Jonathan Diggines Email & Phone Number

Thirty five years raising and investing venture capital, private equity and SME finance. MD of Murray Johnstone Private Equity. PE assets under management grew from £70m to £500m (limited partnerships, an investment trust and VCTs). Four further years as MD after Murray Johnstone was acquired by Aberdeen Asset Management PLC. Left in 2004. In 2005, became CEO and largest shareholder in Enterprise Ventures, a successful fast growth regional fund manager providing capital for SMEs (equity and debt for start ups, early stage, private equity, development capital deals, buy ins and buy outs). Enterprise Ventures grew funds under management from less than £20m in 2005 to more than £200m in 2016. Enterprise Ventures invested £110m in UK regional SMEs between 2012 and 2016 (www.evgroup.uk.com) managing funds for public sector and private institutions creating a significant number of successful AIM listed businesses, including one unicorn. Enterprise Ventures was acquired by Mercia Technologies PLC (now Mercia Asset Management PLC) in March 2016. From March 2016 to March 2018 director of Mercia Technologies PLC : Executive Director - Funds. Mercia Asset Management PLC assets under management have grown to more than £900m.Long term, highly varied experience as a non executive director in more than fifty companies - unlisted, also AIM and full list - some early stage, venture-backed, others private equity- backed mature businesses.Pro bono, in the voluntary sector:Four years as Chair of Responsible Finance (2011-15) (previously the CDFA - the Community Development Finance Association) (www.responsiblefinance.org.uk)Twenty years as a School Governor (1996 - 2016) and eight years as Treasurer (finishing in 2016) at the Manchester Grammar School, a charity, the largest independent boys' school in the UK (www.mgs.org)Five years as Governor and Treasurer (to 2016) at New islington Free School, the first new primary school in Central Manchester in over 100 years (www.newislingtonschool.com)

Listed skills include Venture Capital, Business Planning, Business Strategy, Private Equity, and 18 others.