Investing in the UK’s Future: Towards an equitable equity finance market

The next event in our Ideas in Practice series

Register for this event

Although private equity and venture capital trends have been buoyant over the last decade, patterns of investment across the UK are varied.  Investment gaps exist for some types of firm - in particular, technically innovative and knowledge-intensive firms which, despite having high growth potential, are often unable to obtain capital and/or funding.  Some geographical areas are also left out in the cold – here in the north of England being a key example.    

What are the barriers faced by these entrepreneurs and firms when seeking investment?  If the market has failed to achieve parity in equity provision across sectors and UK regions, what sorts of interventions are needed to level the playing field and increase the flow of finance?  How have investor firms seen the landscape develop in recent years, and what further part might they play in balancing the market? 

Join our ‘Ideas in Practice’ twilight seminar to:

• Hear insights from the latest equity finance research by Professor Nick Wilson of Leeds University Business School, including a recent report that has influenced government policy changes for state intervention
• Gain an on-the-ground practitioner perspective from Endless, a key national investor firm headquartered in Leeds
• Take part in discussion about the current state and the future of UK equity finance

There is no charge to attend this event.

Event format

For further information, please contact Naomi Colhoun at research.lubs@leeds.ac.uk

About the speaker

Nick Wilson - Professor of Credit Management, Accounting and Finance Division and Director of the Credit Management Research Centre

Nick was appointed to the first Chair in Credit Management in 1993 at the WissenschaftsZentrum, Berlin, and established the Credit Management Research Group. In 1998, the Credit Management Research Centre moved to the University of Leeds, where it enjoyed continual commercial sponsorship for 15 years. Nick was Managing Director of the university spin-out company, CreditScorer, from 2001 until its sale in 2009.

Nick’s work, as well as being published in leading academic journals, has had considerable impact at the level of government policy and business practices.  Earlier work, with particular policy relevance, focussed on small firm financing; debt management in the corporate and government sector; corporate governance, board diversity and corporate performance; corporate and personal insolvency; credit scoring and credit risk modelling. His work on estimating the size of the Equity Gap in the UK was used by HM Treasury in 2016 as an input into policy amendments to the Enterprise Investment Scheme and provided as evidence to the European Commission in support of the case for intervention. His work on entrepreneurial and growth finance (Venture Capital and Private Equity) has informed government policy and practitioners. His recent research has been used as evidence to inform regional investment policy in the North.

Kerry Battiscombe – Head of Due Diligence, Endless

As Head of Due Diligence, Kerry is responsible for Endless’ due diligence requirements on prospective investments and within the existing portfolio. Having joined Endless in 2010, she previously worked at KPMG within audit, transaction services and consultancy where she completed an MBA with Manchester Business School.

Hosts 

Paul Mann, Partner, Squire Patton Boggs

Paul is a partner in Squire Patton Boggs’ Corporate team based in the Leeds office and heads our Private Equity team in the UK. Paul trained with the firm, qualifying in 2005 and being appointed as a partner in 2013. 

Paul’s expertise covers all types of corporate work, in particular private equity and mainstream mergers and acquisitions (both locally and internationally). On the corporate side, Paul’s clients range from owner managers to PLCs, and on the private equity side, Paul covers all aspects of such transactions, ranging from advising management teams and/or the shareholders to advising the private equity house and/or the company.  Paul’s style is “client first” in all aspects, and he displays huge commitment and drive to deliver for his clients.

Throughout his career, Paul has been fortunate enough to receive certain awards. He was named “Rising Star” at the Yorkshire Lawyer Awards in 2009 and was further recognised in both 2013 and 2015 as the Emerging Dealmaker at the Insider Yorkshire Dealmaker Awards.

Professor Mark Stuart, Pro-Dean for Research and Innovation, Leeds University Business School

Mark’s research interests focus on the dynamics of organisational restructuring and skill formation, trade union strategy and change and the modernisation of employment relations. His work has been funded by the European Commission, European Parliament, Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BERR/ DTI), the Economic and Social Research Council, International Labour Office, CIPD, ACAS, Low Pay Commission, TUC and numerous trade unions.

Mark has published more than 65 journal articles and book chapters, some 60 reports, monographs and miscellaneous articles and presented papers at conferences and workshops in over 20 countries.  He is currently an editorial board member of the International Journal of Training Research, Labour and Industry and the Human Resource Management Journal, and was an editorial board member of Work, Employment and Society (2004-2007).

Mark is an associate member of the ESRC Centre for Skills, Knowledge and Organisational Performance (SKOPE at Oxford University) and has spent periods as a visiting researcher in the USA, Australia, France and Sweden.