Investor Mercia has expanded its equity finance team in Yorkshire, Humber and the Tees Valley with four new appointments.
Alla Kokosha, Charlotte Scott, Natalie Norman and Tom Hammondare the latest to join the team, which is one of the most active of its type in the region and provides businesses with equity investment from the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF).
Kokosha, who is from Ukraine, joins as an Analyst in the Leeds office. She has over ten years’ experience in finance and investment, having worked for organisations in Kiev and the Middle East and most recently with a Ukrainian venture capital firm.
Scott, who joins as Investment Associate with a specific focus on the Humber ecosystem, previously spent six years working in early-stage business support and investment. She was a founding member of The New Monday, a network for people in creative industries.
Norman, who will be based in Leeds, has been appointed as a Portfolio Support Manager, having previously spent a substantial part of her 20-year career providing administrative and project management support to start-up and early stage businesses. Hammondare joins the team as a Fund Administrator, having gained four years’ experience in financial management, most recently with St James’s Place in Leeds.
Will Clark, MD of Mercia’s regional venture funds, said: “Our Yorkshire & Humber and Tees Valley equity team has invested almost £80m of NPIF funding since its inception five years ago and has helped to nurture a new generation of home-grown technology businesses. These new additions to the team will help us reach out to even more businesses as we continue to invest throughout this year and the next.”
Sean Hutchinson, Senior Investment Manager at British Business Bank, said: “The team at Mercia provide first-class advice and strategic know-how to the Northern economy and this wave of appointments solidifies its commitment to delivering important investment into Yorkshire & Humber and the Tees Valley. These new hires join a growing team, whose objective is to build a vibrant Northern economy and I look forward to seeing them working closely with local businesses that will help achieve this goal.”