Mercia Ventures

Adam Fearnley joined the Growth Team at FDC in 2026. He has around 25 years of combined experience across corporate restructuring, corporate finance and structured debt financing, having worked for both high street and private capital funders supporting UK SMEs and mid-market businesses with event-driven financing across various sectors. His focus is on delivering SME funding for event-driven transactions across the North of England.

Adam Lovell is an Investment Director at Mercia Ventures, focusing on B2B software investments at Series A and beyond, with interests in cybersecurity and enterprise SaaS. He trained as a Chartered Accountant at EY in London, spending seven years in audit and transaction services advising founders and private equity investors, before moving to a Manchester corporate finance house in 2017. He joined Mercia in 2021 and holds a BSc in Accounting and Financial Management from Loughborough University.

Alex Gwyther is an investor in Mercia's VCT funds, working on deal origination, leading transactions, portfolio management and exits. Before joining Mercia in 2021, he spent seven years in science and technology, first as a science policy advisor for the UK government and then as a consultant and client manager at IBM. He studied Biology at the University of Oxford and Science Communication at Imperial College London.

Andy Green leads the team deploying the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II (MEIF) Debt programme, which provides loan finance of £100k-£2m to growing West Midlands-based SMEs. He has worked with SME clients with turnover between £2m and £25m and spent 24 years at NatWest in corporate and commercial banking roles, ending as Relationship Director. Since 2013 he has been with FDC, working with manufacturers and partners in the advanced manufacturing sector.

Charlie Robinson joined the Growth Team at FDC in 2022, focusing on funding solutions for SME businesses across the UK. He has more than 15 years of private equity experience investing in the SME market, first at LivingBridge and then at YFM Equity Partners, where he was a Partner and led investments in fast-growing businesses across technology, consumer, and business services sectors.

Chris Borrett joined Mercia in 2023 as an Investment Director on the Equity Team, where he focuses on originating and executing early-stage deals in high-growth companies and supporting the existing portfolio. He previously worked with Boston Consulting Group's corporate venturing arm, helping build and invest in new start-ups across APAC, and later ran Flip Insurance, an insurtech backed by HCF Group. He co-founded the Australian chapter of Leaders For Climate Action, has mentored founders in Australia, Europe, and Africa, and holds a Master's degree in Physics with a background in data science.

Chris McCourt joined Mercia in 2023 as Investment Director for the North East Venture Fund, focusing on early-stage and technology investments across Durham, Northumberland, and Tyne and Wear. A Chartered Accountant (FCA) with over 20 years of experience, he has advised shareholders and directors on growth, fundraising, acquisitions, and business sales. His prior roles include working at PwC in Newcastle and London, serving as Chief Operating Officer at the North East England Chamber of Commerce, and spending eight years as a Corporate Finance Partner at regional accountancy practices.

Clive Broadhurst is a finance professional responsible for managing a UK-wide portfolio of SME investments, contributing to portfolio and risk management, investor reporting, and client support. He joined the team in 2012 as Investment Director and has led a number of debt and equity investments. He previously spent 10 years at KPMG Corporate Finance working with mid-market and private equity-backed businesses, followed by 3 years at RBS in the leveraged debt market, and is a Chartered Accountant who trained with PwC.

Clive Downward joined Finance South Yorkshire (now part of Mercia) in 2006 as an Investment Director and has more than 35 years of experience in lending. He serves as a Director of the Loans division and Fund Manager for the Finance Yorkshire Loan Fund, and oversees risk management for NPIF – Mercia Debt Finance in Yorkshire and EV SME Loans. Earlier in his career he spent 30 years at Barclays in credit and management roles across the UK and USA, and later worked at YFM as an investment manager on the South Yorkshire Investment Fund's mezzanine fund.

Abbie Talbot has spent around 12 years in financial services, beginning at The West Bromwich Building Society and later holding roles at NatWest including Mortgage Advisor and Business Relationship Manager. As a Relationship Manager she supported roughly 150 businesses across the Midlands, particularly Birmingham and the Black Country, with their lending needs. At Mercia she deploys the Midlands Engine Investment Fund II Debt fund across the South Birmingham area, including Worcestershire and Hereford.

Adam Watts joined Mercia Ventures in November 2021 and works on the VCT investment team, focusing on sourcing, transacting, and managing investments in B2B software and the wider technology sector. He previously spent two and a half years at Wealth Club handling EIS investments in technology businesses, and before that trained as a Chartered Accountant at EY and worked in Deloitte's Financial Advisory restructuring team. He holds a first-class BSc in Economics from the University of Southampton.

Alex Cox is a Finance Business Partner at Mercia, supporting the senior leadership team with financial reporting, performance analysis, budgeting, and strategic decision making across the group's regulated entities and investment platforms. He trained as a chartered accountant (ACA) at PKF in the audit department, focusing on private equity backed businesses. He holds a BSc in Management from the University of Manchester.

Alice Grieve joined Mercia in 2016 as a consultant and became an employee in 2018, where she oversees Group-wide anti-money laundering and data-protection systems and controls and supports the Compliance Director in meeting regulatory requirements. She is a member of Mercia's O2 Committee. Her background is in economic growth and development and financial services, having previously provided consultancy to private and public sector entities on regional investment and entrepreneurship.

Alison Dwyer joined Mercia in August 2019 to lead its marketing and communications, overseeing the firm's communications strategy and brand development. She has over 20 years of experience leading marketing and communications teams in-house and agency-side across multiple sectors and countries, including professional services, financial services, government and technology.

Amber Jardine joined Mercia in 2024 as a Portfolio Support Manager. Before Mercia, she launched and managed an institutional investment fund for Twinkl Educational Publishing. Over the previous five years she has mainly supported and advised early-stage technology companies in the UK.

Amrit Sami is an Investor at Mercia Ventures, focusing on companies in energy, manufacturing, supply chains and frontier technologies. He previously worked at Symvan Capital, where he led B2B SaaS transactions and represented the fund on four company boards, and earlier served as a Venture Scout for Ada Ventures, worked at two accelerators, and held engineering roles at healthcare, energy and FMCG companies. He holds First Class Honours in Chemical Engineering from the University of Bath.

Amy Westwood works in marketing and visual communication, focusing on brand growth, communication strategy, graphic design, and copywriting. She holds a Master's degree in Visual Communication and is currently pursuing an MBA.

Andy Clough is an Investment Manager in Mercia's Debt Team, providing NPIF Debt funding mainly to established companies seeking to grow across the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding area. He joined Mercia in March 2022, having spent 18 months as a commercial finance broker and worked with the Business Enterprise Fund delivering the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund's micro-finance for SMEs. Earlier in his career he spent 16 years at Yorkshire Bank in retail and commercial banking roles.

Anna Brown is a corporate lawyer with over 25 years of experience advising private and public companies on corporate transactions, including support for start-up and growth companies in the technology and life science sectors. She is a Partner at Addleshaw Goddard LLP and was previously a corporate partner at Pinsent Masons and McGrigors. Her work covers equity capital markets transactions such as AIM IPOs, secondary fundraisings and takeovers, as well as governance and stakeholder matters. She joined the Northern VCT 3 Board in September 2020.

Arun Fernandez holds an Economics degree from the University of Manchester and began his career at a fintech startup. He previously worked at Innovate Finance, the UK's fintech industry body, where he managed a 250-member founder network, and at Schroders Investment Management, where he led startup and VC engagement and worked on partnerships with fintech and AI companies. He joined Mercia in 2026, where he focuses on building portfolio community and platform initiatives to support scaling companies.

Ben Boocock joined Mercia in March 2026 as a Finance Operations Manager, working within the Finance team on the Group's tax-efficient products alongside the EIS and VCT teams. He previously spent three years at Ascot Lloyd Investment Management, progressing from Investment Analyst to Senior Investment Operations Analyst. He holds a certificate in Investment Management from the CFA Institute and a 1st Class BSc in Finance from Coventry University.

Ben Carless joined Mercia in 2021 as Financial Controller of Mercia Fund Management Limited and the three Northern Venture Capital Trusts. He previously held Financial Controller and finance roles at Hall Bros Estate Management, Redevco UK, Chelsfield plc, and PwC. He holds a BA in Economics from Leeds University and is a Chartered Accountant.

Brigid Sutcliffe is a chartered accountant with an MBA who joined the Board of Northern Venture Trust PLC in April 2024 and became Chair of its Audit Committee in July 2024. Over the past two decades she has served as a non-executive director across public, private and third-sector organisations, with experience chairing audit committees. Her earlier executive career spanned professional services, investment banking, and strategic change management consulting.

Caroline Simpkin joined Mercia in 2013 as an Assistant Accountant in the Preston office and handles accounting tasks across the firm's managed funds, including sales, purchase and nominal ledger reconciliations, bank transfers for the Mercia EIS Funds, and administration of the debt funds such as loan repayment schedules for NPIF and EV SME Loans. She previously worked in the aerospace manufacturing industry managing ledgers, payroll and month-end procedures, and is AAT qualified.

Ceri Bailey joined Mercia in 2015 as Group Financial Controller and moved to her current role in 2021, working within the Fund Coordination function and collaborating with Mercia's Managing Directors, Fund Principals, and the Operations and Investment teams on working practices, system improvements, and process standardisation. She is a PwC-trained chartered accountant with over 20 years of experience in operational audit, finance manager, and financial controller roles, primarily at listed software and manufacturing businesses. She holds a joint honours degree in French and Management Science from Keele University.

Charlie Smith joined Mercia in 2024 as a Fund Coordinator based at the Henley-in-Arden office, and works within the NPIF Equity funds. He supports the investment team with deal preparation and completion, record maintenance, and the production of internal and external reports. He previously earned a Business degree from Nottingham Trent University and worked at Notts County Football Club as a commercial executive and then a hospitality executive.

Chris Fleetwood is managing partner of io solutions, an e-business strategy advisory firm, and a governor of Teesside University. He previously served as chairman of Darlington Building Society, group chief executive of Whessoe plc, and a non-executive director of NCFE Limited. He was appointed to the Northern 3 VCT PLC board in 2001.

Claire Evans joined Mercia in July 2025 to lead its compliance monitoring function, ensuring the firm meets its regulatory, legal, and internal policy obligations. She began her career in automotive sales before moving into automotive compliance, working with the Risk & Compliance Director of a car-finance brokerage on regulatory processes and Consumer Duty. At Mercia she oversees compliance monitoring across the group and the SM&CR regime.

Clare Houghton is a Business Development Manager at Mercia, where she supports financial advisers looking to offer tax-efficient investments to their clients. She previously worked as an Independent Financial Adviser at HSBC and later Lighthouse Group, and has more recent experience in business development within the EIS space.

Connor Murphy joined Mercia in September 2024 with a background in accounting and investment consulting. He holds a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance and started his career as an Audit Associate at Grant Thornton. He later worked for two years as an Associate Investment Consultant, advising pension schemes on investment strategies and supporting trustees with regulatory guidance.