The Investment Manager

Wol Kolade has been the managing partner (formerly managing director) of ISIS since 2000 and leads the investment team of 25 investment professionals. He joined ISIS Equity Partners plc in 1993 from Barclays Bank plc and has played a key role in the strategic and operational development of the business and, in particular, the development of ISIS’ investment strategy. He is a past chairman of the The British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) and the Training and Professional Development Committee.

David Thorp joined ISIS in 1995 when Baronsmead VCT was launched and has been instrumental in the development of the Baronsmead VCTs into one of the largest groups in the VCT sector. He has extensive experience of private equity, having previously spent 20 years with 3i plc where he served as a director from 1985. He is a past chairman of the British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) and is currently a director of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) and chairman of the AIC VCT Forum. The AIC makes representations to HM Treasury and HM Revenue & Customs regarding VCT legislation.

Andrew Garside (partner) joined ISIS in 2005 and is responsible for the new investment activity for the Baronsmead VCTs leading the unquoted investment teams in London, Birmingham and Manchester. He is also jointly responsible for the overall investment management of the Baronsmead VCTs. He has extensive private equity experience having worked for 3i plc for 14 years (1984 to 2004), latterly as the director for 3i North, based in Leeds.

Pete Clarke joined ISIS in 2002 and has been influential in developing ISIS’ investment capability in the north having served as the head of the Manchester office for five years from 2002 to 2007. He is now responsible for all unquoted investments in the north, as well as playing a key role of many of the unquoted companies in which the Baronsmead VCTs have invested. Prior to joining ISIS, he worked in industry for ten years before joining KPMG, and latterly he spent three years with Murray Johnstone’s private equity business.

Adam Holloway (partner) joined ISIS in 1999 and has overall responsibility for all portfolio management activities within ISIS. He also directly manages investments and is an active board member of several Baronsmead investee companies. Previously he worked at Deloitte where his experience encompassed corporate finance, corporate restructuring and insolvency.

Sheenagh Egan (partner) joined ISIS in 1997. She is the Chief Operating Officer of ISIS and is jointly responsible for the overall management of the Baronsmead VCTs. Before joining ISIS, her experience encompassed both corporate finance, advising on private equity transactions, and corporate recovery.She trained as a chartered accountant with Deloitte, and has also worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Ken Wotton joined ISIS in February 2007 as a fund manager on the quoted investment team. He had spent the previous two years at Evolution Securities where he worked in equity research, specialising in the Telecoms and Technology sectors, focusing on smaller companies with significant experience of AIM market fund raisings. Prior to that, he spent five years in the equity research department of Commerzbank Securities where he focused on the pan-European Telecoms sector. Ken qualified as a chartered accountant with KPMG, London.

Michael Probin joined ISIS in 1999 and is responsible for investor relations with Shareholders of the Baronsmead VCTs’, financial advisers and those commentating on the VCT industry. He has experience of tax efficient investments, having previously worked on Business Expansion Scheme products at AXA Sun Life Group from 1989 to 1999.