BGF has expanded its investment team covering the West Midlands with the appointment of Tom Horton, who will be based in the Birmingham office.
Horton joins BGF from Lloyds Banking Group, where he held roles including Head of Midlands Business Services and Relationship Director for Lloyds’ Midlands Mid-Cap Team, specialising in debt finance and M&A. Prior to Lloyds, Tom spent nine years at Barclays Corporate Banking, in roles including Vice President of Debt Finance Origination.
Horton says: “I’m delighted to be joining BGF, which has firmly established itself in the Midlands market having continued to increase its pace of investments in very ambitious businesses and following a number of exciting exits.”
“BGF’s long-term, minority-stake investment model provides businesses with a different type of funding option, presenting a new opportunity as an investor.”
Tom’s appointment follows a record year of investing for the Midlands team, who deployed GBP86 million into nine new businesses and through follow-on funding for existing companies in its portfolio to support further growth. 2018 investments have included waste services business Red Industries, returns management platform Rebound Returns, craft brewery company Purity and travel management business Click Travel.
BGF also made three successful exits in 2018: Brownhills Glass, one of the UK’s leading independent glass merchants and processors, GCI, the converged ICT services company, and MPK Garages, an independent operator of fuel forecourts under the Texaco and Gulf brands.
Gurinder Sunner, who heads up BGF in the Midlands and Milton Keynes, says: “We’re delighted to have Tom join the team here at BGF. He brings a track record of successfully winning and growing new relationships and completing a variety of transactions across different sectors. We’ve had a record year in the Midlands, as has the business as a whole, and Tom’s local knowledge and reputation in the region will be a great addition to the team as we continue to grow.”
