Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC) has appointed serial entrepreneur Sir Nigel Wilson as its new chair.
Wilson, who stepped down last year after more than a decade leading FTSE 100 pensions giant Legal & General Group, will succeed Edward Benthall on 25th September.聽
Benthall is retiring after 12 years at the helm, having played a key role in establishing the business and overseeing its growth.
Sir Nigel was knighted for services to the financial services industry, regional development and sport in the 2022 New Year鈥檚 Honours List, and also chairs Canary Wharf Group.
Alongside the appointment of Wilson, the firm has named former Rolls Royce Holdings CFO Panos Kakoullis as non-executive director and chair of its audit committee.聽
Kakoullis previously spent over 30 years at Deloitte, where he was managing director of its global audit and assurance business.
CIC, which manages 拢600m in assets, backs deep tech and life sciences companies emerging from Cambridge and beyond.聽
It has invested in more than 40 firms to date, including robotics scaleup CMR Surgical, microchip manufacturer Pragmatic Semiconductor and quantum computing spinout Riverlane.聽
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鈥淚t鈥檚 an exciting time to be joining CIC,鈥� said Wilson.聽
鈥淲ith strong sector expertise and a central position in Cambridge, one of the world鈥檚 most powerful science and technology ecosystems, CIC has built an excellent reputation and a proven track record of investing in leading technology companies.聽
鈥淐ambridge is home to world-leading scientists, with notable companies such as Apple, Arm, AstraZeneca, Microsoft, and Siemens located here. The 鈥楢rc project鈥� and Innovate Cambridge will deliver substantial economic growth to the region, further creating opportunities for CIC.聽
鈥淚 look forward to working with the team and its wider network of investors, co-investors, strategic partners and entrepreneurs, to support the next generation of globally impactful businesses emerging from Cambridge and beyond.鈥�
Andrew Williamson, managing partner at CIC, added: 鈥淪ir Nigel has demonstrated his vision and leadership over many years at the top of some of Britain鈥檚 most successful companies.聽
鈥淲ith a globally recognised background in the financial sector, as well as working with successive governments in advisory and leadership roles, he will guide CIC during an exciting time for British technology and life sciences companies.聽
鈥淲ith Nigel becoming Chair, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to Edward Benthall for his tremendous efforts in first establishing and then chairing the firm over the last 12 years. CIC would not exist nor be where it is today without him.鈥�