Welcome
Welcome. Mercia Technologies PLC is listed on AIM, joining the London Stock Exchange in December 2014. Mercia is an ambitious business that in 4 years has come from a small operation in the Midlands with circa 7 employees and £30m in assets under management (AUM) to now the fourth most active UK venture capital investor with over 90 employees and circa £0.5bn in AUM. Our central ethos is governed by 4 core values will operate against; (i) Growth, (ii) Trust, (iii) Knowledgeable, and (iv) Responsive. We seek to be the first choice supportive investor for future beacon companies, initially focused in the UK regions of the Midlands, the North of England and Scotland but with the ambition to take the investment model nationally, and then evaluate global expansion opportunities.
Our model is simple, to provide support, resource and capital to companies initially through third party managed funds (of which we have circa £400m in AUM with approximately £200m of cash to invest over the next 4-5 years), and then selectively scale businesses using our own balance sheet cash (where we have circa £38m of free cash to invest). This hybrid investment model means we can take our time to build valuable companies, however this creates a diverse stakeholder base which require regular updates against this journey:
- Existing portfolio companies (investees)
- Prospective investees – how do we ensure we see the best and win the best deals?
- Clients (investors) in our managed funds
- Potential new clients (or existing clients) to future funds to be raised
- Investor relations to existing shareholders and to prospective new shareholders
- Employees (existing and prospective employees)
As CEO, my passion is to make a positive long term difference and ensure we communicate this momentum and potential to all our stakeholders whilst respecting the highly regulated setting we operate within. The appointment of Director of Marketing, IR & Portfolio Marketing Services is a key appointment for Mercia and will play a formative role in our next steps. This role will report to the CEO, you will be part of our senior management team and will have the autonomy to shape investor relations and marketing communications going forwards.
Mark Payton
CEO
About Mercia
Mercia is a national investment group focused on the identification, creation, funding and scaling of innovative businesses with high growth potential from the UK regions.
Mercia invested £59.7million in 2018, with over 90 per cent of the funding going to businesses outside of London and the South East. The figure, up from £48.0million the previous year, highlights Mercia’s role as one of the UK’s most active investors and a key source of funding for regional SMEs.
Growing by approximately 30 per cent per annum, Mercia has built a venture portfolio of in excess of 170 companies created and financed via its third party managed venture funds. Using Mercia’s own cash resources it has selectively scaled the most promising companies sourced from this venture portfolio to include synthetic biology company Oxford Genetics, VR company nDreams, speaker company Warwick Acoustics, aluminium shaping company Impression Technologies and bot mitigation company Intechnica.z
Mercia has built a reputation as a supportive investor. In a recent survey of portolfio companies, 84% of respondents said they were likely to recommend Mercia to other entrepreneurs and 75% had already done so.
Purpose
Mercia’s vision is to become the leading national player in the identification, creation, funding and scaling of high growth businesses with an emphasis on the Midlands, the North of England and Scotland. Through its managed funds and its own balance sheet Mercia is able to provide the 'Complete Capital Solution,' offering a range of debt, venture and growth capital to UK SMEs.
Our teams focus on value realisation through the proactive local delivery of the right capital, to the right companies, at the right time.
The Group believes there is a significant opportunity in the UK regions to develop leading businesses through the efficient and targeted provision of capital and support, creating substantial value for shareholders.
Mercia focuses on some of the highest growth sectors in the UK, leveraging deep expertise across a number of areas, including:
- Digital & Digital Entertainment
- Electronics, Materials, Manufacturing/Engineering
- Software & the Internet
- Life Sciences & Biosciences
The Group benefits from 19 university partnerships and nine offices across the UK, providing it with direct access to high quality, regional deal flow. From seed through to exit, Mercia is well placed to deploy a full range of equity and debt capital, from seed rounds of £100,000 to funding rounds of £10.0million, through its 'Complete Capital Solution.' This combines third party managed funds with the potential for direct investment via Mercia Technologies PLC, which is able to support businesses at a later stage to drive growth and enhance value.
Our Values
Life at Mercia
During 2018, we had fabulous fun at the our Gala Dinner, Derby Velodrome, Axe Throwing, The Crystal Maze Away Day, our What We Do Day, and a number of business updates, with the ‘Three Ps’ (Pizza, Peroni & Prosecco). More fun to follow in 2019!
Employee Engagement Survey 2018
In 2018, we conducted our first Employee Engagement Survey. Here’s just some of the fantastic feedback ...
"I am proud to be part of Mercia."
"It really feels like we are one team at Mercia."
"We are a fast growing, exciting company that I am glad to be part of."
We like to recognise our good work and special achievements …
The Opportunity
Job Title: Director of Marketing, IR and Portfolio Marketing Services
Salary: Competitive Package
Locations: Henley-in-Arden or Manchester (with UK travel)
Your Company
Mercia Technologies PLC is listed on AIM, joining the London Stock Exchange in December 2014. Mercia is an ambitious business that in 4 years has come from a small operation in the Midlands with circa 7 employees and £30m in assets under management (AUM) to now the 4th most active UK venture capital investor with over 80 employees and circa £0.5bn in AUM. As our success continues, we are looking to appoint a Director Of Marketing, IR and Portfolio Services.
Your new role
This is a full-time role. You’ll lead a small team of 3 people and be given the opportunity to shape the full operation of this key function within Mercia. You’ll report directly to the CEO and be fully responsible for the delivery of all marketing and messaging both internally and externally (including Mercia’s investment portfolio) for Mercia, creating and leading the strategy behind communication and development and evolution of the brand. As part of the Senior Management Team, you’ll be a strong team player, be brave and creative in your approach, an innovator whose ideas will match the high levels of ambition that Mercia possess, you will be resilient enough to learn from mistakes and accept challenge.
What you’ll need to succeed
You will be commercially astute and have previously worked in a senior marketing role where you will have been managing a team and drive the marketing agenda. You will possess an impressive academic grounding, be ambitious and enthusiastic with a genuine interest and/or previous exposure to the Investment Sector. You will be able to demonstrate a unique blend of creativity underpinned by excellence in attention to detail and a highly analytical approach. Your verbal and written communication skills must be outstanding. This role will suit an individual who has experienced a blend of company sizes from small start-up to a larger corporate, somebody who is prepared to roll their sleeves up but also comes with experience of a best in class marketing function.
What you’ll get in return
You’ll be offered a competitive salary plus a comprehensive benefits package, which includes a generous performance related annual bonus, 25 days annual leave, company pension plan, health cover, life assurance, income protection cover and long term capital incentives. You’ll enjoy working in an exciting, fast paced environment, with a team of hard working, ambitious and likeminded individuals.
For more information please contact our retained consultant Hannah Pearsall at Hays on 0121 230 1490 or at hannah.pearsall@hays.com
Documents:
Full Job DescriptionLocations
The position could be based in either Henley-In-Arden or Manchester with some travel to all of our UK offices
Henley-In-Arden
Mercia Technologies PLCForward House
17 High Street
Henley-in-Arden
B95 5AA Get direction
Manchester
Mercia Technologies PLCThe Pinnacle Building
73/79 King Street
Manchester
M2 4NG Get direction
