BGF appoints senior investor to Midlands team

BGF has continued to expand its Midlands team, with the appointment of Nick Holder as investor. This follows a successful start to 2021, which saw BGF invest £50 million in the region in the first six months of the year.

Nick joins BGF with more than 20 years’ transactional and private equity experience as both an advisor and investor. The qualified chartered accountant, who will be based in the Birmingham office, has significant expertise in leading investments in the technology, business services and consumer markets – working alongside entrepreneurs and business owners as they grow and scale their companies.

At BGF, Nick will be responsible for sourcing and leading investments, while building on his experience acting as a non-executive director on the board of several portfolio companies.

We’re delighted to welcome Nick to BGF, in what has been a strong start to 2021, in terms of new investments, follow-on funding for existing portfolio companies, and successful exits that have generated excellent returns.

Gurinder Sunner, Head of BGF in the Midlands

“The regional marketplace is perfectly positioned to capitalise on the opportunities that have developed over the last 18 months. Strengthening our team with experienced and talented individuals will allow us to continue to support ambitious Midlands businesses  eager to scale up and expand their presence both regionally and nationally.”

So far in 2021, BGF has provided growth capital for 12 businesses in the Midlands, with £28 million of the total invested supporting new investments and more than £22 million of follow-on funding for existing portfolio companies based across the region.

Nick commented: “BGF’s approach of delivering supportive partnerships through minority investments, combined with a long-term mindset, really resonates with my experience of what regional entrepreneurs are looking for from an investment partner.

“The commitment from BGF to help companies scale, without taking control, and to challenge them, without driving them too hard or too fast, are all consistent with the ambition to build back better post-Covid and match the tremendous opportunity this segment has to deliver prosperous growth for the UK economy.”

Nick’s appointment follows the arrival of Elena Kovalikhina as investor. She joined earlier this month from Rothschild & Co, where she worked as part of the M&A team dealing with sell-side and fundraising transactions in the consumer and technology sectors.