Stephen Bell
Position: Partner Age: 48 Qualifications: BEng (1st Class Hons), MPhil, MBA Career history: Joined Quayle Munro 2001 from FirstGroup. Stephen specialises in advising education clients and other public sector bodies on funding and project structuring. Recent deals: Advised Bangor University on the sourcing and negotiation of a £45m loan facility from the EIB, University of Edinburgh’s Holyrood £81m student accommodation project and University of Sussex’s 2000 bed student accommodation project.
Clare Lacey
Position: Partner Age: 38 Qualifications: BA (Hons) Economics and Politics, CA Career history: Joined Quayle Munro in 2006 from PricewaterhouseCoopers and QMPF on its establishment in 2012. Specialises in the structuring, financing and acquisition/disposal of infrastructure and renewable energy assets. Recent deals: Adviser to Renewable Energy Generation on: project financing two onshore wind farms, crowdfunding a single turbine wind farm and the sale of a number of renewable energy assets. Currently adviser to: an infrastructure fund on the acquisition and financing of a 26MW consent wind farm, a Scottish estate on the funding of its renewable energy portfolio and an estate owner on his shareholding in a consented wind farm.
Peter Lyons
Position: Director Age: 34 Qualifications: MA (Hons), CFA Career History: Joined Quayle Munro in 2005, having previously worked with Lazards and joined QMPF on its establishment in 2012. Specialises in advising on funding and project structuring across the education and infrastructure sectors. Recent deals: Advised the Royal College of Music on its £45m student accommodation transaction and the University of London on its £140m redevelopment of the Cartwright Gardens student residence scheme.
Neil Thomson
Position: Associate director Age: 44 Qualifications: B.Com (Hons), MSc Career history: Joined PwC in London in 1994 specialising in business modelling and then worked with the Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh before joining Quayle Munro in June 2007 and QMPF on its formation in 2012. Specialises in the structuring, financing and acquisition/ disposal of renewable energy assets. Recent deals: Adviser to various on- shore wind farm developers/investors, including John Laing and Green Power, on modelling, structuring and financing renewable projects. Advising the University of St Andrews on its biomass project.
who value its strategic and commercial input and ability to follow through to execution. In addition to an in-house team with global multi-sector experience, Quest benefits from an international network of thought leaders, investors and world-class professional firms built up over years of delivering a first-class service to clients.
Marcus Noble
Position: Director Career history: With over 20 years’ experience leading and advising businesses at board level, Marcus brings a unique skill set to the team. He has conducted business in the US, Middle East, Asia and Europe. Marcus has a strong specialisation in technology and the use of technology to gain the competitive advantage and has advised the boards of Nasdaq and LSE-listed technology businesses on business strategy. Marcus founded Quest in 2001.
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IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Scott Carnegie
Position: Director Qualifications: CA LLB (Hons) Career history: A CA with more than 25 years’ experience of advising on fundraising and business restructuring for small and medium-sized enterprises. During that time, he has also held several executive director roles with client companies giving him hands-on experience in running businesses in several market sectors. He continues to sit on many boards in both executive and non-executive capacities. He is chairman of Discovery Investment Fund – an angel group focused on start-up and early stage investments – which he founded in 2006. In 2013 he founded and is chairman of London Scottish Investment Partners, an angel group which focuses on helping later stage companies to grow and exit at value.
Stuart Mitchell
Position: Associate Qualifications: CA Career history: Stuart is a CA and joined Quest in 2010 from PwC LLP. Stuart has significant experience guiding clients through transformational events. His sector expertise includes energy (oil and gas and renewables) and technology. Stuart has a key role in the delivery of Quest’s corporate finance offering and also holds a number of executive directorships. He is an expert in assisting with the preparation of business plans and financial models.
Andrew Watson
Position: Partner Age: 54 Qualifications: BCom (Hons) Career history: Over 30 years’ experience in advising private and public sector clients on all aspects of structuring and financing. He joined QMPF on its establishment in 2012, having previously worked with Quayle Munro since February 2004. Recent deals: Advising corporates, universities and other public sector bodies throughout the UK on funding and strategic investment decisions.
Moray Watt
Position: Partner Age: 48 Qualifications: BA in Accountancy and Finance, CA Career history: With almost 20 years’ experience in project finance, initially in the NHS, Moray has been advising both private and public sector clients on structuring and financing of a broad range of infrastructure projects. He joined QMPF on its establishment in 2012, having previously worked with Quayle Munro since 1999. Recent deals: Advising East Central hub on all its forthcoming revenue funded projects, advising NHS Orkney on its new Balfour Hospital project, advising the successful bidder on the first Priory Schools Building Programme project and bidding several social infrastructure projects in the Republic of Ireland.
QUEST CORPORATE LTD
SCOTTISH EQUITY PARTNERS (SEP)
17 Blythswood Square, Glasgow G2 4AD Telephone: 0141 273 4000 Fax: 0141 273 4001 Email: enquiries@sep.co.uk Website: www.sep.co.uk Office locations: Glasgow, Edinburgh, London Deal types undertaken: Growth equity and venture capital. Scottish Equity Partners (SEP) is a leading venture capital firm with a distinguished track record of successful investing. It invests in innovative, high-growth companies across the UK (and, where appropriate, Europe) in a wide range of sectors, including e-commerce, digital media, IT services, software, healthcare IT, medical devices, “cleantech” and energy. SEP typically invests up to £20m in growth stage technology or technology enabled businesses either as sole or lead investor. A range of transactions can be considered, including expansion capital, replacement capital, technology MBOs and MBIs. SEP’s investment team is one of the most experienced in Europe and operates out of offices in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London. As well as primary venture capital funds, SEP also manages secondary and infrastructure finance funds with a specific focus on energy. Investors in SEP’s limited partnership funds include global financial institutions, alternative asset management companies, pension funds, family offices and major corporates.
Telephone: 0131 225 6488 Email: info@questcorporate.com Website: www.questcorporate.com Office location: Edinburgh Deal types undertaken: MBO/MBI, refinancing, mergers and acquisitions, development finance, fundraising, corporate recovery/reconstruction, turnaround, interim management services.
Calum Paterson
Quest Corporate Ltd provides a range of corporate finance and boutique advisory services to businesses throughout the UK. Quest Corporate specialises in growth funding in the £0.5m to £30m range, corporate restructuring, M&A services, equity realisation. Quest is frequently engaged by both shareholders and management
Position: Partner Career history: CA training with Moores Rowland. Investment director with 3i prior to joining SEP in 2001. Deputy head of SEP investment team. SEP investments include MATCHESFASHION.COM,Car Loan 4U, Pulsant and Workshare.
Position: Managing partner Career history: CA training with Ernst & Young. Over 20 years in private equity. Responsible for managing the firm and heading its investment team. Non-executive director at Skyscanner and TotallyMoney.com.
Andrew Davison
DECEMBER 2014 CA MAGAZINE