Meet the Investors: Newcastle

Usman Ali

Partner - Venture Debt, Salica Investments

Usman Ali is a partner at Salica Investments pan-European venture debt fund.

With over 13 years of experience and an impressive track record of investing more than £100m in 30+ growth stage technology companies across the UK and Europe, Usman brings unparalleled expertise to the table. His recent investments include innovative companies like Shift, Apperio, Administrate, Virtualstock and FullCircl.

Lucy Armstrong

CEO, The Alchemists

Lucy has spent over thirty years working with mid-corporate businesses to accelerate their development and success by focusing on stakeholder and management development and succession. Her experience ranges from funding startup and early-stage manufacturing businesses in the North East through mergers and disposals of international operation. The organisations she is currently engaged with include Holker Estates, Mobeus VCT plc, and Cyberhawk Innovations. She has chaired the Port of Tyne since 2017 and is a member of the Maritime Skills Commission.

Her early career was in private equity, corporate development and headhunting with 3i plc, Courtaulds textiles and Tyzack. She is former chair of the National Enterprise Research Centre, focused on the study of growth in private and family businesses and Northumbria University. Lucy was educated at Oxford University and holds an MBA and an MSc in forensic psychology and criminology. She continues to chainsaw, scuba dive and ring church bells and works with Drinkaware, the alcohol education charity.

Kevin Beales

Founder, MySalesCoach

Kevin is the Founder at MySalesCoach, a tech-driven marketplace for expert sales coaching. MySalesCoach is his 3rd tech start-up after 2 previous exits. His previous ventures (The Test Factory and Refract) and MySalesCoach all raised investment in the North East and from angel investors.

Jason Druker

Chief Commercial Officer, SFC Capital

As Chief Commercial Officer of SFC Capital, Jason drives commercial growth and business development. He oversees sales strategy, marketing, investor relations, and portfolio management, focussing on value realisation, including fundraising, secondary sales and full exits. Before SFC, Jason held a corporate development role at Britvic PLC and founded his own M&A consultancy. He holds an MBA and is also a qualified corporate lawyer.

David Dunn

CEO, Dynamo North East

David is the CEO of Sunderland Software City, an organisation focused on supporting the growth of the tech ecosystem across the North East.  David is also CEO of Dynamo North East – a membership organisation for the tech community in the region.  David was the founding Chair of the UK Tech Cluster Group and now sits as a core member having handed over the Chair role in 2022.  The group provides grass-roots level feedback about the digital sector to His Majesty’s Government departments.

Based on his doctorate, David has given talks on economic development through supporting tech sector growth in a number of countries including China, South Korea, the USA and in Europe.  David also holds an MBA from Durham University and BSc from Abertay University.

David recently ended a six year term as non-executive board member of Citizens Advice Scotland, and is a non-exec of deep-sea science company, Armatus Oceanic. 

Patricia El Jichi

Investment Manager, Par Equity

Patricia El Jichi is an Investment Manager at Par Equity, an Edinburgh-based VC that invests between £1m to £6m at Seed and Series A stages, in technology and deeptech companies across the North of the UK. Her responsibilities include deal origination, due diligence, investment execution and monitoring follow-on funding and M&A requirements for portfolio companies. Before joining Par Equity, she invested in impact-driven tech start-ups and spinouts initially at Ada Ventures and later at SIS Ventures. Prior to VC, Patricia spent over a decade at international financial institutions such as Citigroup and J.P. Morgan, providing institutional service, advice and execution across asset classes to ultra-high net worth clients. Patricia is also a CFA Charterholder.

Connor Greig

CEO, OneClickComply

Connor Greig is CEO and founder of OneClickComply, the cyber security compliance automation platform powering rapid certification for UK businesses. An expert in technical innovation, Connor has raised over £1.2 million in pre-seed investment, driving Sunderland’s emergence as a hub for cyber security and creating high-skilled jobs in the region. His background includes leading transformation projects with the UK Government and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, alongside supporting North East’s thriving technology sector.

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. 

Phil Witcherley

Director of Economy and Innovation, North East Mayoral Combined Authority

Phil is the new Director of Economy and Innovation at the North East Mayoral Combined Authority.  He is responsible for all the work of the Combined Authority relating to economic growth, innovation, housing, culture, and sport.

Prior to joining the Combined Authority, Phil was a senior civil servant at HM Treasury leading on creative industries, advanced manufacturing, business engagement and DCMS and DBT spending.  Prior to this, Phil was the Director of Inclusive Economy and Skills for the West Yorkshire Mayor, Tracy Brabin.