Richard Staveley has over twenty years’ experience of equity investment and fund management. Having qualified as a chartered accountant at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Richard joined Bradshaw Asset Management, as assistant fund manager, in 1999. Moving to Société Générale Asset Management, he became Head of UK Small Companies and a CFA charterholder. In 2006, he co-founded River and Mercantile Asset Management, where he launched both the UK Small Company Fund, the UK Income Fund and was Head of Research. In 2013, he joined Majedie Asset Management to manage the UK small company investments, where total assets grew from £7 billion to £15 billion. In 2019 he joined Gresham House Plc as fund manager for Gresham House Strategic Plc. Harwood Capital LLP were appointed its Investment Manager in 2021, which Richard joined and continues to manage the fund under its new name Rockwood Strategic Plc. Richard won the coveted Fund Manager award at the PLC Awards in 2023.

Rockwood Strategic Plc is an Investment Trust that invests in a focused portfolio of smaller UK public companies. The strategy identifies undervalued shares, where the potential exists to improve returns and where the company is benefitting, or will benefit, from operational, strategic or management changes. These unlock, create or realise shareholder value for investors.

DSW Capital, owner of the Dow Schofield Watts and DR Solicitors brands, is a business advisory platform offering deal advisory, tax, investment, business recovery and legal services.

We create the conditions for ambitious individuals to thrive, combining freedom and autonomy with a brand and infrastructure that enables them to start-up, scale and succeed.

From start-up funding on day-one to attracting talent and driving referrals across the platform, our proposition has been designed to allow ambitious individuals to focus purely on building the business they have always wanted.

We operate licensing arrangements with our businesses and have over 130 fee earners across 12 offices in the UK, and aim to scale through organic growth, geographical expansion, additional service lines and acquisitions.

Founded in 2002, we are proud to empower business advisory pioneer

Shrutisha Morris, Chief Executive Officer

Shru is a Chartered Accountant who has spent time at Baker Tilly (now part of RSM), Napthens, and Pick Everard. She joined Dow Schofield Watts in 2024, bringing experience in M&A, financial due diligence, debt and equity fundraising, and private equity-backed businesses. As the Deputy CEO of DSW Capital plc, Shru’s role will be to aid in the growth, leadership and future development of the Group. At Pick Everard, Shru was CFO, working with stakeholders across the group to drive change, business performance, and financial governance. During her time at Napthens, she served as Finance Director and later as CEO. In these roles, she oversaw the company’s growth strategy, revenue increase, strategic recruitment, national profile enhancement, and service expansion through organic growth and acquisitions.

Peter Fendall, Chief Finance and Operating Officer

Pete is a Chartered Accountant who previously spent eight years at Deloitte in the North West Audit & Assurance team, working on large and complex audit engagements whilst also being actively involved in Accounting Advisory and Reporting Accountant projects. He joined DSW in September 2021 to help deliver the IPO and, since then, has led several initiatives to enhance the Group’s unique licensee platform model and actively engages with licensees to help them identify ways in which DSW can add value and support their growth ambitions. His most recent projects include the development of the Group’s ESG strategy and recruiting new teams and individuals into the DSW Network.

Quartix is a leading provider of subscription-based vehicle tracking systems, software, and fleet management services designed to improve the efficiency, safety, and sustainability of commercial fleet operations. Established in 2001 by four industry experts with extensive experience in systems design, telemetry, and communications, Quartix has grown to serve over 30,000 fleet customers across six core countries.

Quartix’s easy-to-install technology delivers real-time insights into vehicle location, driver behaviour, and fleet performance. Fleet managers can access comprehensive reports, route histories, and operational analytics via any internet-enabled device, allowing businesses to reduce costs, streamline processes, and improve environmental outcomes. The intuitive platform supports organisations primarily in but limited to performing site-based services.

With the global demand for telematics and fleet management solutions on the rise and the European market forecasted to reach 27.6 million active systems by 2028, Quartix stands well positioned for continued growth and innovation. The company is publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange (AIM), underscoring its commitment to transparency and investor value.

Andy Walters, Exec Chairman

Andy Walters founded Quartix in 2001 with three colleagues. Prior to that he was Managing Director of a subsidiary of Spectris plc for 6 years and had spent 15 years with Schlumberger in the UK and France, where he was marketing director of the payphones and smart cards division. Andy holds an MA in electrical sciences from the University of Cambridge.

Sally Morton, Finance Director

Sally Morton is an accomplished financial professional with a strong foundation in accounting and leadership. A Rhodes University graduate with Honours in Financial Accounting, she qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Grant Thornton UK LLP. Joining Quartix in 2019 as Group Financial Accountant, Sally advanced to Head of Finance in 2022 and was promoted to Finance Director in 2025. Her career reflects a dedication to excellence, leveraging her expertise to drive financial strategy and organizational success.

Lord Lee of Trafford DL FCA

JOHN LEE is regarded as one of the UK’s leading private investors having bought his first shares sixty years ago.  He was one of the earliest to recognise the long-term potential of PEPs, the forerunner of ISAs when they were launched in 1987 and was judged to be the first ISA “millionaire” in 2003.  He has written over 250 articles for FT Money and has given numerous lectures and interviews on his investment philosophy as a long-term “value” investor.  In 2014 Pearsons published his well-received How to Make a Million – Slowly: my guiding principles from a lifetime of successful investing. He is a Chartered Accountant with a wide experience of investment banking and business and is Patron of ShareSoc, the leading body lobbying and campaigning on behalf of private investors.  From 1979-92 he was a Member of Parliament, during this period he was both a Defence and Tourism Minister.  A former High Sheriff of Greater Manchester, he sits as a member of the House of Lords as Lord Lee of Trafford and lives in Richmond, Surrey.  In 2019 he published Yummi Yoghurt: A First Taste of Stock Market Investment! which is aimed at teenager/novice investors. http://bit.ly/YummiYoghurt. He also now streams a monthly podcast with The Investors Chronicle called "Lee and the IC" and also writes a regular column for The Daily Telegraph.

Nexus (AIM: NEXS) is developing and delivering essential infrastructure solutions through its two subsidiaries, Tamdown Group Limited and Coleman Construction & Utilities Limited.

Tamdown provides a range of essential civil engineering and infrastructure solutions to the UK housebuilding sector. It has a strong brand which has been developed over 48 years. It is particularly recognised for its experience and capabilities in the safe delivery of large, complex multi-phase developments for a loyal customer base.

Coleman was acquired by Nexus on 29 October 2024 as part of its strategy to diversify into other sectors. Coleman has been delivering infrastructure projects for over 20 years in the water, rail, highways, and rivers & marine sectors.

Charles Sweeney, Chief Executive Officer

Charles is a Chartered Director and a Chartered Engineer with more than 40 years’ experience in the civil infrastructure and energy sectors, both in the UK and overseas. His career has included several C-suite, Managing Director and Director positions, including nine years on the Executive Board of Costain Group plc and Managing Director of its Energy and Process Division. He joined Nexus in September 2016 as Chief Operating Officer and subsequently took on the additional interim role of Tamdown Managing Director through to September 2018. He was appointed CEO in February 2023. Charles originally graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Leeds and later was awarded an MBA from Webster University, Leiden, The Netherlands. In 2023, he was awarded a NED diploma from the Financial Times Board Director Programme. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors and also a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.

Dawn Hillman, Chief Financial Officer

Dawn is a Chartered Management Accountant and Chartered Secretary with experience within the infrastructure, construction and engineering sectors.

She has worked within or closely alongside the Tamdown business for over 35 years and is an experienced Executive Board Director and Company Secretary. Dawn was instrumental in taking the business through IPO to AIM market listing in 2017. She has previously held Finance Director roles for Tamdown and other construction businesses.

BASH is an acronym for Buy, Avoid, Sell and Hold a share in a company to be discussed during each panel.