Barrister to Entrepreneur, the American Attitude - Stephen Welton - Founder CEO BGF x Chris Joannou - CEO Startup Grind Australia

As the founder CEO of BGF since it was set up in 2011, Stephen is responsible for the overall management and strategic direction of the company. BGF has grown from 1 to 14 offices across the UK and Ireland, with nearly £2bn invested and a team of 170, becoming in the process the most active growth capital investor in the UK. Stephen has extensive experience as an investor. Prior to BGF, he was one of the founding partners of the global private equity firm CCMP Capital (formerly JP Morgan Partners), and before that, Managing Director of Barclays Private Equity and Henderson Ventures, which he also co-founded.

In 2013, Stephen was appointed an advisor to the UK Government regarding the establishment of the British Business Bank and in 2017, served as a member of the Industry Panel advising HM Treasury on the Patient Capital Review. In 2018, Stephen was appointed a member of the first Council of Innovate UK, which forms an integral part of UK Research and Innovation.

Stephen has served as an independent director on a broad range of companies over many years, both in the UK and internationally, most recently joining the board of FTSE 250 Intermediate Capital Group plc as a Non-Executive Director in September 2017. Stephen started his career in banking, has a law degree from Durham University and is a qualified Barrister-at-Law.