BGF (Business Growth Fund) is continuing to expand its team covering the South West of England with the appointment of James Skade who will be based in the firm’s Bristol office.

Before joining BGF James spent five years at EY, most recently in the corporate finance team where he advised on a number of transactions including the sale of IPL to Civica and the acquisition of Transtank Pty by Western Global.

James joins BGF’s 60-strong nationwide investment team responsible for identifying investment opportunities and managing the deal process from origination through to completion. BGF’s investors also provide support either as board members or observers in the companies they back.

BGF recently announced the appointment of Fiona Gibson who joined the firm’s portfolio team covering the South of England. Fiona joined BGF from Lloyds Banking Group where she was Head of Equity Investments, responsible for the bank’s £1.2bn portfolio of more than 250 legacy equity assets and oversaw a number of significant exits including the sale of CALA Homes, Anglian Group and McCarthy & Stone.

The appointment follows a record year of investing for BGF. The firm provided £376m in funding to UK smaller and mid-sized companies in 2016, up from £248m the previous year. A total of 59 deals were transacted in 2016, compared to 31 in 2015.

Paul Oldham, Regional Director, South, BGF said:“BGF is working with ambitious and talented founders, chief executives and management teams, and we’re focused on expanding our team with like-minded investors. James is a great addition, and we’re delighted to welcome him to the team.”

James Skade said:“BGF continues to make its mark in the investment community following an active 12 months of investing and a number of successful exits. I’m delighted to be joining the team as it continues to seek out and work with some of the UK’s most exciting, growing businesses.”