Simon is the chief executive of KBC Peel Hunt. Previously Head of Corporate Finance, Simon has over eleven years’ experience advising quoted companies on all aspects of corporate finance. KBC Peel Hunt is a leading adviser and broker to smaller companies and won the AiM Adviser of the Year Award in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Philip is a corporate finance partner at Grant Thornton UK. He is a chartered accountant and an authorised nominated adviser and sponsor, with extensive experience in providing advice on a wide range of quoted public company transactions including company flotations on AIM and the Official List, acquisitions and disposals, reverse takeovers and public company takeovers. In 2000, he returned from an 18-month secondment to the London Stock Exchange at which he worked with both the equity markets group advising companies quoted on the Official List and the AIM market team, where he advised and regulated AIM companies and market professionals. Philip is now a member of the London Stock Exchange AIM Advisory Group and chairman of the Quoted Companies Alliance Nominated Adviser Committee.
John became chief executive of Tavistock, a leading provider of financial public relations and investor relations services, in September 2007. He has 11 years’ industry experience and has worked across a broad range of sectors, including many IPOs, M&A transactions and fundraisings for small and large companies. John has an MA in modern and medieval languages from Magdalene College, Cambridge, and is a fluent German speaker. He is also a director of City Insights, Tavistock’s investor relations subsidiary.
Judith joined Electra Quoted Management in March 2007. Previously, she worked with Aberdeen Asset Management as a senior investment manager and had key responsibility within the growth capital division for AIM and technology investments in the four core Aberdeen venture capital trusts. She developed her experience from positions at Bell Lawrie Brewin Dolphin, Stirling Hendry and Allied Provincial.
Giles is the chief executive of Hargreave Hale Limited. He commenced his career in 1969 with James Capel as a trainee analyst. In 1974 he joined Management Agency And Music Plc as a private fund manager. In 1986 he founded Hargreave Investment Management, which was merged in 1988 with Hargreave Hale & Co, a provincial stockbroking firm controlled by other members of his family. Since then Giles' reputation within the industry has grown and with the help of his team, his performance with the Marlborough Special Situations Fund has been exceptional.
Tom has advised companies in the UK small- and mid-cap equity capital markets since 1990. He has been involved in a wide range of transactions for companies on the Official List, TechMARK and AIM as well as for private companies, in a variety of sectors. He has particular experience of IPOs, secondary fundraisings, public bids, acquisitions and disposals.
Richard has 13 years’ experience of smaller company investing. He joined Octopus Investments in 2004, having previously worked at Close Brothers and Duncan Lawrie Ltd, at which he managed an award-winning smaller companies fund. At Octopus Investments, Richard manages a range of specialist AIM portfolios, AIM VCTs and the CF Octopus Opportunities Fund.
Andy joined INVESCO in 1991 to manage UK smaller companies portfolios. He started his career in 1986 as a credit analysis for Midland Bank and subsequently the United Bank of Kuwait, where he progressed into fund management, managing a UK smaller companies portfolio on behalf of high net worth Kuwaiti clients. In 1989, Andy joined Guinness Mahon Asset Management as a UK smaller companies portfolio manager. He holds a BSc in Banking & Finance from Loughborough University. Andy manages the Invesco Perpetual UK Smaller Companies Growth Fund, the INVESCO English & International Investment Trust, and the Invesco Perpetual AIM VCT.
Graham is the group managing director of investment banking group Shore Capital. He was previously a management consultancy partner of Touche Ross (now Deloitte & Touche). After a degree in politics, philosophy and economics from Oxford and a master’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics, he worked for the Government as an economic adviser. He is responsible for Shore Capital’s corporate finance department and is heavily involved in managing Shore Capital’s Puma VCTs and St Peter Port Capital, the AIM listed pre-IPO fund.
Peter joined Charles Stanley in October 2002 from Teather & Greenwood where he was Head of Smaller Companies Research. He has specialised in smaller companies for 23 years, having worked previously for Albert E Sharp, Brown Shipley Stockbroking, SG Warburg and Citicorp Scrimgeour Vickers. Teather & Greenwood won the AIM Best Research prize in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001.
Sara founded Vitesse Media Plc in 1997 and is its chairman and chief executive. Her role includes developing the acquisition strategy, as well as leading the 60-strong team based in London and Birmingham. She is also editor-in-chief of the company’s publications. Sara is a well-known business author. Over two million copies of her book, The FT Guide to Business Start Up (formerly the Lloyds TSB Small Business Guide) have been published. She is a member of the London Stock Exchange’s AIM Advisory Group, and holds an investment advice certificate and an MSc in accounting and finance from the London School of Economics.
Leslie has worked in the media sector for over 12 years in an array of roles, including journalist, analyst, editor and executive director. He joined Vitesse in 1997 as a journalist on Growth Company Investor, ascending to the role of editorial director of Vitesse Media Plc by 2000, with responsibility for the delivery of Vitesse’s products across all platforms – online, events and print. Since mid 2006, Vitesse Media Plc has doubled in size, and Leslie has played a significant part in the integration of What Investment (purchased by the company in December 2006) and Information Age (purchased in December 2007). He was appointed to the role of chief operating officer in March 2008.
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Growth Company Investor is widely recognised as the UK's leading authority on fast-growing companies. Published ten times a year, the magazine offers subscribers unrivalled insight into high-potential smaller companies via company news, expert share recommendations, informative features, research, specialist columns, brokers' tips and much, much more.
