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Alexander (Sandy) Flockhart CBE, joins Oxford Capital as Non-Exec Director

Ex HSBC Bank Chair, Flockhart brings a wealth of experience to the role

Oxford Capital, the alternative investment manager, has announced the appointment of Alexander (Sandy) Flockhart as Non-Exec Director to the Board of Oxford Capital Partners Holdings Limited.

In addition, Sandy sits as an independent member of the investment committee of the firm.  He brings to the role broad experience in investment management, financial services, regulatory affairs and governance.  His appointment follows the retirement of Sir Martin Smith, who stepped down as a director earlier in 2020 and remains a senior adviser to the firm.

Sandy has had a long career in financial services spanning private equity and international banking.  He served in a number of senior positions at HSBC Banking Group, including CEO of its operations in Asia Pacific and Latin America.  He was later promoted to Chairman of HSBC UK, the group’s largest European subsidiary and was also appointed to the main Board of HSBC Holdings.  Since retiring from HSBC, Sandy has been chairman of a challenger bank in the UK and was a partner in a private equity firm.

In December 2007, he received a CBE in recognition of his services to British business, charitable services and financial institutions.  He has expertise in nurturing talent and embracing diversity to achieve extraordinary results.

David Mott, a Founder Partner at Oxford Capital, said: “We are delighted to have Sandy on board, he brings a wealth of experience as we focus on building our business and making meaningful investments.  We also want to take this opportunity to renew our thanks to Sir Martin Smith for his contributions over recent years.”

“We’ve been encouraged by how strongly the UK start up sector has performed over the past year.  Many founders and management teams have displayed impressive resilience and introduced new products and services as they have capitalised on opportunities from a changing economy.  A particular highlight for Oxford Capital has been delivering two significant deep tech exits over the last 12 months: the sale of Ultrasoc Technologies in Cambridge, a microchip technology business, to Siemens and the acquisition of Latent Logic in Oxford, a driverless vehicle AI specialist, by Waymo (part of Google).  Our portfolio of UK technology companies has continued to develop strongly and completed a record year of fund raising in 2020.”

Sandy Flockhart commented: “I’ve known the Oxford Capital team for a number of years, and I’m delighted to be joining such a dynamic and progressive business.  I’m pleased to be sharing my experience with the firm to support its efforts in backing early-stage technology companies which have the potential to contribute to the economic renewal of our national economy.”

 

 

 

 

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Due to the potential for losses, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) considers this investment to be high risk.

What are the key risks?

  1. You could lose all the money you invest
    1. If the business you invest in fails, you are likely to lose 100% of the money you invested. Most start-up businesses fail.
  2. You are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong
    1. Protection from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), in relation to claims against failed regulated firms, does not cover poor investment performance. Try the FSCS investment protection checker here.
    2. Protection from the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) does not cover poor investment performance. If you have a complaint against an FCA-regulated firm, FOS may be able to consider it. Learn more about FOS protection here.
  3. You won’t get your money back quickly
    1. Even if the business you invest in is successful, it may take several years to get your money back. You are unlikely to be able to sell your investment early.
    2. The most likely way to get your money back is if the business is bought by another business or lists its shares on an exchange such as the London Stock Exchange. These events are not common.
    3. If you are investing in a start-up business, you should not expect to get your money back through dividends. Start-up businesses rarely pay these.
  4. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
    1. Putting all your money into a single business or type of investment for example, is risky. Spreading your money across different investments makes you less dependent on any one to do well.
    2. A good rule of thumb is not to invest more than 10% of your money in high-risk investments. https://www.fca.org.uk/investsmart/5-questions-ask-you-invest
  5. The value of your investment can be reduced
    1. The percentage of the business that you own will decrease if the business issues more shares. This could mean that the value of your investment reduces, depending on how much the business grows. Most start-up businesses issue multiple rounds of shares.
    2. These new shares could have additional rights that your shares don’t have, such as the right to receive a fixed dividend, which could further reduce your chances of getting a return on your investment.

 

If you are interested in learning more about how to protect yourself, visit the FCA’s website here.