Meet the Investors: Newcastle

Chris McCourt

Investor, Mercia Ventures

Chris McCourt is an Investor based on Mercia Ventures Newcastle office, where he leads on early-stage and technology investments across Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear. Since joining the Merica Group in 2023, Chris has been instrumental in supporting ambitious founders and SMEs as they navigate the challenges of raising pre-seed and seed investment, particularly in the North East, where access to early-stage capital can be a significant hurdle.

A Chartered Accountant with over 20 years’ experience in M&A, Chris has worked closely with shareholders and directors to help them plan; whether that’s raising finance for growth, acquiring or selling businesses, or supporting management buyouts. Chris brings a wealth of practical insight to founders preparing for fundraising, combining deep regional knowledge with a passion for helping innovative businesses succeed.

Rebecca Minchella

Maven Capital Partners

Rebecca joined Maven as an Investment Manager, as part of the North East regional investment team based in our Newcastle, Durham and Middlesborough offices. Her main responsibilities include deal origination and execution across the North East of England.

Prior to joining Maven, Rebecca worked in EY’s Private Capital Tax team, advising both individuals and businesses, working on a range of projects including residence and domicile planning, business structuring, succession planning and implementing family investment and trust structures. She also worked with clients in the wealth and asset management space, including hedge funds and private equity funds on a range of projects. Rebecca is a charted tax advisor (ATT/CTA qualified).

Louis Taylor

CEO, British Business Bank

Louis Taylor is CEO of the British Business Bank. Prior to that, he was Chief Executive of UK Export Finance (UKEF), the UK’s export credit agency, for seven years. He also held roles as a Director General in the Department for International Trade, and a member of its Executive Committee and Management Board.

Before joining UKEF, Louis held a range of senior roles at Standard Chartered Bank, including from 2013 to 2015 as Chief Operating Officer of Group Treasury, based in London. Before that, he spent three years as the bank’s CEO for Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, based in Ho Chi Minh City. During this time he was also Vice Chairman of the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (Eurocham). He joined Standard Chartered in London in 2004, working in Group Corporate Development, which undertakes the bank’s acquisitions, divestments and other inorganic growth initiatives.

His earlier career included eight years working for JP Morgan in debt capital markets and mergers and acquisitions, and five years in corporate development and strategy with two industrial companies, Cookson Group plc and BTR plc.

Louis is a trustee of the charity Sightsavers, which prevents sight loss and avoidable blindness, and promotes equal rights for the disabled. He is also a former chair of trustees of the charity Music in Prisons, which runs music education projects to help rehabilitate offenders, and a former chair of governors of the Royal Grammar School in Newcastle upon Tyne. He has an MA in Law from the University of Cambridge. 

In the King's New Year Honours List 2025, Louis has been awarded a CBE for services to Business and Trade.