Hugh Parnell

Hugh is a qualified chartered accountant who has had a diverse career centred around finance, management and business development.

Much of his career was spent working with/for large corporates such as BP and blue chip investment banks such as Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and Robert Fleming.  However, in 2000 Hugh joined the NW Brown Group in Cambridge to head up corporate finance and take responsibility for the early stage VC, business angels and 'access to finance' activities around high-tech Cambridge.   By 2007 that team had acquired mandates to manage a suite of early stage venture funds totaling £40m, including the former Greater Eastern Investment Forum, a business angel network that thrived for many years prior to the recession.  Hugh still sits on the Boards of some 6 investee companies.

Hugh now divides his time between consulting for early stage businesses and funds, engaging with companies directly to help with business development, working for public sector organisations as a business mentor and developing "cleantech" business support in the region. He co-founded the Cambridge Energy Forum, set up a "cleantech" special interest group for the Cambridge Network and runs Envirotech Ltd, a membership organization for growing environmental solutions businesses. He has recently "launched" another special interest group at Cambridge Network focusing on the commercial exploitation of satellites and space and he is setting one up for charities too.

Hugh is a Director of NW Brown Group Ltd, a Board member of Cambridge Network, Chairman of Envirotech Ltd and a non-executive director of several other companies.