Rosemary Forsyth

Founder and General Partner, Forysth Group

Rosemary, who graduated from Aberdeen in psychology followed by a Masters in psychology and literature, is the General Partner of the Forsyth Group, the executive search company she founded in 1981. Recognising the importance and potential growth of Information Technology within business, the Forsyth Group was the first executive search consultancy to focus exclusively on the emerging technology sector in Europe.

During the 25 years since founding the company, Rosemary has developed extensive search experience across all technology sectors and conducts “C” and Board level assignments for technology companies in Europe, Israel and the United States. The Forsyth Group opened its Californian office in 2004 to extend the company’s trans-Atlantic search capabilities and strengthen its position in Silicon Valley. Prior to founding the company, Rosemary was Divisional Managing Director of an international executive search firm. Rosemary has also been a key contributor and advisor to the investment community in relation to the establishment of their corporate pre- and- post IPO infrastructure. Rosemary is presently an Advisory Board member of InnovateEurope!

Jeppe Leth Hansen

Founder & CEO, Bridgehead Group

Jeppe Leth Hansen has over twenty years of experience in investment banking, trade finance and real estate finance. He is founder and CEO of Bridgehead Group Limited, former Chairman of Hansen Gray & Company (HGCP) and served as transition CEO of Liquidation Bid Inc. (LQBI). Mr. Hansen has served in investment banking position with Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch in New York and Miami and advised institutional investors and privately and publicity owned companies in investments, project finance and business acquisitions. He also has acted as a marketing executive and strategic planner for companies in Denmark and as operations manager for a US based Multi-national Corporation.

Simon Haworth

Executive Director, IPSO Ventures

Simon is an investor, team builder and entrepreneur. He has been involved in the formation of 11 companies, including 7 technology companies in the last three years through investment vehicle IPSO Ventures. IPSO is listed on AIM in London and is one of the few UK entities still investing in early stage technology businesses.

IPSO Ventures is Simon’s primary focus but he continues to operate as a Non-Executive Director or advisor to CleanTech and Biotech companies or incubators in the UK and US, runs international team builder BSG Team Ventures with offices in London, Cambridge, Boston, New York and San Francisco, and executes his own research in to the innovation sector. He is currently analysing the difficult relationship that exists between Founders of technology companies and the venture capital investors that back them.

Inma Martinez

President, Stradbroke Advisors

Inma Martinez is the President of Stradbroke Advisors, a corporate advisory and fund-raising firm based in London with aworldwide portfolio in Telecoms, Media, Internet (TMI) and emerging technologies (BioTech, Neurosciences). After holding executive positions in financial institutions (Goldman, Sachs) and the telecommunications sector (Cable & Wireless), Inma left the corporate world in 2000 and became one of the UK flagship entrepreneurs. Her first company Escape Velocity, funded by 3i, provided real-time personalisation software to international mobile operators and handsets manufacturers and was depicted by Lehman Brothers as one of Europe’s top 20 companies to follow.

Inma continued founding and leading at the helm two other companies, the latter one in Finland, Visual Radio, who later sold to NOKIA and whose software can be found in every multimedia handset of the Finnish mobile giant. Her advisory work accounts from multinational companies, European investment funds and startups. She is an advisor to the EU Technology Commission and to SPORT ENGLAND for their Innovation Investment Fund.

FORTUNE and TIME have described her as one of Europe’s top talents in Human Factors and Social Engagement through technology; Red Herring has ranked her amongst the top 40 most influential women in technology and FastCompany has defined her as a “fire-starter”.

Teri Willey

Chief Executive, Cambridge Enterprise

Teri joined Cambridge Enterprise (CE) as Chief Executive in 2006. Prior to CE, Teri was a Managing Partner of ARCH Development Partners (ADP), a seed and early stage venture fund focused on university and corporate spin-outs. Teri, a founder of ADP, participated as a Director on portfolio company, community and venture capital Boards of Directors and Advisory Boards, as a University of Notre Dame Business School Adjunct Professor and continues as an Advisor to ADP.

Prior to the start of ADP, Teri was Vice President of Start-ups at ARCH Development Corporation, a subsidiary of the University of Chicago, which commercialised technology from the University and Argonne National Laboratory. Her experience includes technology transfer roles at Northwestern University, Purdue University and in industry. Teri has been an advisor to policy makers, universities and companies and is a past President of the Association of University Technology Managers (AUTM). Teri is a Bye-Fellow of Christ’s College and a Senior Member of Hughes Hall.