C-Capture

A former CEO of chip-making giant Arm and luxury car brand Rolls-Royce has joined Leeds tech firm C-Capture. Warren East CBE is the new chair of the board at C-Capture, which aims to develop the world’s most energy-efficient carbon capture process. CEO Tom White said: “His wealth of experience in commercialising novel technologies along with his commitment to the energy transition is a true asset to the company at a critical period in our growth.”

UrbanChain

EnviroTech 50 company UrbanChain has named Clive Barton as group finance director as it continues to scale. The Manchester-based startup is the UK’s leading provider of peer-to-peer exchange services and is targeting £22m turnover over the next 12 months. UrbanChain CEO, Somayeh Taheri, said: “Clive’s career speaks for itself and his appointment represents another landmark in UrbanChain’s journey since entering the energy market in 2017.”

Cabinet Office

Simon Binns has started a new role as head of content development at the Cabinet Office for GOV.UK. The new position couldn’t be a bigger contrast for the experienced journalist who has spent the last five-and-a-half years at LADbible Group.

Crowdfunder

Crowdfunding platform Crowdfunder has appointed Dawn Bébe and Simon Deverell in joint chief executive officer roles. Their fellow co-founder Rob Love is to step down from his executive role but will continue to be a key shareholder.

Northcoders

Steven Oakes has been promoted to chief marketing officer at Manchester-headquartered tech training provider Northcoders and will join the strategic board. He joined Northcoders in September 2022 as director of marketing and has contributed to a 92 per cent increase in course applications over the past 12 months.

Connected Places

Erika Lewis will succeed Nicola Yates OBE as CEO of Connected Places Catapult in March. Connected Places Catapult, an innovation accelerator for cities, transport and place leadership, was established by Innovate UK. Lewis will join the Catapult from her role at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) where she is currently director, cyber security and digital identity.

Palatine

Private equity investor Palatine has revealed a raft of promotions across their teams. Among the changes Ed Fazakerley will take on the role of chief operating officer focusing on working with the teams across their fund strategies as the business continues to grow. Within the buyout investment team, Midlands-based Tom Hustler has been promoted to senior investment director, while London-based Matthew Coles has taken on the same role in the impact investment team. Also, Tom Ross-Jones has become head of portfolio in the value enhancement team. Birmingham-based Georgina Wendon-Smith has been promoted to portfolio director; Stephanie Wall is the senior sustainability director in the team and Nikhita Mistry has become the sustainability manager.

Beechbrook Capital

Beechbrook Capital, a leading lower-mid-market debt manager in the UK and Europe, has appointed Richard Smart as managing director with a mission to originate new SME investment activity.

AeroCloud

Stockport-based AeroCloud has appointed independent board member Travis Kimmel to support CEO George Richardson and the board following last year’s $12.6m Series A funding round in 2023.