Christopher Tucker

Chief Executive Officer

Christopher has worked for some of the leading investment banks in Europe, and is now a corporate finance and strategy adviser to growing technology companies from around the world. He has over a decade of experience in helping growing technology companies with strategy development, raising finance, and accessing international capital markets. He has also helped companies with international business development, including advising on market entry strategies, government contracting, and forming strategic alliances. Most of his experience has been in the information technology, mobile and fixed telecommunications, clean technology and high technology sectors.

Christopher’s clients have included early stage technology companies as well as large corporations. He has also worked with government development agencies such as UK Trade and Investment and the US Commercial Service, and various regional economic development agencies, innovation centres, technology incubators, and trade organisations in the UK, US and China.

In addition to running Tucker & Partners / T&P Ventures, Christopher is also a non-executive director of Sphere Resources, a resources company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange in Canada, and Condor Wind Energy, one of the world’s leading two-bladed wind turbine companies. He has also served for over three years on the investment committee of Ouest Ventures, a French venture capital firm specialising in the technology sector.

Prior to founding Tucker & Partners in 1999, Christopher had spent most of his career in investment banking, where he rapidly established his reputation as a leading analyst in the telecommunications and technology sectors, and subsequently held director-/VP-level roles in investment research or corporate finance at Kleinwort Benson, Banque Indosuez, Banque Paribas, and WestLB. During the 1990s, he worked on most of the major IPOs and secondary offerings in the telecoms sector in Europe. While at Banque at Banque Paribas, was the lead analyst for the IPO of France Telecom, for which the bank was global coordinator and advisor to the French Treasury. Christopher spent his early career in the UK electricity industry, initially as a research physicist and later as a strategic planner.

Christopher has an M.A. in Physics from Oxford University and an M.Sc. in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from London University. He is also a Chartered Engineer, a Chartered Physicist, a Member of the Institute of Business Consulting, and a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Securities and Investment.

Fred Bassnett

Senior Associate, International Business Development

Fred is a seasoned senior business development executive with over 25 years’ experience at board level initially in the retail, manufacturing and distribution sectors. Fred has extensive international business, development experience in Europe, North America, the Middle East and the Far East. Over the last two years Fred has increasingly focused on the emerging economies and especially China.

Prior to Tucker & Partners, Fred spent much of the previous decade as a senior trade advisor with UK Trade & Investment, initially as an export promoter for North America based at the organisation’s headquarters in London and subsequently as a specialist trade adviser for North America based in the North West of England. Fred advised on all industry sectors, including healthcare & medical, ICT, renewable energy, automotive, advanced engineering and other technology sectors. He was also Chairman of the North American Scholarship Board (Kellogg Graduate Management School in Chicago and the Richard Ivey Business School in Toronto), overseeing the selection of hundreds of senior business executives for the programme.

Fred also served as a board member of the British American Business Council (North West England) from 2006 until 2010, and been a regular speaker in both the UK and North America on business development and trade issues on behalf of Tucker & Partners, British American Business and UK Trade & Investment.

Before being seconded to UK Trade & Investment, Fred held numerous board-level roles in the retail, manufacturing and distribution industries. Fred spent over 11 years at Raylian (London) Ltd, one of the foremost retail design consultants, as director of retail development. Prior roles included director, sales and marketing at Ronson (4 years), general manager at House of Fraser (3 years), operations director at G&F Retail (4 years), and director of buying and merchandising at Allders International (5 years). Fred is also a non-executive director of several small companies in the UK.

Robert Flintoff

Senior Associate, Finance

Robert is an experienced finance director with extensive international experience in rapidly growing technology and IT companies. During his career, Robert has been involved in three successful IPOs and is experienced in mergers and acquisitions, setting up international operations, financial control, tax, and treasury issues. Robert is also experienced in providing interim finance director services to small and medium-sized companies in the technology and IT sectors.

Robert spent five years as VP Finance EMEA at Peregrine Systems, where he was involved in the company’s IPO in 1997. While at Peregrine, Robert supervised exceptional growth over several European countries. Prior to that, Robert spent nine years with BMC Software, a Texas-based company that was expanding into Europe. As VP of International Finance, Robert controlled the growth of the business across 12 companies in Europe and Asia and implemented several acquisitions. While at BMC Software, the company grew its annual sales from $25m to over $500m and the number of its employees from 20 to 500. Robert spent his early career as Finance/Commercial Director with Geac Computers, a Canadian banking and library systems provider. In his six years with the company, he was responsible for setting up several UK and European subsidiaries and working on high value commercial contracts internationally.

Robert studied Management Sciences at Warwick University and qualified as a Chartered Accountant at Deloittes.

David Coverdale

Senior Associate, Business Development

David is an experienced business developer, sales executive and business manager. He has wide experience of solution- and value-based selling, and has extensive contacts at senior level within the UK’s IT sector, particularly in government and financial services.

During his career, David has held director / managing director or VP roles with companies such as Xerox, Sharp Electronics, and Pace Micro Technology. For the last five years, David has been focused on entrepreneurial opportunities and has worked with many growing technology companies as well as with blue chip companies, helping them with strategy, organisational change, and business development. David is also an experienced sales trainer and has successfully provided sales training to a number of medium and large businesses, which have benefited from David’s diverse experience.

David has a BA in geography, economics and politics from the University of Newcastle.

Michael Preston

Senior Associate, Business Development

Michael is an experienced business developer, sales executive and business manager with a wide experience of advanced sales techniques, channel management and business management both within the UK and internationally. He has particular expertise in developing international sales channels and in structuring international business operations. Michael has spent most of his career in the IT sector where he has had director / managing director / VP –level roles in both large and small companies in the IT sector. Michael’s IT experience spans many sectors including healthcare, banking and finance, manufacturing, and hospitality. Michael is also an experienced sales trainer.

Michael spent his early career in the logistics software sector and was marketing director for a company called TIS Software, which was acquired by Misys Plc, a leading financial software house in the UK. Michael remained with Misys for a further eight years. He subsequently left Misys to become managing director of LK Global Hospitality Systems, a company providing software to the hotel and leisure industry. During his four years at the company, Michael turned the business around, and developed a profitable business. Michael subsequently joined SoftBrands International, as president of the company, and ran this business in the US and internationally. During his three years at the company, Michael was responsible for a major global restructuring of the business involving 48 companies.

Brian Richardson

Senior Associate, Business Development

Brian has extensive executive director experience in the technology and IT sectors. He has both wide and deep functional expertise in sales, marketing, operations and general management to Plc board level. Brian has experience and success providing business solutions via data centres, services, applications, system technologies and data communications and has a record of using innovation and sound commercial and technical practices to establish profitable growth. He has proven experience during all phases of business operation including start up, organic growth, acquisition or cost focus in times of growth or turnaround and has extensive international experience.

Until early 2007, Brian was managing director of Global Switch, a company running Europe’s largest purpose built data centre. His responsibilities included running a business with a turnover of circa £30m, infrastructure and fit out developments of approximately £70m and property valuations of about £250m. Brian was responsible for sales, operations, construction, finance and administration.

Prior to this, Brian worked within major organisations such as the Telecom Italia Group where he was director of sales and marketing, and Unisys, where he held senior management positions. He was also executive director and general manger for McDonnell Information Systems, a major UK Software solutions provider and systems integrator where he had total responsibility for a £100m operation. At McDonnell, Brian was a part of the buyout and (LSE) IPO team.