Our investment team enjoys the benefit of independent commercial input through SEP’s advisory board, which comprises experienced former and current executives of many leading UK companies including Amazon, Cairn Energy, Sun Microsystems and Inveresk Research. Chaired by Crawford Beveridge and including Senior Adviser Brian McBride, the following contribute to informed debate on investment proposals, portfolio management and exit opportunities.
Wendy Alexander
Wendy Alexander is Associate Dean of Degree Programmes and Career Services at the London Business School where she is responsible for the strategic development, operational management and academic oversight of all Masters programmes in the UK and globally. Ms Alexander is a former politician and leader of Labour in the Scottish Parliament who served as Minister for Enterprise, a role which involved developing and implementing policies to support business growth. Before entering politics, Ms Alexander worked for international management consultancy Booz & Co. She holds an MBA from the INSEAD European Institute of Business Administration, as well as MAs in Industrial Relations from the University of Warwick, and in Economics and Modern History from the University of Glasgow. She has previously worked with SEP on a consultancy basis, with a specific focus on the energy sector.
Gordon Edge CBE
Gordon Edge is a long term scientific entrepreneur credited with a significant contribution to “The Cambridge Phenomenon”. He founded the Cambridge based technology and management consulting firm, Scientific Generics, in 1986. Edge became chairman of the group in January 2002, having previously been its chief executive. Edge also founded PA Technology in 1970, becoming a member of the PA Consulting Group International board in 1974. In 1961, Edge was one of the founder members of Cambridge Consultants, of which he was managing director from 1965 to 1970.
From 1994 to 2010 Edge was co-chairman of the Cambridge University MIT Institute. He is currently non-executive director of Odeon & UCI Cinema Holding Ltd, and Infinis Capital Ltd, where he is also chairman of the audit committee. He was a member of the Ericsson Science Council in Stockholm for seven years and a member of Margaret Thatcher’s scientific advisory group, ACOST, for five years. He is currently a visiting professor at City University (mathematical sciences) in London and at the University of Bath. He is a member of the academic advisory board in materials science at Cambridge University and a Fellow of the Swedish Royal Academy of Engineering Sciences.
Cameron McLatchie CBE
Cameron McLatchie is chairman of British Polythene Industries (BPI), the largest manufacturer of polythene film products in Europe. McLatchie founded part of the group, Anaplast, in 1975 which he then merged with a competitor to form BPI. As its chief executive, McLatchie oversaw BPI’s dramatic growth until 2003, when he became chairman. McLatchie graduated from the University of Glasgow in Law. He was awarded a Doctorate from the University of Paisley in 2000. Past appointments include non-executive director of The Royal Bank of Scotland, board member and deputy chairman of Scottish Enterprise and non-executive chairman of Hiscox Select.
Walter Nimmo
Following a background in medicine and medical research within the NHS and a number of universities, Walter Nimmo founded Inveresk Clinical Research in 1998 as an independent Scottish clinical contract research organisation. As a self funded start-up, Nimmo led Inveresk through a period of strong growth before merging it with, and subsequently re-purchasing it from, SGS. By 1999, Inveresk had revenues of £42 million and a staff of more than 600. In 2002, as chief executive, Nimmo listed Inveresk on NASDAQ with a valuation of $600 million. Two years later, he merged it with Charles River Laboratories, a transaction which valued Inveresk at $1.5 billion. Nimmo was non-executive vice chairman of Charles River Laboratories until 2005. He is on the board of directors at Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust and several private companies. He is an honorary professor at the University of Edinburgh Medical School. He was Scottish Entrepreneur of the Year 2002 and Edinburgh Alumnus of the Year 2003.
David Shaw
David Shaw is former chairman of the European private equity firm, Bridgepoint Capital. Shaw joined Bridgepoint in 1989, prior to which he worked for 15 years at 3i in both the UK and the US. His final position at 3i was as the director of the City Office in London where he was responsible for management buy-outs. Shaw graduated from Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh and is a Chartered Accountant. He is a non-executive director of a number of companies, including Virgin Active, where he is chairman, F&C Private Equity Trust and Molton Brown.
Malcolm Thoms
Malcolm Thoms is a former Chief Operating Officer of Cairn Energy PLC, one of Europe’s largest independent oil and gas exploration and production companies. Thoms joined Cairn in 1989 and held a number of senior management positions prior to his appointment as an executive director in 2000. He was also a non executive director of private equity funded Agora Oil & Gas AS until its acquisition by Cairn Energy PLC in 2012 and a non executive director of Revus AS until its acquisition by Wintershall, part of the BASF group, in 2008. Thoms started his career in the oil industry as a Field Engineer with Schlumberger and subsequently became manager of its business in Qatar and Brunei. He has an MBA from Heriot Watt University and a BSC (Honours) in Physics from The University of Edinburgh. He is a Trustee of The University of Edinburgh Development Trust.