Northern Tech Awards 2026

The partner of choice for exceptional founders & entrepreneurs

Founded by an entrepreneur twenty years ago, Oakley Capital is the partner of choice for exceptional founders across the UK and Europe. We invest in private businesses — co-control or control — with the flexibility to deploy equity cheques of £20m to £500m+, across Technology, Business Services, Digital Consumer, and Education.

From international expansion to building world-class teams or shifting to recurring revenue models, we can provide you with bespoke, hands-on support to accelerate the growth of your business.

With offices in London, Munich, Milan, Madrid, and Luxembourg, we offer you deep local expertise with a global mindset. Many of our entrepreneurs go on to become investors in our funds — a true testament to the partnerships we build.

Entrepreneur, Investor, Creator

Graeme brings over 25 years of experience in video game development, leading teams and studios to bring together the disciplines of production, operations, and business development. Throughout his career, he has overseen the development of globally recognized titles, including FIFA, The Simpsons, and Formula 1.

As Managing Director and co-founder of Firesprite, he scaled the studio from a startup to over 300 employees, making it the largest independent development studio in Merseyside before being acquired by Sony PlayStation in 2021. Under his leadership, Firesprite was recognized in consecutive years at the NTA’s and featured in The Sunday Times Tech Track 100 as one of the UK’s fastest-growing tech companies.

Graeme is passionate about fostering future talent and driving technical innovation. He actively mentors emerging creators, invests in new ventures, and is a recent member of Manchester Angels, alongside developing his own personal projects.

Partner, Inflexion

Humphrey is a Partner responsible for leading the origination and execution of investment opportunities across the technology sector and supporting these businesses to accelerate growth.

Prior to joining Inflexion in 2024, Humphrey was a Senior Partner and member of the Investment Committee at Graphite Capital, having joined in 2014 to establish and lead their TMT efforts. Whilst at Graphite, Humphrey led investments across the technology sector including Babble, Digital Space, Hanson Wade, Random42 and Ten10. Prior to this he was at Lyceum Capital and Ernst & Young, where he was a management consultant and qualified as a Chartered Accountant.

CEO, Unit M & Special Advisor to The Office of the President & Vice Chancellor,
University of Manchester
Chair, Greater Manchester Business Board

Lou began  her  career  working  for  WPP  before  founding  Manchester-based  digital  design  studio, magneticNorth  (mN).  In 2021, mN  merged  with  Fluxx,  creating  the  UK’s  leading  design  and innovation  consultancy,  Magnetic,  where  Lou  was  Chief  Creative  Officer  until  2023  when  the company was acquired by Newton Europe.

Lou spent 2 years as Director of ID Manchester / Sister, where she led the project’s foundational phase including delivery of the Strategic Masterplan and new brand identity.

In January 2024 Lou joined the University of Manchester as a Professor of Innovation and Special Advisor to the President and Vice-Chancellor and co-authored the University’s Regional Innovation Review. This resulted in the launch of the University’s new innovation unit, Unit M and Lou stepped into the role of Unit M CEO at the end of 2024 to lead the team and its mission to help drive innovation-led growth for the region and the UK.

Lou also acts as an advisor to a number of other place based innovation projects and tech start-up / scale-up companies across the UK.

Alongside the day jobs, she is Chair of Greater Manchester’s Business Board (LEP) working in collaboration with Greater Manchester’ Mayor and Leaders to help drive the region’s economy.

Serial Entrepreneur

Serial entrepreneur, three-time founder and public board member. Presently Operating Partner at Exponent PE, Chair of GoCity and a NED at Flutter PLC. Formerly in Executive roles at Carlsberg Group until May 2021, where she was also Chief Digital Officer.

Manchester Angels

I’m a techpreneur, having co-founded two technology companies (with very different outcomes!). I’m now helping other local companies become successful through investment, advice and consultancy.

My main areas of interest are how technology can be used to help companies implement their strategies. Outside of work I have so many routines and hobbies I would sound like a self-help blog if I were to list them – but in brief, my happiest moments are almost always outside.

I’m also the Chairman of Manchester Angels investment group and am working with a fantastic group of people to make it and the North West the place to grow new tech companies.

Managing Director, HSBC Innovation Banking

Richard Faulkner is a managing director with HSBC Innovation Banking, where he is responsible for growth in the north of England and Scotland. Richard has more than 15 years of experience in technology banking, and he supports clients that include Matillion, Darktrace plc and Castore.

Richard is committed to supporting HSBC Innovation Banking’s growth in the vibrant innovation sector and entrepreneurs leading high-growth, disruptive technology businesses.

CEO, Apprentify Group

Jonathan Fitchew is a serial entrepreneur and angel investor with over 30 years of experience in the training and education sector. He is the founder and former CEO of Pareto Law, the UK’s largest sales training and recruitment company, which he grew from a start-up to a £30 million turnover business. He is also a founder shareholder of Venn Digital, a digital marketing agency, and Next Connex, a cloud hosting provider.

Currently, Jonathan is the group CEO of Apprentify Group, a leading training provider that offers apprenticeships and bootcamps in digital and sales skills. He joined the group in 2022 as executive chairman and became CEO in 2022.

He is passionate about supporting future talent and helping businesses grow through learning and development. He is also involved in various charitable causes, such as raising funds for cancer research and supporting local communities.

Partner, Squire Patton Boggs

James Fitzgibbon is a partner in the global corporate practice of Squire Patton Boggs based in the Manchester office. He specializes in all aspects of corporate acquisitions, disposals and joint venture arrangements, with particular expertise in private equity transactions. He advises a mixture of private equity investors, corporates, entrepreneurs and individuals on acquisitions, investments, disposals and strategic partnering arrangements across a range of sectors. James’ clients benefit from the significant experience he has developed through dealing with institutional investors from all sides of a transaction.

James is known for his straightforward, commercial approach to transactions and the huge commitment he displays to delivering for his clients.

Serial Investor

He is also a Non Executive Director of Ladbible Group plc and Flutter Entertainment plc, and an angel investor in a number of other start up and scale ups.

Richard was Chief Executive of Leeds based Sky Betting and Gaming from 2006 to 2018, during which time he grew the company from around 100 employees to over 1700. He led the company through its £800m spin out from Sky, and then on to its acquisition by The Stars Group for £3.4bn last year, before The Stars Group was in turn acquired by Flutter Entertainment plc.

Richard was Glassdoors Chief Executive of the Year for 2018. He holds an Engineering Degree from Oxford and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University.

CEO and Co-Founder, ForthStar

Paul is a leading Entrepreneur, CEO and investor in the video games and tech space. He has founded, led and sold four companies and has invested in many more.
Paul is currently, CEO of ForthStar, a video games developer and publisher he co-founded in 2023.
Prior to Forthstar, Paul co-founded Playdemic, a free-to-play mobile games developer and publisher. Playdemic has enjoyed significant global success with its leading franchises reaching over 200m players and generating over $1.2Bn of sales. Playdemic’s biggest hit, Golf Clash, remains one of the Top Grossing mobile games in the world.

Playdemic was acquired by Electronic Arts in June 2021 for $1.4Bn in cash.
Paul was briefly an investment banker before starting his first games company, BattleMail, in 1999. At its peak BattleMail had 1m active players, was pre-installed on 17m Mobile Phones. After the sale of BattleMail to (M)Forma, Paul went on to co-found Rockpool Games and over the next 5 years, with Paul as CEO, Rockpool grew to be one of Europe’s leading mobile game developers. Rockpool was acquired by Eidos/Square Enix in 2007.

Paul has also invested in a number of other games and technology businesses including Ironstone Partners (acquired by Eidos/Square Enix), Ideas Pad (acquired by Playdemic), Appatyze (acquired by Teddy Sagi’s private office), Revolut, Hardball Games, WithU, Nivo, Urban Zoo, LovedBy, Retro Games Ltd and Scene Group. Paul has a degree in Economics from Manchester University.

Co-founder, MPP Global

Paul is the co-founder of MPP Global and was CEO for 20 years until its acquisition by AIM-listed Aptitude Software in October 2021. MPP Global is the award-winning international provider of the cloud-based subscription management and billing SaaS platform, eSuite. Paul led the business from cradle to sale; including its angel funding and bootstrapped early growth phase, various strategy pivots, a series B fundraise and international expansion before its recent trade sale.

At exit, MPP Global had grown to over 100 employees plus offshore development teams and £9m ARR. As CEO, Paul became an all-rounder with an entrepreneurial spirit and a strong background in all areas of growing an international software company, including finance and metrics, sales, marketing, product and software engineering. Paul continues to work with passionate and entrepreneurial founders of exciting and high growth SaaS, Software and Fintech companies.

Board Member, Scottish Enterprise and Chair & Co-Founder, Microplate Dx Ltd

Dr. Poonam Malik is a distinguished entrepreneurial business strategist, Life Sciences leader, and an investor in innovation, with extensive expertise in biotech, MedTech, health, and digital transformation. She is the Chairperson and Co-founder of Microplate Dx Ltd, a MedTech Scaling company tackling the global challenge of Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR). With over 30 years of experience, Dr. Malik holds impactful roles on many national boards in Scotland, including Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland, advising on economic growth, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and skills/talent development. She is Vice President, Business (Economy and Enterprise)- Elect, for the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scotland’s National Academy. She was appointed Co-Chair of Scotland’s New Deal for Business Group (NDBG), Co-sharing the role with Deputy First Minister & Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Ms Kate Forbes, MSP, working with business leaders and organisations to deepen collaboration between the private sector, businesses and government.

As former Head of Investments at the University of Strathclyde, Dr. Malik led Venture investments into Spinouts, Spinins & startup companies, returning significant profits via exits and management responsibility for a significant portfolio of companies. She is passionate about supporting diverse founders, mentors business leaders, and has received several honours, including ‘Business Woman of the Year 2023’ and ‘Asian Tech Pioneer 2024’ for her contributions to the Business & technology sectors.”

Dr Malik was recently appointed Co-Chair, by Scottish Government, to lead on First Minister’s ‘New Deal for Business Group (NDBG)’ representing business and industry- co-sharing the role with the ScotGov, Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy.

Poonam is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) and the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB). She sits on many National Committees, advises policymakers and is recipient of several awards. She holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences/Virology from the University of Glasgow, UK, an MBA (with Distinction) in ‘Strategy and Leadership’ from the University of Edinburgh Business School, a Masters (MSc) degree in Biotechnology and a Bachelors (BSc) in Chemistry & Zoology from India.

Portfolio Director, Regional Head – North of England, Cazenove Capital

With over 30 years of experience in financial services, Simon has been helping high-net-worth and ultra-high net-worth families to achieve their long-term financial objectives for many years. He continues to do so in his current role as Portfolio Director at Cazenove Capital, and Heads up the offices across the Northern regions.

He joined Cazenove Capital from UBS where he was the Regional Head for North West of England. Before that Simon spent most of his working life at Lloyds Banking Group in a range of wealth management roles. He is a member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investments (CISI).

Founder, BigChange

Born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, Martin Port has always been driven by innovation. From starting a printing business as a teenager to breaking into the fast-paced technology sector, his journey is one of resilience and determination. He has created four successful businesses, despite challenges like dyslexia and hearing loss.

He transitioned into technology in 1998, after spending a decade building a speciality bakery business in New York and then Leeds. He founded Masternaut aged 40, pioneering web-based vehicle tracking solutions in the UK. Under his leadership in the UK, Masternaut became Europe’s largest fleet management service, culminating in a £60m sale in 2011.

In 2013, he launched BigChange, a mobile workforce management software platform that transformed how businesses manage their field operations. Over the following eight years, BigChange became one of Yorkshire’s leading employers and was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

In 2021, Boston-based Great Hill Partners invested £75m in BigChange, valuing the company at £100m. In 2024, its enterprise value jumped to more than £300m when it was acquired by global leader Simpro Group.

Recognising the challenges homeowners face with unreliable tradespeople and opaque pricing, Martin founded his fourth venture in 2024. His Leeds-based start-up, Build Concierge, is disrupting the home services industry by providing 24/7 support, from emergency repairs to large-scale renovations.

Build Concierge brings together top-tier trade expertise and cutting-edge technology to offer homeowners seamless project management, transparent pricing, and an unmatched customer experience.

Martin is a great believer in giving back to the entrepreneurial ecosystem and actively supports fast-growth companies as an angel investor. His investments include: Handshaik, Rated People, Panintelligence, Electron Green, and StoriBoard. He is also a committed philanthropist, supporting local communities and charities through registered charity, the Amanda and Martin Port Foundation.

Ex-CEO & Co-Founder, Musiio
Current VP, Music Intelligence, SoundCloud

With 15 years experience in the industry, Hazel is a music-tech lifer, guitarist and former CEO/Co-Founder at Musiio. She started her music-tech journey as an early employee at Shazam and spent time understanding the pain points of the industry at Pandora, Universal and HMV before launching Musiio in 2018 and then selling the business to SoundCloud in 2022.

Hazel travels globally speaking at conferences and talking to catalogue owners about the value of artificial intelligence integration and digital transformation in the music industry. As a female founder in the heavily male-dominated industries of music and tech, Hazel seeks to offer insights with interesting and humorous anecdotes, as well as easy-to-follow explanations and use cases of artificial intelligence technology.

Executive Director, Turing Innovation Catalyst

Liz is a long time tech ecosystem supporter, advisor and advocate. She has supported businesses large and small, nationally and internationally to grow, innovate and evolve for over 20 years. As Executive Director at the newly established Turing Innovation Catalyst Manchester (TIC), Liz is focused on building a new not for profit that will catalyse an AI ecosystem across Greater Manchester, and will use AI to grow careers, businesses and the city economy. Over the next 2 years TIC will be delivering AI accelerators, Venture Builders, Skills programmes as well as a whole host of events and activities to drive the AI ecosystem forward.

Prior to TIC Liz was part of the Executive Board at Tech Nation, responsible for supporting a National Community of 4500+ scaleups; delivery of international programmes; the Global Tech Talent Visa programme; all non-grant revenue; and strategic partnerships. In her Non-Exec Director and Advisory board roles Liz works with a number of tech sector focused organisations.

Partner, Oakley Capital

Jan joined Oakley in 2022 and has over 30 years of experience helping businesses develop and execute impactful HR strategies. At Oakley, Jan is responsible for helping our portfolio companies create future-ready organisations focussing on Organisation Design, Talent Strategies, and Team Performance. Jan advises management teams on how to attract and retain the best human talent, and build strong systems and cultures.

Prior to joining Oakley, Jan was a Director at a consumer-focused investor private equity firm for over a decade. Before that, she held a series of senior, international HR roles at PepsiCo and IBM.Jan has a BA in Theology and an MBA in Business Administration.

Head of Innovation and Growth, Bruntwood SciTech

Katherine is dedicated to supporting the growth of digital and tech startups, scale-ups, and established SMEs. She achieves this by delivering a programme of activities, including working with Bruntwood SciTech’s partners to facilitate conversations, introductions, and networking across tech ecosystems regionally (particularly in Leeds), sectorally, and nationally.

Director, Squire Patton Boggs

Andrew Slucky is a Partner in the firm’s Corporate Practice. Andrew’s practice is split between advising mid-market private equity (PE) sponsors, corporates and founders/management on private M&A and shareholder arrangements.

Vice President, GP Bullhound

Joe is a Vice President at GP Bullhound. Post joining in 2022, he has worked on a range of buy-side and sell-side transactions, whilst actively working in the Northern tech ecosystem to help earlier stage start-ups and entrepreneurs.
Joe is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales, having previously worked at BDO LLP & Mazars LLP in both audit and corporate finance practices, respectively.

Vice President, GP Bullhound

Evgeny is a Vice President at GP Bullhound. Over the span of his tenure, Evgeny successfully executed global M&A and Fundraising transactions valued at over £1bn.
Prior to joining GP Bullhound, Evgeny was a successful entrepreneur in retail & hospitality sectors.
Evgeny holds an MSc in Analytics and Decision Sciences from the University of Leeds.