food company.

Giles is a generalist with particular experience in business services, recycling and renewable energy. He previously held the role of Investment Director at Growth Capital Partners and YFM Equity Partners. Prior to this, he spent time at Foresight Group, EY and HSBC Investment Bank.

He holds a BSc in Economics & Economic History from the University of Bristol and is a Chartered Accountant (ICAS).

Mark works on a consultant basis for Gresham House, having been involved with the Mobeus VCTs for 25 years and previously chairing the Mobeus Partnership and investment committees.

Mark brought together the original team that acquired GLE with Matrix Group in 2004 to form Matrix Private Equity Partners. Mark led that group in the MBO from Matrix that formed Mobeus in 2012.

His previous roles include at GLE Development Capital, where he progressed from Portfolio Manager to Managing Director, and MAI plc, as one of their first graduate trainees.

Mark holds a PGDip in Marketing from Kingston University and a BSc in Economics from the University of Leicester.