People: Mercia expands with trio of hires; Inksmoor appoints corporate manager; and more

SME investor Mercia Fund Managers has expanded its investment teams in the Midlands with three appointments.

Dr Jo Slota-Newson and Stephen Windsor will be providing businesses in the region with investment from the MEIF Proof of Concept & Early Stage Fund, which is managed by Mercia and part of the Midlands Engine Investment Fund.

Slota-Newson, who joins as investment manager, previously managed UK operations for the Spanish investment platform Capital Cell.

Windsor, who joins as investment associate, has ten years’ experience in finance, having spent most of that time with Lloyds Bank where he provided acquisition finance for a wide range of deals. Most recently he worked for the government-backed Housing Growth Partnership, providing investment to small housebuilders to help expand the UK housing supply.

Meanwhile Dr Isabel Dodd has joined as investment associate, focusing on Mercia’s Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) funds.

Dodd is a life sciences professional with wide-ranging experience in drug development from early-stage research through to manufacture and clinical trials. She has spent over a decade working in academia, start-ups and large corporations including most recently, the Oxford University spin-out OMass Technologies.

Julian Dennard, fund principal for Mercia in the Midlands region, said: “Mercia is one of the most active investors in Midlands SMEs, having invested £13m in 22 companies in 2018. Isabel, Jo and Stephen bring a diverse range of skills and experience to help support our existing portfolio companies and identify other promising businesses seeking funding for growth.”

:::

Inksmoor Finance Group has promoted Louise Grant to corporate manager.

She will be reaching out to business introducers and brokers looking to help SMEs with funding, credit control and back office requirements, across the region.

Inksmoor said: “From an extensive accountancy based background, Louise has been working within Inksmoor as a client manager for some time and has invaluable experience in all of Inksmoor offerings giving her a unique insight into the current needs of the SME marketplace.”

:::

National pharmacy wholesaler Bestway Medhub has recruited national sales manager Emma Evanson to drive the business forward at pace in the UK.

She brings 15 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having previously worked in senior sales and management roles for Alliance Healthcare and Quantum Pharmaceuticals.

Most recently, Evanson worked as customer relationship manager for the specialist care division of Well Pharmacy, focused on medicine management in care homes.

At Stoke-on-Trent-based Bestway Medhub she is responsible for the developing the sales strategy to grow the short-line wholesale business, as well as the surgical services offering.

She said: “It is an extremely exciting time to join Bestway Medhub, as we are focused on significantly growing the wholesale market share, capitalising on the growth achieved last year, where sales increased by 50%.

“We’ve got some exciting new features launching soon to further enhance the customer experience, with our online ordering portal scheduled to go live this Spring. This will allow our customers more control over the ordering process, enabling them to order at any time convenient to them, with fast, next-day delivery.”