moves
BEECHBROOK CAPITAL OPENS MANCHESTER OFFICE Specialist direct lender Beechbrook Capital, which backs small and medium-sized businesses in the UK with a turnover of between £10m and £100m and EBITDA of more than £1m, has opened its first regional office, in Manchester. The office, in Hardman Square, Spinningfields, will support the UK SME Credit fund, which provides finance to UK SMEs. The Manchester office will be run by investment director Matt Kenny, who joined Beechbrook at the beginning of April. His previous roles include three years as an investment director with LDC, originating and leading mid-market private equity investments, and more than six years in financial services advisory work with, first, Ernst & Young and then Lloyds Banking Group. Jon Herbert, Beechbrook managing director in charge of the firm’s UK SME Credit fund, said: ‘The opening of our Manchester office demonstrates the importance we attach to maintaining close and enduring relationships with SMEs and advisers across the north of England. We know there is strong demand for the growth capital we offer and the Manchester office will play a big role in expanding the range of high-quality investment opportunities available to the fund.’ Beechbrook Capital held a final close of its first UK SME Credit fund at the beginning of the year with commitments in excess of £150m. The fund has already completed eight investments and is now 44 per cent committed. The two most recent investments were plan.com, a business communications provider with offices in the Isle of Man and Manchester, and Infomedia, which enables brands to charge digital purchases to customers’ mobile phone accounts.
CPA GLOBAL NAMES PHIL FEARNLEY CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER Phil Fearnley joins leading IP Technology Company from BBC CPA Global® announces the appointment of Phil Fearnley as Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Phil joins the executive team to lead CPA Global’s development of breakthrough technology to redefine the future of IP. Toni Nijm, Chief Innovation & Technology Officer, will transition to the role of Chief Product & Strategy Officer, leading product innovation and future strategy. Phil is a seasoned veteran in digital transformation, bringing strong leadership and a track record of innovation in platform technology to CPA Global.
Gamechangers 30
As Digital Director for the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), Phil has successfully overseen some of the most innovative and complex digital transformation projects. Among a wide range of projects, Phil led the development of the BBC iPlayer, the BBC News app, and responsibility for the Digital London Olympics in 2012. “This is a significant appointment for CPA Global. Phil is proven in delivering ground breaking digital transformation through the deployment of platform technology” says Simon Webster, CPA Global’s CEO. “This crucial position demonstrates our continued commitment to developing and delivering outstanding integrated technology for IP professionals that transforms how they work.” “Digital innovation through design is my passion.” comments Phil. “When I spoke with CPA Global about the way IP professionals’ roles could be impacted by platform technology, I really bought into the company’s disruptive vision. I am looking forward to executing the technical and operational leadership that will support the design and development of The IP Platform. CPA Global’s vision to empower IP professionals with breakthrough digital services will transform the IP industry and I welcome the chance to be part of this next-generation technology.”
DROOMS CONTINUES TO EXPAND INTO NEW MARKETS • European market leader for virtual data rooms continues to grow its business abroad • Corporate finance and M&A team subject to international expansion Drooms, the leading provider of Virtual Data Rooms in Europe, is steam rolling ahead with its plans to continue expanding. Chris Beckmann (54) and Martin Alamri (42) joined the company in spring this year, strengthening Drooms’ growing corporate finance and M&A team on an international basis. Beckmann, who will assume primary responsibility for the taskforce, began his career at the start of the 1990s in the US, and has since worked as a corporate consultant and independent entrepreneur in Germany. Experienced in the business of VDRs, his responsibilities have spanned multiple markets including but not limited to Germany, Poland and Scandinavia. Continual growth at international level Within the framework of its internationalisation plans, Drooms is also in the process of opening more regional offices. In March, Drooms opened a subsidiary, Drooms Cloud España S.L., in Spain. Business activities will be systematically expanded in Spain, where a number of large corporate finance and real estate companies already use the Drooms platform and in Portugal from the new office in