Mercia expands its North East team

Mercia Fund Managers which provides debt, venture and growth capital for SMEs and technology firms in the UK regions has expanded its Newcastle office with two new appointments.

James Allsopp joins as Investment Manager and Thea Tebble as Fund Administrator. Both will work on the £27 million North East Venture Fund, which is managed by Mercia and which invests in SMEs across Durham, Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.

James, who has 14 years’ experience in finance, joins from Newcastle-based accountants UNW LLP, where he worked in corporate finance and led deals including the disposal of chemical contract manufacturer Chemoxy to Novacap SAS, and the reverse takeover of Vocare by Totally PLC. An economics graduate from the University of Newcastle’s business school, he also has experience working in the NHS, the consumer goods industry and at big four accountants EY.

Thea, a history graduate from Durham University, spent two years at BMO Global Asset Management in London, working in compliance, risk and investment support before returning to the North East and joining Mercia.

Mercia’s new Newcastle office was opened in June last year and is led by Ian Wilson. Ian said: “The Newcastle office has got off to a very strong start with investments including Troo, Technically Compatible and Notify Technology. With the appointment of James and Thea, we are continuing to build our team and step up our operations to enable us to support even more of the region’s emerging business stars.”