Our Senior Advisory Board brings together entrepreneurs who have each built, acquired and ultimately sold businesses.
Alan Bennie
Consumer Products
Alan co-founded Vivid Toys in 1992 and has built the business into a £100m multinational group. Over the last 20 years Alan has guided Vivid through its many successes including two private equity transactions, a significant, positive refinancing and various acquisitions. Alan is also a Venture Partner with a leading UK venture capital firm.
Roger Davies
Security and Defence Services
Following a decorated career in the Army, Roger saw the opportunity to set up an anti-terrorism business, Hazard Management Solutions, which he successfully sold in 2007. Subsequently he has established a consultancy practice and has set up and made investments in a series of businesses in the Security and Defence arena.
Paul Phillips
Support Services
Paul led the MBO of IT Services provider ISG. He subsequently acquired a network infrastructure business significantly larger than his own and ultimately successfully exited the enlarged group having grown it some 30-fold.
Geoff Finch
Telecoms and Technology
Geoff has over 25 years experience in fixed, mobile and satellite communications services together with other areas of technology including the clean energy sector. He has created several European start-up businesses and has worked with a range of venture capital investors.
Brian Tyrer
Specialist Engineering
Brian spent 30 years as CEO of Pyroban, a leading provider of explosion protection and environmental solutions. Brian successfully grew the business through acquisition and international expansion – including mainland China – before selling to US plant group, Caterpillar. Brian now holds a number of non-executive positions.
Jo Pearson
Waste management and Environmental Services
Jo spent 30 years building up the family business, Pearsons Group, to become one of the leading waste management and recycling businesses in East Anglia. Jo was an early adopter of recycling, recognising the economic and environmental benefit of diverting waste from disposal and generating valuable secondary commodities and the business invested heavily in state of the art, strategically located facilities in the region. Having acquired five complementary businesses, Pearsons Group was then sold to Viridor, one of the UK’s largest waste and recycling businesses, in 2010. Jo now owns a property development business, is a member ACG Angel Investors and holds non-executive director and trustee positions for various companies and charities.