The Team combines decades of experience in clean tech innovation and early stage investing.
We are passionate about decarbonisation and creating tomorrow’s climate tech leaders.
Team
Beverley Gower-Jones OBE
Managing Partner
Beverley Gower-Jones OBE
Managing Partner
Beverley is the Fund’s Managing Partner. She chairs the investment committee, guides the investment strategy of CGF and leads fundraising. In 2023, Beverley was bestowed an OBE by His Majesty The King (Charles III) for services to Net Zero innovation. Beverley co-founded Carbon Limiting Technologies, a low-carbon business incubation consultancy, and was a founder and Vice President at Shell Technology Ventures where she was instrumental in defining Shell’s technology venturing strategic approach. Beverley is an independent member of the cross-government Net Zero Innovation Board chaired by Sir Patrick Vallance.
Jonathan Tudor
Investment Partner
Jonathan Tudor
Investment Partner
Jonathan is an Investment Partner at the Fund and sits on its investment committee. Jonathan has more than 20 years of venture investment experience across multiple sectors, geographies and markets. He has led investment teams at BP Ventures and more recently was Technology Strategy director at Centrica. He returns to work with Beverley having previously worked with her as part of the in-house venture team at QinetiQ, where they helped to create, fund and build several companies.
Alasdair Greig
Investment Partner
Alasdair Greig
Investment Partner
Alasdair Greig is one of the Fund’s Investment Partners and sits on its investment committee. As a Director at Northstar Ventures, he leads the technology investment activity and is highly experienced at all aspects of the venture capital process. Before joining Northstar, Alasdair worked with The Cambridge Gateway Fund, an early stage technology and life sciences fund and earlier worked in Emerging Markets Credit Risk at CIBC World Markets Plc.
Susannah McClintock
Investment Partner
Susannah McClintock
Investment Partner
Susannah is a specialist environmental investor with more than 20 years’ experience in start-up growth, finance and investing within the climate change and resource efficiency space. Susannah is passionate about business models which aim to maximise their use of funds and resources to create sustainable enterprises that achieve specific environmental or social outcomes. Susannah has held previous roles at Sustainable Ventures, Carbon Trust Enterprises, WRAP and HSBC. She holds Board and Trustee positions for both start-ups and charities focussed on environmental and social outcomes. She is an advocate for female entrepreneurs and is the co-founder of fivethirteen.org a not for profit increasing investment flows to female entrepreneurs she also leads the Finance initiatives for the Mayor of London’s Women in Cleantech programme.
Stephen Price
Investment Director
Stephen Price
Investment Director
Stephen Price is the Fund’s Investment Director. He has 10 years of experience in early stage technology investing, including as Investment Director at Northstar Ventures. He joined Northstar in 2010 to take primary responsibility for the North East Proof of Concept Fund, an early stage technology seed fund. He has completed investments in dozens of companies across multiple technology domains and industry verticals, providing hands-on support to these throughout the early stages of their development.
Gemma Fong
Chief Financial Officer
Gemma Fong
Chief Financial Officer
Gemma is the CFO of the CGF and manages all financial functions. She has more than ten years of accounting experience in the financial sector. Gemma started her career with PwC in their Hong Kong office. She then moved to Seattle, USA, and worked with BlackRock Inc. and Carta Inc. to focus on the finance and operation of hedge and venture capital funds. At Carta, she worked closely with more than 30 venture capital funds as their fund administrators/ controllers. Gemma holds her CPA license with CPA Australia. She relocated to London in 2022 and started her new journey in the UK with CGF.
Maria Khan
Head of Compliance, ESG & Ops
Maria Khan
Head of Compliance, ESG & Ops
Maria heads up the Compliance, ESG and Ops functions at the fund. Maria has worked in the financial services industry for nearly 20 years, with a particular focus on governance and compliance. Having spent most of that time working in the VC space she has overseen over 100 investments across various geographies and sectors. Prior to joining CGF Maria headed up the Risk and Compliance function at EightRoads Ventures (Fidelity Group) and also spent 4 years at Softbank Vision Fund as the UK Chief Risk Officer. Before that Maria worked at Hermes Federated, JPMorgan and the UK regulator.
Connor Duffy
Investment Associate
Connor Duffy
Investment Associate
Connor is the fund’s Investment Associate. He conducts opportunity sourcing and screening as well as supporting deal execution. Prior to joining CGF he worked in the Energy Advisory and Project Finance team at Société Générale and has hands-on experience with early-stage cleantech companies from his time at Carbon Limiting Technologies. At SG he advised and financed a number of distinguished energy projects including the world’s largest offshore wind farm. At CLT he provided support to innovative energy storage, solar PV and clean hydrogen companies.
Samuel Hill
Investment Analyst
Samuel Hill
Investment Analyst
Sam is the fund’s Investment Analyst. He conducts opportunity sourcing and screening as well as supporting deal execution. Prior to joining CGF he worked at Roland Berger, the global management consulting firm, supporting corporate and private equity clients on strategy and commercial due diligence assignments and on topics including EV charging infrastructure, sustainable aviation and high technology products.
Lisa Thornley
Marketing Manager
Lisa Thornley
Marketing Manager
Lisa is the fund’s Marketing Manager and manages all communications. Lisa’s previous experience includes emap where she spent 7 years running the marketing department and was responsible for the marketing of over 20 events in the UK and abroad. Lisa attended University in America where she gained a sports scholarship for her tennis abilities, having competed internationally from a young age.
Carbon Limiting Technologies
Our sister-company, Carbon Limiting Technologies, works alongside our portfolio companies once investment has taken place. Using their vast experience of helping hundreds of cleantech entrepreneurs, they help our portfolio to grow and commercialise.
Christopher Tchen
Chair of the board
Christopher Tchen
Chair of the board
As Chair of CLT’s Board, Christopher advises on the company’s strategic direction and business priorities, and oversees corporate risk management. He specialises in helping cleantech companies fully understand their customers’ needs, develop a favourable business model with attractive economics, and articulate their value proposition in a compelling way. He has over 30 years of experience in consulting, with particular emphasis on growth, corporate strategy and corporate venturing. Christopher’s previous roles include MD of Strategos Europe and VP Strategy Gemini Consulting. Christopher started his career at Bain & Company and holds a Chemistry degree from Oxford and an MBA from INSEAD.
Tanja Groth
Director
Tanja Groth
Director
As an energy economist with an award-winning PhD in policy impacts on the financial and socioeconomic returns on renewable energy investments, Tanja brings experience from working with a community energy non-government organisation (NGO), a renewable combined heat and power (CHP) manufacturing start-up and +8 years of consultancy experience as an economist at London Economics, the Carbon Trust and Sweco. Part of Tanja’s role as an Associate is attempting to make sense of the commercial propositions under the climate transition. Under existing regulatory and market considerations, this requires the development of new commercial and business models. Tanja has been the driver for a number of new net zero commercial propositions and business models across the the UK and more broadly. This includes formulating cohesive business models across the three energy vectors – transport, electricity and heat – which is sufficiently commercially attractive to attract private and public sector investment.
Robert Olrog
Consultant
Robert Olrog
Consultant
Robert is a Consultant at CLT. He supports CLT’s public, private and international market programmes across all industries. Robert holds an MPhil in Industrial Systems, Manufacture and Management from the University of Cambridge. He completed his undergraduate degree at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, where he studied Industrial Engineering and specialised in Energy Systems and Sustainable Development. Prior to joining CLT, Robert worked at a consulting firm in their project advisory and disputes practise area for capital projects. He is also the member of the board at a Swedish SME developing electrically powered wheelchairs.
Jackson Kuzmik
Analyst
Jackson Kuzmik
Analyst
Jackson is an analyst for CLT. He supports incubation tasks for cleantech SMEs, consultancy projects for public and private sector clients, and business development tasks. Jackson holds an MPhil in Theoretical and Applied Linguistics from the University of Cambridge, with his research focusing on data-driven approaches to help our understanding of how language works. For his undergraduate degree Jackson attended Pomona College in Claremont, California. He was born and raised in Hong Kong. Alongside various research positions, he has previously worked in outreach for an environmental research center, as a product management intern at a language-technology startup, and as the Head Mentor for his undergraduate department.
Michael Cullinane
Analyst
Michael Cullinane
Analyst
Michael is an analyst for CLT. He supports incubation tasks for cleantech SMEs, consultancy projects for public and private sector clients, and business development tasks. Michael holds an MEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Bristol, where he received an award for his dissertation developing a grazing flow impedance tube for acoustic liners. He completed a year abroad at KTH, Stockholm, conducting research into conductive and sustainable lubricants for use in electric vehicles. Prior to working at CLT, Michael spent a year teaching English in Chongqing, China. He has also worked with the NHS, co-spearheading a project to provide lessons and wellbeing care for refugees and immigrants, leading to increased employment and access to further education.
Melody Chiu
Analyst
Melody Chiu
Analyst
Melody is an analyst for CLT. She supports incubation tasks for cleantech SMEs, consultancy projects for public and private sector clients, and business development tasks. Melody holds an MPhil in Industrial Systems, Manufacture and Management from the University of Cambridge, with her research focusing on the business ecosystem development in the semiconductor industry. She obtained a joint degree of Technology Management and Industrial Engineering at National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan. Prior to joining CLT, Melody has worked in a mobile technology startup in Hong Kong and a marketing consultancy in Taiwan. She has also been involved in research projects related to Corporate Social Responsibility.
Natalie Fredericks
Programme Manager (Associate)
Natalie Fredericks
Programme Manager (Associate)
Natalie’s experience covers small business start-up and growth, business planning, industry and market studies, understanding market requirements and synthesising results. She has successfully built business operations from scratch and secured long-term client revenues and partner relationships. At CLT, Natalie has provided commercialisation support around market analysis, development of routes to market and practical plans to achieve milestones for a wide variety of low carbon innovators including renewable energy and energy storage companies. She has conducted incubation planning for companies supported by the Energy Entrepreneurs’ Fund and has worked on a project for BEIS to facilitate joint development of an industry / Government Action Plan for decarbonisation of the UK Ceramics Sector, which included convening and facilitating multi stakeholder groups to agree actions, tasks and responsibilities. With Booz. Allen & Hamilton International, Natalie led consulting projects centred around market strategy and operational process improvements. Natalie holds a degree and MA in Aeronautical Engineering from Cambridge and an MBA from INSEAD.
James Ruel
Programme Manager (Associate)
James Ruel
Programme Manager (Associate)
James is an experienced grant fund programme manager, with expertise in project development, regulatory compliance, set up, implementation and operational management. He has directed and managed programmes addressing environmental, sustainability and skills agendas within complex regulatory frameworks. He has conducted business analysis and incubation planning sessions for SMEs from a range of cleantech sectors. He has developed processes for organisations to manage data and ensure its protection and transparency. He understands the issues facing high growth businesses and has helped to develop business support solutions including business incubators and hatcheries and a Local Growth Hub. He has solved complex problems with project delivery and partnership management and has planned the implementation of major regional and national funding programmes, making decisions in negotiations of million pound contracts. Previously James was European Programme manager for SEEDA. He is a PRINCE2 Practitioner with a degree in History from University of London and MA in Medieval Studies & M.Litt from the University of Bristol.
Advisory Board
Robert Bahns
Advisory Body Member
Robert Bahns
Advisory Body Member
Robert has worked as CFO of technology start-ups since late 2018 and previously spent 20 years as a venture capital investor. He was an Investment Partner at IP Group and Director of Technology Ventures at Touchstone, where he focussed on making investments in the hardware and materials sectors. Prior to that he was Director in the technology investment team at Nomura International plc, where he led investments in the communications and electronics sectors. He trained as electronics engineer and worked in Japan for Pioneer Electronics Corporation, first in R&D and then in establishing the company’s first UK manufacturing facility. He has an MBA from Insead and an Electrical Sciences degree from the University of Cambridge. Robert has held board positions across a range of his portfolio companies including businesses involved in vehicle light-weighting and electrification, photovoltaics and green plastics.
Vicki Bakhshi
Advisory Body Member
Vicki Bakhshi
Advisory Body Member
Vicki is a Director within the Governance and Sustainable Investment team at BMO Global Asset Management, which she joined in 2006. She has particular expertise on climate change and impact investing. Prior to this she spent five years in the UK government, including as the Prime Minister’s policy adviser on climate change, and as a senior member of the team responsible for the Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change. She also spent three years as a leader writer at the Financial Times, and two years as an economist at the Bank of England. Vicki is on the Board of the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change, chairs the UK Sustainable Investment Finance Policy Committee, and was also named by Financial News in 2013 as one of the top 100 influential women in finance in Europe. Vicki holds an MSc in Economics from Warwick University and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University.
Michael Liebreich
Advisory Body Member
Michael Liebreich
Advisory Body Member
Michael is the Founder of and Senior Contributor to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the world’s leading provider of research for senior decision‐makers in clean energy and transportation. He is also a Board Member of Transport for London, the capital’s transport authority, a member of the high‐level advisory board of the UN’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative and holds a variety of other director and advisory positions in business and the non‐profit sector. Michael is a Visiting Professor at the Imperial College Energy Futures Lab. Michael founded New Energy Finance in 2004 and acted as Chairman and Chief Executive until selling it to Bloomberg LP in 2009. Now called Bloomberg New Energy Finance, the business is headquartered in London, with over 200 staff working out of 13 offices globally; its clients include most of the major ministries, investors, energy and technology companies in transport and energy.
Professor Chris Rapley
Advisory Body Member
Professor Chris Rapley
Advisory Body Member
Professor Chris Rapley CBE is Professor of Climate Science at University College London. He is a Fellow of St Edmund's College Cambridge, a member of the Academia Europaea, a Distinguished Visiting Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Chairman of the London Climate Change Partnership. His previous posts include Director of the Science Museum London, Director of the British Antarctic Survey, President of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, Executive Director of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, and Head of UCL's Earth Observation satellite group. Prof Rapley was awarded the 2008 Edinburgh Science Medal for having made 'a significant contribution to the understanding and wellbeing of humanity'.
George Whitehead
Advisory Body Member
George Whitehead
Advisory Body Member
George has worked in venture capital industry for over 15 years and has built up relationships with many of Europe’s leading investors and entrepreneurs. He is co-founder and partner of the Angel Cofund, a £100 million Government backed fund focused on co-investing with angel investors. Previously, he worked at Octopus Ventures, one of Europe’s largest and most active venture investors. During his 9 years at Octopus he led marketing and corporate connections and was the founder and Chairman of the Venture Capital Trust Association. Prior to Octopus George held the position of Business Development Director at NESTA Investments’ £50 million Venture Capital Fund where he ran a portfolio of programmes aimed at supporting growth companies. He began his career as an investment manager at Oxford Innovations, where he managed the Oxford Investment Opportunity Network (OION), one of the UK’s most successful private investment networks, before moving on to successfully turnaround and manage the incubations programme for the University of Toronto’s Technology Transfer Office.
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