FF - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Group Director of Strategy and Business Planning at Informa PLC
Alex is Group Director of Strategy and Business Planning at Informa PLC, where he oversees strategy development, implementation, and mergers & acquisitions.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder & Executive Chair
- Co - Founder and Executive Chairman of Founders Factory
Brent is Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Founders Factory (global venture studios, seed programmes and accelerator programmes), Founders Forum Group (global community of founders, corporates and tech leaders), and firstminute capital ($400m seed fund with global remit, backed by over 130+ unicorn founders). Previously, Brent co-founded Made.com in 2010. He left before it went public in 2021 at a valuation of $1.1bn. Brent also co-founded lastminute.com in 1998 where he was CEO from its inception and sold it in 2005 to Sabre for $1.1bn. Brent has backed 9 unicorns at Seed stage and technology businesses Brent has co-founded have raised over $1bn.
Brent sits on the advisory boards of Google Cloud, the Tessa Jowell Foundation, the UK Government Digital Service and the WEF Digital Europe Group. He has also been an advisor to four UK prime ministers and in 2015 was awarded a CBE for his services to entrepreneurship.
Carolyn Dawson is Chief Executive of Founders Forum Group, overseeing all FF events and businesses, and steering the strategic development of our global network. Previously, Carolyn was President at Informa Tech, a FTSE 100 UK company championing specialists in their core markets. Carolyn led a global portfolio of Digital Media, Research, Events, and Training across a variety of technology sectors and presided over the joint venture between Founders Forum and Informa Tech, prior to her assuming her role as FFG CEO.
Carolyn was recently appointed an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for her services to London Tech Week, which she's led for the past seven years. In this time, she built its global profile and advanced its mission to showcase the best of UK tech. Carolyn is passionate about growing a dynamic and inclusive tech community to realise the positive impact of technology on our world and to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Davina was Head of Events at Tech Nation, where she worked for 8 years building and delivering live and online events for their network of tech founders. Prior to this, Davina worked on celebrity-led special events at Cancer Research UK.
Job Titles:
- Group Operations Director
Ellie plays a pivotal role in driving the growth of the group by scoping and spearheading new ventures and strategic projects including the acquisition of Tech Nation. Ellie oversees the smooth running of the group's day-to-day operations, collaboration across the network of businesses and has oversight of the management and operations for Tech Nation. Before joining FF, Ellie held various strategic roles at Informa PLC.
Job Titles:
- Group Director of Marketing
Emily leads marketing and communications for Founders Forum Group. Her remit spans FF Group ventures, Founders Forum events, Tech Nation, and London Tech Week - a joint venture between Informa Tech and Founders Forum. Originally from Toronto, she brings a decade of experience across public affairs, corporate crisis management, digital and community marketing, across North America and EMEA.
Emma manages all our existing and new relationships with our Partners. Prior to FF, Emma was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Antler VC where she explored startup opportunities across femtech & last-mile delivery while fundraising for her members-only dating app through both Angel and Institutional Investors.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Board
Henry is Venture Partner at firstminute capital and Co-Founder & CEO of Founders Factory, a venture studio and accelerator with operations in Europe, Africa, and North America.
Izzy joined Founders Forum in 2018. She is responsible for the community growth and engagement strategy and for curating the guestlist for each FF event. She is a key touchpoint for the investor community and is always on the lookout for new unicorn founders and rising stars to welcome into the FF Community.
Job Titles:
- Co - Founder
- Member of the Advisory Board
- Member of the Board
Jonathan is Partner and Head of Merchant Banking at Alvarium. In 2011, he founded independent merchant bank, Lepe Partners, which merged with Alvarium in 2019.