What we’re about

As our Head of Ireland, Leo leads a team of Irish investors, who are responsible for identifying, investing and supporting Irish SMEs with a requirement for longer-term, patient capital to support their growth plans. Leo joined BGF from IBI Corporate Finance, where he was a director and board member. Leo has more than 20 years’ experience and knowledge of the Irish mid-market, helping Irish owner-managed and family businesses secure growth capital and unlock value.

Having joined BGF in 2012, Paddy is our Regional Investment Partner for Ireland, Scotland, South West England and Wales, and sits on our Investment Committee. Prior to BGF, Paddy was Investment Director at Sigma Capital Group, having begun his career in the Corporate Finance department at Deloitte, specialising in SMEs.

Graham oversees our investment portfolio across Ireland, Scotland, South West England and Wales. He’s worked closely with the boards of numerous investee companies, across a wide range of sectors, supporting growth strategies, fundraising initiatives and successful exits, to maximise value for all stakeholders. A Chartered Accountant, Graham began his career at KPMG, where he specialised in business restructuring and debt advisory.

With over a decade of private equity experience, Adam’s responsible for all aspects of the investment process at BGF, including deal sourcing, execution, and portfolio management. Throughout his career, he’s been involved in over 30 deals, previously holding roles at Waterland Private Equity, Melior Equity Partners, The Carlyle Group, and Lonsdale Capital Partners.

Based in our Dublin office, Aoife drives deal origination opportunities for BGF across the whole of the Irish market. Prior to joining, Aoife worked with KPMG’s deal advisory team, where she focused on managing and executing restructuring scenarios across a wide range of industries for small and medium-sized Irish businesses.

Chris leads on BGF investment activity in Northern Ireland. Based between our Belfast and Dublin offices, his role includes identifying and executing new investments across multiple sectors, working with investee companies post-investment, and supporting exit activity. To date, Chris has been involved in over a dozen transactions and exits at BGF.

Donagh joined our Dublin investment team through the BGF Graduate Programme, having received a first class honours in BSc. Finance from University College Cork (UCC). He supports the team across all areas of the investment process. Prior to BGF, Donagh held roles in equity and macro research for UCC’s student managed fund.

Based across our Dublin and Cork offices, Joe focuses on identifying and executing new deals. Prior to BGF, he spent several years in leveraged finance, corporate banking and restructuring at AIB, before working at MML Capital Partners and, more recently, as an investment director at BMS Finance, providing direct lending to Irish SMEs.

Having joined the team in 2021, Lauren has a strong track record of identifying and executing investments in ambitious Irish businesses. Prior to BGF, she spent over a decade working in corporate finance at KPMG. During this time, Lauren focused on (equity and debt) fundraising and M&A across Ireland, the UK and the US.

Based between Belfast and Dublin, Matt’s responsibilities include deal origination and execution, alongside working with portfolio management teams to deliver their growth plans. Prior to BGF, Matt worked at Gresham House Ventures, where he invested in and supported high-growth UK technology businesses.

Micheál leads BGF’s Origination function in Dublin. He brings nearly 20 years of experience in corporate lending, origination, and strategic deal-making across Ireland. Prior to BGF, Micheál held senior origination roles at Bank of Ireland and AIB, where he led teams focused on sourcing and executing growth-focused lending opportunities for businesses across multiple sectors.

At BGF, MJ sources and executes new Irish investments, supporting management teams on their growth journeys through to exit. Before this, he worked at KPMG in Dublin and, more recently, at finnCap Cavendish in London, where he was a senior associate in private M&A advisory (focused on the technology sector, alongside healthcare and financial services).

Richard leads BGF’s Growth investment team across all regions of the UK and Ireland, and is a member of our Investment Committee. Prior to joining BGF, Richard held roles at YFM Equity Partners, Octopus Private Equity and Sovereign Capital, investing in a number of owner managed businesses during this time.

Since joining BGF in 2016, Ben has played a central role in shaping our portfolio strategy and performance, working closely with investment teams across the UK and Ireland. As our CIO, he oversees investment activity and portfolio management across all areas of the business. He is also a member of our Board and Executive team, and sits on our Investment Committee. Prior to BGF, he was a Director at Caird Capital and also held roles at Lloyds, Bank of Scotland and HSBC.

Andy is CEO of BGF in the UK and Ireland. He is also a member of our Board and Chair of the BGF Foundation. Andy has 30+ years of experience across private equity, acquisition finance and corporate finance. Before BGF, he worked in the Manchester offices of Livingbridge, Royal Bank Development Capital and Bridgepoint, and as the finance director of a PE-backed software company.