The BVCA Council is charged with the responsibility for the oversight of the strategy and management of the affairs of the BVCA. The Council is comprised of representatives of Members and Associate Members of the BVCA from a cross section of the industry, including investors and advisers. The Council’s core remit is defined by the principle objectives below.
The membership of the Council and three Council committees can be found below. The terms of reference for our Council, Committees and Advisory Groups are included in the BVCA Governance Handbook. The Handbook provides directors, members and employees of the BVCA with a summary of our governance structure and supplements the Articles of Association.
Principal objectives
1. To promote to investors the case for investing in UK private equity and venture capital
The BVCA will continue the debate with and provide education to fund providers such as pension funds and insurers. We will continue to work with the NAPF, ABI and others to demonstrate the superior returns from private equity and venture capital and thus the case for higher allocations. We are constantly reviewing our annual statistics and ways to improve further their coverage.
2. To influence public policy
We continue to press the Government at every level to encourage the entrepreneurial culture on which our industry depends. We regard the continued success of the All Party Private Equity Group as evidence of the excellent progress we are making towards recognition of our industry as a key contributor to the UK economy. We will extend our efforts into Europe to ensure the voice of UK private equity is heard when decisions are taken which impact on our industry.
3. To raise further the awareness of the economic benefits of private equity and venture capital
Our survey of the Economic Impact of Private Equity clearly demonstrates the economic benefits, including enhanced productivity, that private equity disciplines bring across the whole range of opportunities our industry backs. We will continue to research the economic impact of private equity and venture capital on the UK economy and disseminate that research to key opinion formers.
4. To influence and work with regulatory and professional bodies and lawmakers to create an appropriate framework for the private equity and venture capital industry
The BVCA has, through its Regulatory Committee, worked extensively with the FSA/FCA through numerous consultation papers and discussions. We have made and continue to make representations on a number of issues both with the FSA/FCA and with the EC which is becoming an increasingly important area.
5. To provide services relevant to our members and to communicate effectively with them
The BVCA has always regarded its membership as being the firms operating within the industry. The regulatory environment is focusing much more on individuals rather than firms, as is training and competence and, possibly in the future, continuing professional development. We are working to improve our communication with firms but also with the individual practitioners and professionals. We have expanded our database extensively and are using enhanced technology to improve our communications.
6. To promote diversity within our industry and support firms to build inclusive environments in which everyone can thrive.
The BVCA promotes the participation of people from all socioeconomic backgrounds and of all ethnicities, genders and sexual orientation in the venture capital and private equity industry. This includes representation in investment and senior roles. Learn more here.
Matthew Sabben-Clare
Matthew Sabben-Clare is a Senior Advisor to Cinven. Previously, Matthew was Head of Cinven’s Capital Markets team and Chief Administrative Officer.
He was previously at Merrill Lynch in Leveraged Finance. Prior to this he worked in the Financing & Structured Products Division at J. Henry Schroder & Co. He graduated from Cambridge University and is AMCT-qualified.
Garry Wilson
Garry Wilson, is Group Managing Partner for both Endless and Enact, splits his time across our offices and spends most of his time keeping our investors up to date, sourcing new opportunities, chairing our investment committee and conducting reviews of our portfolio businesses.
Alongside that he sits on the Council of the BVCA (British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association) having Chaired the organisation from April 2023 to March 2024. He sits on the Boards of the Leeds Children’s Hospital Fund and the Integrated Education Foundation for Northern Ireland. In his spare time he is a keen golfer, Leeds United season ticket holder and Ireland Rugby fanatic.
Michael Moore
Michael Moore is Chief Executive of the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association.
Michael and his colleagues are focused on supporting the development of the private capital industry, as it invests in thousands of businesses and supports millions of jobs across the UK. As policymakers work on the competitiveness of the UK’s investment climate, Michael is confident that private equity and venture capital will continue to create significant public value through investment in growth, innovation and people.
Over the past 30 years Michael has operated at senior levels in both politics and business. In his political career he served in the Cabinet at the time of the Coalition Government, as Secretary of State for Scotland. He was a Member of Parliament for 18 years.
After the 2015 General Election, Michael became a Senior Advisor at PwC. Prior to entering politics, he qualified as a chartered accountant with the firm.
Amy Mahon
Based in London, Amy Mahon is Co-Head of the Firm’s Energy and Infrastructure Practice and advises a range of clients through all stages of the investment cycle within the energy and infrastructure industry. She counsels infrastructure funds and corporate clients on a wide range of complex domestic and cross border mergers and acquisitions, joint venture and consortium transactions and restructurings across the infrastructure sector. She was recently honored in Euromoney’s Women in Business Law Europe Awards 2021 as “Private Equity Lawyer of the Year,” as well as named to The Lawyer’s “Hot 100” list and honored as part of Legal Week’s “Women, Influence & Power in Law U.K.” awards. She was also recognized amongst the IFLR1000 Women Leaders 2021 and 2022.
Andrew Williamson
Andrew Williamson is Managing Partner of CIC and focuses on technology investments.
Andrew spent ten years in venture capital at Physic Ventures in San Francisco and True North Venture Partners in Chicago. Prior to that he was on a more academic career path leading research in clean technology applications in the USA. Andrew has a PhD in Physics from the University of Cambridge and an MBA from the University of California, Berkeley. He manages investments in Pragmatic, NStream and Riverlane.
Charlie Troup
Charlie joined Duke Street in 2006. He is chairman of the investment committee and has worked on a number of our recent deals including the acquisition and realisation of SandpiperCI, Payzone, Laurel Funerals, Baywater Healthcare, Voyage Care and MediGlobe plus the acquisition of TeamSport, Arosa, Kent Pharmaceuticals and COMPO. He joined us from Permira where he’d worked since 1995, becoming a partner in 2001. While there he worked on a range of transactions including TGE, Memec, Inmarsat and the AA. Before Permira, Charlie spent two years with Montagu Private Equity on secondment from Deloitte Corporate Finance where he was a senior manager in the private equity team.
Charlie has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College, London, and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.
Charlie was the Chair of the Council for the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) during 2022/2023. The BVCA has nearly 800 members and represents the interests of the industry across the UK.
Jayne Mould
Jayne Mould is the BVCA's Chief Operating Officer and Head of Finance. Jayne qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PwC where she worked in the audit, transaction services and structuring departments. Prior to joining the BVCA, Jayne was an Investment Manager at a LSE listed self-managed investment trust. She has also worked for an international media company where she was responsible for the assessment of investment opportunities and the on-going portfolio management held by the group. Jayne holds a B.A. (Hons) in Medieval and Modern History.
Chris Barnes
Chris Barnes is Partner & Chief Operating Officer at Atomico. Based in London, he works across all aspects of Atomico’s operations. He oversees fund management, investor relations, finance, legal and IT. He served on the board of LendInvest until the company’s successful IPO in 2021.
Joana Rocha Scaff
Joana Rocha Scaff is a Managing Director of Neuberger Berman, Head of Europe Private Equity and a member of the Private Investment Portfolios, Co-Investment, and Secondary Investment Committees. She is also a member of Neuberger Berman’s ESG Advisory Committee. Ms. Rocha Scaff has over 20 years of experience in financial markets, the majority of which in private equity investing and prior to that in investment banking. She has been with the firm since 2005. Prior to NB Private Equity, Ms. Rocha Scaff worked in the investment banking division of Lehman Brothers, and prior to that at Citigroup Global Markets and BES Investment Bank. She advised on corporate transactions including M&A, financial restructurings and public equity and debt offerings in the United States, Europe and Brazil. Ms. Rocha Scaff received her M.B.A. from Columbia Business School and her B.A. in Business Management and Administration from the Universidade Catolica of Lisbon. Ms. Rocha Scaff is a member of the BVCA – British Private Equity Association Council and a member of the Limited Partner Advisory Committee of multiple European private equity funds.
Johanna Barr
Johanna Barr joined Advent in 2007. She leads Advent's Limited Partner Services Group and is primarily focused on fundraising and investor relations activities in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Johanna is a member of Advent's global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and is currently a director of the BVCA Council having chaired the BVCA's Investor Relations Advisory Group between 2018 and 2023. Prior to Advent, Johanna worked for four years in the M&A and Corporate Broking departments of Deutsche Bank, both in the London and Frankfurt offices. There she advised clients across a range of sectors on a number of transactions including international public and private mergers and acquisitions, flotations and secondary equity offerings.
Johanna has a BSc (First Class Hons) in Business Administration from the University of Bath, School of Management and as part of her degree spent a semester at the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia.
Philip Newborough
Philip co-founded Bridges in 2002 alongside Michele Giddens and Sir Ronald Cohen.
He was CEO of the business from 2002 to 2024, overseeing Bridges’ investment activity across all its strategies and geographies, and personally led Bridges’ successful investments in The Gym Group, The Office Group, The Hoxton, Simply Switch and Viva Gym, among others.
In his new role as Executive Chair, Philip will continue to be involved in Bridges’ Investment Committees, while also providing strategic advice to Michele and the partners, as well as mentoring and supporting more junior members of the Bridges team.
Philip is also a regular speaker about investing for impact and the value of purpose in business.
Prior to Bridges, Philip managed two venture capital-backed businesses and a substantial pan-European business. He previously worked at Aiwa as Director and General Manager and was then appointed Managing Director of MWB Business Exchange Ltd, a serviced office provider.
Philip has a BA Honours in Economics from York University and is a qualified chartered accountant.
Richard Swann
Richard is a Partner at Inflexion and Chairs Inflexion’s Investment Committee, Executive Committee and Responsible Investing Committee. He is also a member of the Realisation Committee.
Richard joined Inflexion in 2008 and has since been involved in many of Inflexion’s current and previous investments.
Outside of Inflexion, Richard is passionate about the role education plays in society, and is a member of the Council of the University of Birmingham. Richard also sits on the Board of The British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association.
Richard has a degree in Biochemistry from the University of Birmingham and an MBA from the University of Warwick, and was previously a partner with Deloitte and its predecessor firm Arthur Andersen.
BVCA Annual Review 2023-24: Partners for Growth
Our Annual Review reflects on the past membership year, capturing the issues the BVCA has addressed on behalf of the industry, which are complex and wide-ranging, along with how the BVCA supported the industry via events, training and other activities.