An entrepreneur and private equity investor with over 20 years experience in developing
smaller companies. In 1992 he founded Cairnsford, a private equity firm investing
in smaller UK companies. Cairnsford helped to develop a number of market leading
businesses including Acis, a provider of intelligent transport systems, Antenna
Audio, the world leader in audio and audio-visual interpretation to the culture
and leisure sectors, and the themutual.net, a provider of online marketing services.
Vince acted as Chairman of all three Companies, leading them through their formative
years and to successful exits. Other Cairnsford investments within the largely realised
portfolio included Ted Baker and Carluccio's. Between 1989 and 1992 he was with
HIT Investments plc, the corporate venture capital subsidiary of Hillsdown Holdings
plc, which provided venture capital to public and private companies specialising
in turnaround situations which required an active approach to investing. Vince qualified
as a chartered accountant, and from 1985 to 1989 worked at PriceWaterhouse in the
business advisory and corporate finance function.
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