Chief Investment Officer, Northern Gritstone

Marion Bernard is Chief Investment Officer at Northern Gritstone. This is a ground-breaking new investment company based in the north of England founded by the Universities of Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield. It intends to be one of the largest investors into academic spin-outs in the UK dedicated to financing companies in some of the UK’s fastest growing sectors such as life
sciences, health technology, advanced materials, energy, and cognitive computation. Marion began her career at Barclays, before joining 3i where she worked in the 3i northern team and in the 3i global healthcare team. As CEO, Marion led Northstar Ventures to become a pre-eminent regional fund manager focused on university spin outs, seed and early-stage venture deals.

As a Regional Director and national member of the Executive Committee and Ventures Operating Board at BGF, Marion played a pivotal role in establishing BGF as the largest UK growth capital investor. Immediately before joining Northern Gritstone, Marion was UK Managing Director for the $1bn US investment platform, Firmament, focused on growth and venture deals.