Directors and Company Secretary

Dr Martin Knight is Chief Operating Officer of Imperial College London, where he has been a Governor and Council member for 15 years. Martin joined and became Chairman of the Group in July 2003 and he is a director of one Group technology company, Toumaz Holdings Limited. Martin joined Morgan Grenfell & Co Ltd in 1974, becoming a director in 1982, having responsibility for five years for Project and Export Finance. Since 1988, he has advised, worked with and served on the boards of a number of private and public companies, focusing on strategic and capital raising matters. Martin is a graduate of and has a DPhil in History from Oxford University.

Susan Searle joined the Group in 1994 and was appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer in January 2002. Susan was previously employed at Montech (Australia), Signet Group plc, Bank of Nova Scotia and Shell Chemicals Limited in the UK and internationally, in a variety of business growth and commercial roles. Susan has served on the boards of several companies including TurboGenset Inc. prior to its listing in 2000; and Thiakis Ltd, prior to its sale to Wyeth in 2008. Susan currently serves on the boards of the following Group technology companies: Plaxica Limited, EVO Electric Limited and I2India. Susan has an MA in Chemistry from Oxford University.

Russ Cummings joined the Group from Scottish Equity Partners Limited where as director in the Information Technology Group he was responsible for investment in high growth technology companies. Russ worked at 3i Group plc where he was a director in their UK Technology Group (and previously worked at Rolls-Royce Motors as a development engineer). Russ manages the investment portfolio and decision-making process. Russ serves on the boards of the following Group technology companies: Circassia Holdings Limited and Nexeon Limited. Russ has a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Imperial College.

Julian Smith was appointed to the Group as Chief Financial and Operations Officer in January 2006. He joined the Group from RadioScape Limited where he spent six years as Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Board of Directors. Julian’s other previous roles include Director of Treasury Operations and Company Secretary at Metapath Software International Group (MSI), Financial Controller at MSI and nine years at Arthur Andersen. Julian is a Chartered Accountant. Julian currently serves on the Board of Cortexica Visual Systems Limited, a Group technology company. Julian has an MA in Engineering Science from Oxford University.

Dr David Allen was appointed as a Non-Executive Director with effect from 1 August 2008. Dr Allen joined the Group after nearly 30 years with BP plc, one of the world's leading energy firms. During his career with BP he held various posts within the company, including five years as a main board director, and was Chief of Staff from 2000 until 2007. Dr Allen has a DPhil in Physical Chemistry from Oxford University.

Dr Paul Atherton co-founded Queensgate Instruments and was Managing Director until its sale in March 2000. Paul is an active angel investor, focusing on nanotechnology and photonics, and is a board member of a number of companies. Paul is a shareholder in and chairman of two Group technology companies, Nexeon Limited and Midaz Lasers Limited. Paul also sits on the board of Sussex Place Ventures and was previously a governor of the London Business School. Paul has a PhD in Physics from Imperial College.

Mark Rowan is a partner of Comvest Limited which specialises in early stage technology investment. Mark previously worked at both JPMorgan and American International Group, Inc. where he was President of Banque AIG and in charge of European Corporate Finance. Since 1997 Mark has concentrated on the small business sector providing advice on strategic and structural issues to a broad spectrum of companies. Mark is a shareholder in and a director of, one Group technology company, BioCeramic Therapeutics Limited. Mark has an MA in Economics from Cambridge University.

Justin Bowen joined the Group in January 2004 having previously held legal positions at GEC/Marconi plc and at RAC plc. Called to the Bar in 1994 and with 14 years of legal experience in industry, Justin manages the Legal department, is the Company Secretary of the Group and is responsible for regulatory matters. Justin has an MA in Classics from Cambridge University.