BESTPORT - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Investment Director

Adam is an Investment Director at Bestport. His responsibilities include originating, evaluating and executing new investment opportunities, as well as supporting portfolio businesses throughout the investment period. Adam joined the team in January 2022 as an Investment Manager from KPMG where he focused on the origination and execution of M&A transactions in the Consumer sector. Prior to this, he spent several years in Oaklins Smith & Williamson's M&A team, advising on Transactions in the lower mid-market. Adam's experience includes a broad range of buy-side and sell-side transactions across both Owner Managed and Private Equity backed businesses. Adam has a BSc (Hons) degree in Business Administration from the University of Bath and is an ACA qualified accountant. Bestport has an accomplished Advisory Board of experienced industry practitioners and entrepreneurs who provide advice, mentoring and sector expertise to Bestport and our investee companies.

Job Titles:

• Investment Director
• Key Member

Andy is an Investment Director at Bestport. He leads our business development function, co-leads on new deals alongside the Founding Partners, and sits on the board of two portfolio businesses - ESL and Hilditch Group. Since joining Bestport he has worked closely with the Founding Partners to project manage and complete our investments in ESL, Affinity, Playful Promises and Hilditch Group. He also provides hands-on support to our portfolio businesses, having acted in an interim-FD capacity to support multiple management teams. Andy splits his time between the North East of England where he lives with his family, the Bestport office in London, and being on the road meeting new businesses, advisors and investors. Andy joined Bestport in 2019 from Grant Thornton having spent several years in the M&A team, focussing on the delivery of transactions in the lower mid-market. He completed multiple buy-side and sell-side deals in the £5m to £50m Enterprise Value range, both in the UK and cross-border, across technology, telecoms, aerospace, engineering and business services. Prior to Grant Thornton he spent several years in EY's audit practice where he qualified as an ACA with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales. Andy also has a BA (Hons) degree in Economics from Durham University. Andy is a key member of the Bestport team as we continue to invest our second LP fund in new and exciting opportunities and expand our business.

Chris has over 30 years of Senior Management, Investment Banking and Professional Services experience. His current roles include Chairman of parking enforcement specialists ParkingEye Group backed by Macquarie and MML Capital, Chairman of education provider Oxford International Group backed by Bowmark Capital, and Chairman of specialist care provider Oracle Care backed by Bestport. His career began with Deloitte, before joining PwC's IB division where he was fast tracked into the Partnership in 1997. He later founded Equita Corporate Finance in 2003 to serve the healthcare and education sectors, and completed over £2.5bn of transactions. Other past roles include Chairman of Regard/ACH Group, NED for Grosvenor Health, and NED for Avanta Enterprises.

Job Titles:

• Engineer

David is an engineer with over 25 years board level experience in the Building Products Industry, retiring from the role of Chief Executive Officer of Polypipe Group plc in October 2017. He led the group for 12 years through two Private Equity buy-outs, ultimately floating the company on the LSE in April 2014 and continuing to grow the company resulting in it joining the FTSE 250 index in January 2016. David has considerable M&A experience and is currently an NED for the Nasdaq listed Industrea Acquisition Corp, along with some other UK private companies where he is also an investor.

Job Titles:

• Finance Director

Harriet joined the Bestport team as the Finance Director in April 2020. She joined from Darwin Private Equity where she was the Financial Controller, leading the finance function and assisting the team with numerous investments across the lower-mid market over a ten year period. Harriet began her career with Ernst & Young in their London team where she spent seven years. She later spent six years in industry with DMG World Media, before joining Darwin in 2011. Harriet also has an MA in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University.

Job Titles:

• Founder
• Founding Partner
• Managing Partner

James is a Founder Partner of Bestport. He began his career working in corporate finance for Oppenheimer in New York followed by a three year role in corporate strategy for Hutchison Whampoa in Hong Kong. He then spent six years engaged in corporate turnaround work for Postern before establishing Bamboo Investments PLC to make early stage, high growth venture investments predominantly in the technology sector. In 2005 he, together with Ole Bettum, founded Bestport which has successfully raised and invested institutional and HNW Private Equity funds in many different UK based businesses. James has invested in and sold a number of successful businesses including Creditcall, Lewmar, Active Hotels, Dot Net Solutions and Dr Foster. James holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Boston University.

Job Titles:

• Founder and Former Chairman and CEO of Sportingbet PLC

Mark is the founder and former Chairman and CEO of Sportingbet PLC, a leader in book-making and online gaming. He was voted AIM entrepreneur of the year in 2002. Mark is currently Chairman of Double Diamond Gaming, Condor Properties and FSB Technology in addition to being a Non-Executive Director and investor in several media and gaming businesses.

Job Titles:

• Chairman of Associated British Foods Plc

Michael is currently Chairman of Associated British Foods plc, Chairman of the Grosvenor Group and a Trustee of the Grosvenor Estate. Michael retired as chief executive of M&G in 2016 having joined the company in 1992 and been appointed chief executive in 1997. In 1999 he oversaw the sale of M&G to Prudential plc where he served as an executive director from 2000 until 2016. He has in-depth knowledge of the financial sector and proven experience of growing businesses.

Job Titles:

• Founder

Ole is a Founder Partner of Bestport and has extensive experience of Private Equity investing in the UK. He began his finance career with Price Waterhouse and joined Close Brothers Group PLC in 1996 to help launch their smaller venture capital investment arm. Between 1996 and 2005 he was instrumental in building Close Venture Management ("CVM") from an early stage to a highly successful venture investment business with some £130 million under management. During his time with CVM, Ole led investments in over 20 ventures such as Careforce Group PLC, Dolphin Nurseries Ltd, Cassium Technologies Ltd, Intercare Group, and Grosvenor Health Ltd. In 2005 he, together with James Stoddart, founded Bestport which has successfully raised and invested institutional and HNW Private Equity funds in over 15 companies. Ole holds a Bsc (Econ) from the London School of Economics and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Tim has over 30 years' experience in telecoms and technology companies, and was the Co-founder and CEO of MeetingZone which was sold to GMT Communications Partners in 2011. Tim has been Chairman of Private Equity backed business Essendex and is currently a Non-Executive Board member at MeetingZone.

Will is a serial entrepreneur and investor. His Chairmanships have included Jack Wills, Le Pain Quotidien, Heals and Explore Learning. He was previously CEO of Whittard of Chelsea and Tie Rack.