Biography

Ray is an entrepreneur with an established track record of shareholder value creation. Until 1997, Ray was executive chairman and the principal shareholder in Forward Group PLC, which he grew from a start-up company in 1978 to become one of Europe’s leading high-technology printed circuit board manufacturers, listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. In 1997 Forward Group accepted a £129.0million offer from PCB Investments plc, a company established by Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst. Subsequently, Ray diversified  his interests in a number of areas, which included setting up the Forward Innovation Fund, a trust focused on investing in university spinouts and other technology-led start-ups.Ray was  appointed Non-executive Chair at the time of the Group’s IPO and having steered Mercia Asset Management through its first 18 months as a  listed company, moved to a non-executive position in May 2016.

Ray has deep venture experience across several decades and sectors, as both a founder of and investor in many start-up businesses which have resulted in successful cash exits.