Meet the Team
David Best - Managing Director
David has over 20 years venture capital and M&A experience. He joined YFM Group from Peterhouse Group, a FTSE 500 business, where he was Group Finance Director and Group Corporate Development Director, prior to which he was at Bridgepoint Capital. David is a Chartered Accountant, having qualified with Arthur Andersen in Leeds.
Mark Hunter - Investment Director
Mark has over 15 years of private equity and banking experience gained at YFM Group and Barclays Bank. He holds an MBA from Leeds University where he specialised in corporate strategy. He is currently the Investment Director for the Yorkshire and Humber Equity Fund.
David Livesley - Investment Manager
David worked in the life science and pharmaceutical industries before joining Cambridge Consultants Ltd in 1987 where he provided strategic and technical consultancy for both multinational and SME clients. This included development of new products and manufacturing processes across a range of industrial sectors. He founded and led Cambridge Consultants materials technology and chemistry activities prior to leaving to join YFM Group in 1999. He worked primarily on the British Smaller Technology Companies VCT plc and British Smaller Technology Companies VCT2 plc, and provided technology consulting support for investments across a range of YFM Group managed funds. David began working on the Yorkshire & Humber Equity Fund, PIF and South Yorkshire Investment Fund in 2006. He also serves as a non-executive director for Oxford Technology 4 VCT plc.
Paul Betts - Investment Manager
Since graduating with a degree in Geography & Archaeology from Manchester University in 1996 Paul has spent 10 years in the accountancy profession with Grant Thornton. Paul spent 5 years in audit & assurance before specialising in Corporate Finance. Paul has considerable Corporate Finance experience including MBO's, MBI's, acquisitions, disposals, finance raising, financial modelling and deal origination. Paul joined the YFM Group in November 2006 as an Investment Manager on the Yorkshire and Humber regional venture capital fund.
Ian Waterfield - Investment Manager
Ian recently joined YFM Venture Finance to work on the Yorkshire and Humber Equity Fund from a senior transaction services role within KPMG in Leeds. For the last five years Ian has provided support to SME, private equity-backed and listed businesses on a wide range of transactions. Prior to this, he spent two years working for KPMG Canada in Vancouver, predominantly with hospitality and property development businesses. His broad sector experience also includes construction, retail, consumer products, recruitment and distribution.