David Quysner CBE (Chairman)

David has spent almost 40 years in the Venture Capital industry. He worked for 3i Group from 1969 until 1982. He then joined Abingworth, a venture capital fund management company, becoming its Managing Director in 1993 and Chairman in 2002. He has been involved in a wide range of investment activities in the UK, continental Europe and the USA and is a past Chairman of the British Venture Capital Association. He is currently Chairman of RCM Technology Trust plc (a technology Investment Trust) and a Director of several other companies.

Alison Loudon

After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with Grant Thornton, Alison helped found Aldus Europe Limited and as Finance and Commercial Director helped grow the company from start-up to a Group employing 300 people with turnover of £67 million. She has since held more than a dozen board appointments in various market sectors. She is currently Chairman of Simul8 Limited (advanced analytics), Consolidated Carriers Ltd (logistics supermarket solutions), Microstencil Limited (manufacturers of ultra-fine pitch stencils) and Caledonia Contracts Ltd (retail fit-out provider). She is also a Governor of Merchiston Castle School and sits on the Advisory Board for the University of Edinburgh Business School and was previously on the Board of the National Trust of Scotland and Entrepreneurial Exchange.

John McCrory

John's early career was spent at West Midlands CC, as Principal Economist and subsequently as Joint Head of Investment at West Midlands CC Pension Fund, one of the UK's largest. He then founded and was Managing Director of Westport Private Equity, one of the first European Fund of Funds managers. He launched the first ever European Private Equity Fund of Funds in 1991 and was subsequently involved in some 17 other such funds, including the UK High Technology Fund, which was raised in association with the DTI in 2000. He has been a core/ founder investor and member of advisory boards for several significant UK venture firms. As a member of the relevant BVCA Committee, he designed and implemented the annual BVCA Performance Measurement Study, which is now a cornerstone of the industry.

John Spence OBE

John has spent his career in retail banking. Senior appointments have included Head of Business Banking at Lloyds Bank, Managing Director of Business Banking at Lloyds TSB, Chief Executive of Lloyds TSB Scotland and most recently Director of Policy Co-ordination and Risk. He is currently Chair of the British Bankers Association Retail Committee and the only Financial services Representative on the OFT Consumer Education Strategy Panel. John is a non-executive Director of HM Revenue & Customs where he chairs the Audit Committee, Capital for Enterprise Ltd and Skipton Information Group. He chairs Harlow Renaissance Ltd. and is Deputy Chairman of Business in the Community.

Peter Shortt

Peter is an experienced venture capital fund manager and joined HM Governments Shareholder Executive from the Carbon Trust, where he led their investment activity operating in the low carbon and clean energy sectors. He has experience in the commercial exploitation of IP and in the creation of trading businesses within a public sector framework.

In the Shareholder Executive, Peter works on the boards of MOD Businesses (excluding QinetiQ), British Waterways and Covent Garden Market Authority.