PAR EQUITY - Key Persons
Aidan's responsibilities include deal origination, investment appraisal, due diligence, fundraising, investment execution and monitoring and managing follow-on funding requirements of portfolio companies.
Background
Aidan is a chartered accountant with corporate finance experience and joined Par Equity as an Investment Manager in December 2018. Prior to Par, Aidan spent over 3 years working for Deloitte in their Transaction Services team in London and Edinburgh, gaining a wide range of buy-side and sell-side due diligence experience, with a focus on the industrials and technology sectors. Aidan holds an Economics & Finance degree from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales and has passed the CFA Level 1 Exam.
Outside of work, Aidan is an avid rugby fan, is on the board of a music festival and enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Job Titles:
- Senior Investment Manager
Alastair is responsible for deal origination, investment appraisal, due diligence, fundraising, investment execution and monitoring and managing follow-on funding requirements of portfolio companies.
Background
Alastair joined Par Equity in February 2020 from KPMG's Mergers & Acquisitions team in Edinburgh where he advised businesses across Scotland and the North of England. He also led KPMG's Corporate Finance efforts in the Scottish start-up and scale-up community. Prior to KPMG, Alastair's career was in Corporate Banking with NatWest, where he managed the banking relationship for a portfolio of clients across the North. Alastair also holds an MBA from Alliance Manchester Business School.
On weekends Alastair can often be found bagging a munro in the Highlands (48/282 at time of writing!) or exploring the great outdoors. He is also a Liverpool supporter, cricket fan and holds an industry standard WSET qualification in Wines and Spirits.
As statutory accountant, Ali has responsibility for preparing the annual financial statements for all the Par companies and liaising with the external auditors. She also looks after Par's Residential and Forestry funds.
Background
Andrew is a Chartered Accountant with extensive corporate finance and corporate restructuring experience. Andrew began his career in the audit practice and then management consultancy practice of Touche Ross (now Deloitte), before several years in investment banking, gaining broad-based experience in transactional corporate finance advisory work. Andrew serves on various boards and industry bodies and has an MA in Jurisprudence from Oxford University.
Outside his working life, Andrew cooks, enjoys good wine, swims in lochs, climbs hills, skis down mountains and messes about with old cars - but not usually all at the same time.
Andrew is a member of Par Equity's Investment Committee and sponsor partner to several Par portfolio companies. In addition, Andrew leads Par's distribution of its discretionary managed funds, takes an active role on improving Par's operations and technology infrastructure and represents Par Equity on the Steering Committee of ESG_VC, a pan-European initiative aimed at improving the ESG credentials of VC backed companies.
Background
Andrew is a former management consultant with McKinsey & Co, specialising in sales optimisation for FTSE 100 clients, before rejoining Par Equity in May 2019. Andrew has broad experience across the early stage venture capital and private equity markets having personally invested in more than 50 innovative, high growth companies since 2008, as well as founding Transition Capital, a management buy-in vehicle, in 2017, where he was managing director, leading the deal sourcing, due diligence, and fundraising efforts. Andrew is a former athlete, having competed for TeamGB in Alpine Skiing at the 2010 Winter Olympics, and holds an MBA from INSEAD Business School.
Outside of the office, Andrew spends time with his young family and can be found running after a ball in his spare time - squash, football, tennis, padel. If he's spotted in the gym, he's looking for directions.
Par Partner Andrew Noble discusses significant investment opportunity in the North of the UK
Par Partner, Andrew Noble, recently spoke with IFA Magazine on the back of Par Equity's recent exit from Symphonic Software that delivered a blended...
Background
Claire's experience is in finance and marketing, having completed previous internships across areas including marketing analytics, business development and investor relations. She recently graduated from Northeastern University, Boston with a B.S. degree in International Business.
Job Titles:
- Baker Hughes Senior Executive
Job Titles:
- Finance Director
- Financial Controller
As Financial Controller, Emily is responsible for the Par Equity group's finance function encompassing financial and management reporting, planning, taxation and financial control.
Background
Emily trained in accounting practice and has been a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants for Scotland since 2005. Prior to Par, Emily spent ten years working in Lloyds Banking Group within the Commercial Banking divisions financial control team.
Outside of work Emily enjoys running, reading and spending time with her family.
Background
Leith joined Par as Non Executive Chairman in 2016, following a distinguished career at Royal Bank of Scotland where he held senior roles including Deputy Chief Executive of RBS Global Banking and Markets. Prior to RBS, he held a variety of positions at the Bank of Scotland culminating in Head of Structured Finance. Leith retired from banking in 2009. Leith is also Non Executive Chairman of Intrum UK and Southernwood Capital. Leith was also Non-Executive Chairman at Specialist Risk Group, successfully sold in 2021 and Non-Executive Director at Giles Insurance and Senior Adviser to Jamieson Corporate Finance. Leith's focus at Par is to help the Partners develop and drive strategy, Chair the Board and promote Par to Leith's many contacts.
Outside of work, Leith enjoys golf, shooting, fishing, fine wine and excellent malt whisky.
Background
Lucy is a former strategy consultant and has worked as an operations manager across a number of start-ups in London. Lucy is a Prince2 certified practitioner and has a BA in French and Italian from the University of Bristol.
Outside of work, Lucy enjoys reading, writing (currently trying to finish her first novel!), running and spending time with her young family. She also sits on an advisory panel for the baby charity, Group B Strep Support.
Job Titles:
- Executive Assistant
- Executive Assistant to the Five Partners
Mandy is the executive assistant to the five Partners and a key contributor to Par Equity's personal touch when it comes to our investors. Mandy assists in all aspects of Par's day-to-day activities and has been with the Company since inception.
Background
Mandy has spent most of her working life in Financial Services however 8 years was spent in the Life Science sector.
Outside of work, Mandy loves walking with her beloved dog Lucas and spending time with family & friends.
Monika is responsible for maintaining the financial records of the Par Equity group with particular focus on sales ledger control. In addition, Monika supports the preparation and delivery of the groups management and financial reporting.
Background
Prior to Par, Monika spent twelve years working for a real estate investment and asset management company in London.
Aside from work, Monika enjoys playing and teaching piano.
Nicola is responsible for the day to day running of all regulatory and data privacy matters and supports Andrew Castell in his role as Compliance Officer and MLRO.
Background
Nicola has over fifteen years Regulatory experience in the Investment Management sector. Her experience includes front to back office compliance monitoring roles, assisting the Compliance Officer at a London boutique hedge fund. Nicola brings a wealth of experience having spent nine years advising on all angles of U.S. policy and regulation at Baillie Gifford. More recently Nicola worked for Aubrey Capital Management, a boutique investment manager in Edinburgh, advising the firm on all areas of Compliance before moving to Par Equity in April 2020. Nicola has a BA in Law & Management.
Nicola enjoys spending time with her family outside of work, cooking, reading and playing the Clarsach (Scottish harp).
Paul is Chairman of the Par Investor Network, working with other Par colleagues to grow, and diversify the range of individual investors that contribute to our funding mix, skills capability and deal origination across the North of the UK. Paul also acts as Lead Partner for par's Forestry investment activities.
Background
Paul is an entrepreneur and serial angel investor, with a substantial track record of building value for companies in the technology and services sector and taking them to a successful exit. Prior to setting up Par Equity, Paul started three previous businesses: Taranata Group, which was founded in 2001 and now employs around 150 staff, Direct Resources, which was acquired by NASDAQ listed iGate Corporation in 1999; and RecruitmentScotland.com, which was acquired by another NASDAQ listed business, TMP Worldwide, in 2000. Paul has a BSc in Physics from Manchester University and is Visiting Professor at Napier University Business School.
Par Partner, Paul Atkinson, gives insight into how Scotland's academic entrepreneurial community' is working to eradicate Covid-19
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner
- Par Partner
Background
Paul is a Chartered Management Accountant and has 30 years' experience of corporate management, turnarounds, business development and active shareowner engagement. Paul's experience spans several sectors, principally consumer goods, manufacturing and healthcare, with companies such as Mars Confectionery, BUPA and Price Waterhouse.
Job Titles:
- Investor Relations Director
As Investor Relations Director, Pauline is responsible for maintaining effective working relationships with Par Equity's private clients and with Intermediaries. Her key objective is to help ensure that all our investors receive the highest levels of service from Par Equity.
Background
Pauline has worked in the financial services sector for over thirty years. She has a vast wealth of knowledge and experience both in the banking and wealth management sectors. She worked prior to Par as a senior private banking manager and prior to that worked for a number of years in Switzerland for a multinational wealth manager. Pauline has a postgraduate in Information Systems at Napier University.
Pauline loves walking with her dog Basel, running with Emily from work or anyone else who can chat to her while running to help her forget the pain! Loves the sun and loves nothing better than enjoying a nice cocktail by the sea!
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Partner
- Par Partner
- Partner at Par Equity LLP, Suggests Tech Investments Will Take Place Against a Backdrop of Wider Societal Concerns Around Issues.
Robert is a co-founder of Par Equity and is on the Investment Committee. He's the appointed gatekeeper for new investment opportunities and sits on a number of Boards in the U.K and U.S and is also responsible for the firms' technology infrastructure.
Background
Robert has spent his entire career developing hardware, software and communications products, based on emerging technologies. Based in various European countries and the U.S he held a number of senior strategy positions within blue-chip organisations, before becoming an investor on his own account. Robert's first technology role, in 1980, was as a programmer and, subsequently, Development Manager based in the U.S, at the start-up known today as Artemis- Aurea Software. Robert continued building his technology experience with Reuters, Telekurs AG (a UBS subsidiary) before joining ABN AMRO's investment bank. Since 2002 Robert has based himself in London and Edinburgh, working with universities on technology transfer and early stage businesses - before moving back to the U.S in 2017 to focus primarily on Health Technology.
Par Partner, Robert Higginson, shares his insights on the factors driving 2020 technology trends
Robert Higginson, partner at Par Equity LLP, suggests tech investments will take place against a backdrop of wider societal concerns around issues...
Tom Croy - Chief Investment Officer
Tom's responsibilities include deal origination, investment appraisal, due diligence, fundraising, investment execution and monitoring and managing follow-on funding requirements of portfolio companies. He's also heavily involved in Par's forestry investment activities and is a member of the Investment Committee for Par Forestry III L.P. and Par Forestry IV L.P.
Background
Tom has a background as a corporate lawyer with Addleshaw Goddard, having worked on large M&A mandates and a variety of investments for the PE and VC community. He also gained operational experience as a result of his involvement in the scale-up of a market leading UK forestry machinery dealership. Tom holds a First Class honours degree and DPLP in Law from the University of Aberdeen, is a member of the Law Society of Scotland and is currently studying towards the CFA's ESG Certificate as well as holding a certificate in Corporate Finance from the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.
Outside work, he enjoys rugby, cycling and hiking.