Private Equity Professionals

BVCA sharpens research focus

The UK’s private equity trade body has formed an eight-person board to oversee the direction of its research projects. Apax’s technology and telecom chief, Richard Wilson, will be chairman.

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The British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) has formed a research advisory board, comprising figures from industry and academia.

Richard Wilson

The board will meet three times a year to oversee the BVCA’s research function to give it “greater strategic direction”, Roger Kelly, a former Bank of England economist recently appointed as chief economist at the BVCA, said in a statement.

Apax Partners’ head of technology and telecom investments Richard Wilson will chair the board. Other private equity industry representatives on the eight-person board include Hugh Lenon from Phoenix Equity Partners, Graham O’Keefe from Atlas Ventures and Carol Kennedy from Pantheon Ventures.

Academic input will be provided by Viral Acharya from London Business School, Gordon Murray from Exeter University and Mike Wright, who founded the Centre for Management Buyout Research at Nottingham University.

Harry Nicholson, a private equity partner at accountancy firm Ernst & Young, will also sit on the board.