Judith Hartley appointed CEO of British Business Investments
Judith Hartley has been appointed CEO of British Business Investments, the commercial subsidiary of the British Business Bank.
Hartley was appointed acting CEO of British Business Investments in September 2020 and will now take up the permanent role.
Catherine Lewis La Torre, who stood down as CEO of the British Business Bank, has been appointed CEO of British Patient Capital and chair of British Business Investments.
Hartley said she is “delighted” with the move and looks forward “to further develop the company and its impact on the UK’s small business finance markets”.
VCTA appoints new chair
In July the Venture Capital Trust Association (VCTA), the trade body for the UK’s VCT industry, appointed Will Fraser-Allen as chair.
He is currently managing partner of the leading independent investment manager and VCTA member Albion Capital Group.
Fraser-Allen, who also sits on the venture capital committee of the British Venture Capital Association (BVCA), has been vice chair and chair of the public policy committee at the VCTA for the last year.
During his tenure, he has played a role in the association’s engagement with government regarding the VCT “sunset clause”, which was extended to beyond 2025.
Fraser-Allen said: “VCTs currently support over 1,000 of the most ambitious young UK businesses… Equity capital has been crucial in enabling these businesses to grow, and it will continue to be essential as the economy faces an uncertain future with the challenges of the cost-of-living crisis and rising inflation.
“I am delighted to be able to advocate for the VCT industry and importantly, the interests of the entrepreneurs it backs.”
Praetura Ventures bolsters investment team
Manchester-based venture capital firm Praetura Ventures has made five new hires to its team of investment experts.
Jessica Jackson joins Praetura as an investment manager from GC Angels and will help support founders. More specifically, Jackson will drive new investments from Praetura’s EIS Growth Fund and its new £20m GMC Life Sciences Fund. She will continue her role on the steering group of Fund Her North, which supports and promotes female entrepreneurs across the North of England.
>See also: Fund Her North facilitates £1.2m worth of funding for women founders
Other new hires include Grace Sanderson and Michael Rees, who join the team as investment executives. Sanderson, who previously spent three years at Maven Capital Partners, will support the GMC Life Sciences Fund, while Rees joins Praetura from the Development Bank of Wales and will focus on supporting the firm’s EIS portfolio.
Praetura Ventures has also recruited two new graduates as investment associates. Emily Bourne graduated from the University of Oxford this summer and gained experience with a year at Paris-based VC Partech. Stefano Smith graduated from the University of Dundee in 2020 and has spent 18 months as a trainee financial planner at Forth Capital.
Northern Gritstone expands investment team
University spinout investor Northern Gritstone appointed Alison Maughan as investment manager.
Alison joins after nearly four years at Deepbridge Capital specialising in life sciences. Her appointment follows that of Mark Wyatt, who joined Northern Gritstone as investment director earlier this month from Mercia Asset Management.
Alison will be responsible for helping guide the company’s future investments and will be based initially in Manchester.
Alternative finance provider Nucleus adds to development team
Nucleus Commercial Finance, an alternative finance provider for UK SMEs, added to its business development team with the appointment of Bilal Hussain.
The move follows roles at Santander and CYBG as a business development manager, where he was tasked with overseeing growth among SME clients.
In his new position at Nucleus, he will be overseeing the corporate relationships with existing and prospective UK businesses, in particular SME clients.
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