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Jola appoints three board directors

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Jola has appointed three new board members following a £10.25m investment from BGF. Martin Harriman has been named non-executive director, Ronnie Smith as chief financial officer and BGF’s Seb Saywood joins as investor director.

Andrew Dickinson, CEO, Jola said, “It’s rare to find individuals of such quality that are also down-to-earth and easy to get on with. We are all looking forward to working with Martin, Ronnie and Seb.”

Harriman was formerly CEO of Telefonica and has worked as an executive at O2, Ericsson Marconi and Lightsquared Inc. He has worked in Australia, Sweden, and the USA and holds several non-executive director posts within the ICT sector.

Smith joined Jola in June 2020 and guided the company through its recent investment process and the financial transaction with BGF. He was previously CFO of Spiritel and co-founder and CFO of Six Degrees Group. His experience covers a range of sectors including manufacturing, bioscience, distribution, and telecoms. Smith has worked in several pan-European roles that have involved cross-border mergers and acquisitions.

Saywood joined BGF in January 2018 to open their Nottingham office, which is close to Jola’s headquarters. His responsibilities include sourcing and executing new investments and working with portfolio companies to support their growth. Prior to BGF, Seb was a director in Foresight Group’s private equity team where he helped launch its first regional investment fund and led numerous investments.

Below (left to right): Martin Harriman, Seb Haywood, Ronnie Smith.