BVCA welcomes IQ Capital’s Kerry Baldwin as new Chair

The British Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (BVCA) is pleased to announce Kerry Baldwin has been appointed as Chair of its Council for the next year to 31st March 2022.

Kerry is one of the UK’s most experienced venture capital investors and brings to the role more than 20 years’ experience in deep tech venture capital. She is the founder and Managing Partner of IQ Capital and an active champion of best practice across ESG, talent development, diversity and inclusion in the industry.

Kerry has been the Vice Chair of Council for the past year and closely involved in the Association’s work on behalf of the private equity and venture capital industry. In an intense period focused on COVID-19, the final stages of Brexit and the review of capital gains tax, Kerry has already been heavily engaged in the BVCA’s work with the industry and government.

In addition, she supported a number of Government policy priorities, working on many measures for the private equity and venture capital ecosystem to aid the UK’s ‘Science Superpower’ agenda. This includes highlighting the fundraising challenges life science, biotech and deep tech founders and venture capital funds encountered at the start of lockdown, the creation of the Future Fund and close collaboration with industry stakeholders on science and technology industry cohesion.

Originally with BDO Stoy Hayward, she joined Venture Technologies in 1998, investing in the first wave of UK deep tech companies and has focussed on deep tech early stage investing ever since.

Kerry heads up IQ’s Cybersecurity, Supervisory tech, big data and neurotech portfolio, specialising in Go-To-Market, Strategic Marketing, Competitive Intelligence, sits on several boards including FNA, CyberSmart, BMLL Technologies, Cybsafe, Divido and Neurovalens, and has conducted many exits and IPOs.

She is a Fellow in Entrepreneurship at the University of Cambridge (Judge Business School).

Kerry said about her appointment: “I’m delighted to be representing the entire private equity and venture capital ecosystem as Chair of the BVCA, taking over from Neil MacDougall who has done a tremendous job. The industry is primed to support stakeholders on a number of pressing public policy priorities and I am excited to be in the position to champion the value created, both economically and socially, by the BVCA’s members across the next 12 months.

“It is these members who will unleash the true potential of businesses across the country, ensuring that the UK remains the best place for innovation to thrive and the destination for both founders and asset managers to deliver the economic recovery.”

Michael Moore, Director General of the BVCA, said: “Everyone at the BVCA is thrilled to welcome Kerry as Chair at what is a key moment for our industry as we look to support a growth-led economic recovery for the UK.

“I am certain that the wealth of experience and energy she brings with her will prove to be invaluable in taking us forward over the next year, as will her unwavering support for the public value that our members create for the country as a whole.”

Originally published on the BVCA website.