Marion Bernard has joined the executive team of Northern Gritstone as chief investment officer, further filling out the investment company’s C-suite.
Northern Gritstone, the UK-based investment company set up to back spinouts from the universities of Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield, has appointed Marion Bernard as chief investment officer.
Bernard joins from investment management firm Firmament Group, where she had been principal – UK managing director since October 2017. Prior to this, she spent six years at the British Growth Fund.
She was instrumental in founding venture capital firm Northstar Ventures, leading it as chief executive from 2005 to 2011. Northstar now manages another university venture fund, the Northern Accelerator Seed Investment Fund, on behalf of the universities of Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria and Sunderland.
At Northern Gritstone, Bernard will be responsible for day-to-day activities of the investment team and sourcing opportunities. The company is looking to raise £500m and is anticipating the first close this quarter.
Bernard joins chief executive Duncan Johnson, chief operating officer Russell Schofield-Bezer and chairman Jim O’Neill, as well as non-executive directors Alex Macpherson and Andrew Graham, all of which were appointed last summer.
Bernard said: “It is a privilege to become part of the Northern Gritstone team at this important stage of its impressive journey. The values of the business along with its ability to deliver top-quartile returns for shareholders match fully with my own aspirations and values.
“Having spent more than 25 years focused on SME and technology investing, it is fantastic that I can bring this experience now to bear with Duncan and the Northern Gritstone team, to support and grow its unique proposition.”
Learn more about Northern Gritstone in our feature article, published in April 2021.
– Image courtesy of LinkedIn
