ShareSoc Growth Company Seminar (IN-PERSON EVENT), London 25 March 2026

ShareSoc Growth Company Seminar (IN-PERSON EVENT), London 25 March 2026, 5pm
Featuring: Harbourvest (HVPE), Gattaca plc (GATC), RetailBook, Mercia Asset Management PLC (MERC)

Location: ISH Venues
229 Great Portland Street
W1W 5PN

Companies presenting

Harbourvest (HVPE)

HarbourVest Global Private Equity (HVPE) is a listed investment company that provides investors with access to private company investments. Listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange, HVPE sits in the FTSE 250 and has net assets of $4.2 billion and a market capitalisation of approximately £2.0 billion as of 31 August 2025. HVPE invests exclusively in HarbourVest managed funds.

HarbourVest Partners is an independent, global private markets asset manager with over 43 years of experience.

Presenter:
Richard Hickman, Managing Director
Richard Hickman joined HarbourVest in 2014 to focus on the activities of HarbourVest Global Private Equity Limited (HVPE), a closed-end investment company that invests in and alongside HarbourVest-managed funds. Richard is responsible for the day-to-day management of the company. He joined HarbourVest after seven years with 3i plc, where he progressed through a number of roles, latterly serving as a manager in the business planning and analysis group.

Gattaca plc (GATC)

Gattaca plc is a UK-based specialist in STEM recruitment and workforce solutions. With more than 40 years’ history, the business has evolved from a core engineering recruitment outfit into a diversified provider of technical, engineering, and project delivery talent services.

Business Model & Segments
Gattaca operates across multiple complementary lines: permanent and contract recruitment, total workforce outsourcing, and outcome-based project delivery. Its brands include Matchtech (engineering & technical recruitment), Infosec People (cybersecurity talent), and Gattaca Projects (statement-of-work/project solutions). Through these, Gattaca serves sectors such as aerospace, automotive, defence, energy, infrastructure, technology, and utilities. Geographically, its revenue remains heavily UK-centric, with modest international operations in Europe and North America.
Financial & Operating Profile
In its latest reported year ending 31 July 2025, Gattaca delivered Net Fee Income of £38.8m on turnover of £398.9 million, generating underlying profit before tax of £3.3m 13% up on prior year, with net assets of £29.4 million and cash reserves of £15.7 million.
For the year to 31 July 2025, Gattaca paid a dividend of 3.0 pence per share split between an interim of 1p and a final of 2p.
Strengths, Challenges & Outlook
Gattaca’s niche focus on STEM talent gives it structural advantage, especially in an economy where highly skilled technical resources are in strong demand. The ability to wrap recruitment with outcome-based solutions (through Gattaca Projects) adds differentiation.

Presenters:
Matthew Wragg, CEO
Matthew was appointed CEO of Gattaca in 2022, taking responsibility for the Group’s strategic development, performance improvement, and overall executive management. Since joining Gattaca in 2002, he has held several key leadership roles, including Chief Customer Officer and Group Business Development Director. With extensive experience in the Engineering and Technology markets and deep expertise in the recruitment and services industries, Matthew brings a comprehensive understanding of both the business and the sectors we serve.

Oliver Whittaker, CFO
Oliver was appointed to the Board in April 2022, having joined Gattaca in January 2018 as Group Director of Financial Planning where he actively supported the Board and worked closely with Matthew and the wider management board. Oliver was previously UK Finance Director for Fitness First where he was instrumental in the transformation and return to growth between 2012 and 2018, prior to which he held a number of operational finance roles within Serco and IBM. Oliver trained and qualified as a Chartered Accountant with RSM Robson Rhodes.

RetailBook

RetailBook makes markets more inclusive and efficient by connecting individual investors with public companies seeking to raise equity or debt capital, and providing access to investment opportunities on the same terms as large institutions.

Presenters:
Michael Ward, Director, Capital Markets
Mike has over a decade of experience in Equity Capital Markets within Investment Banking. Formerly at Santander, in both Madrid and London, he has originated and executed various equity fundraises across the UK and Europe. His involvement in the retail offer for Porsche’s IPO in 2022 ignited his passion for retail inclusion in European Capital Markets. Before his banking career, Mike was a professional rugby player for Bath and London Irish.

Stacey Parsons, Managing Director, Head of Fixed Income.
With over 25 years’ industry experience at the forefront of retail and wealth investor access to UK capital markets, including significant time as a retail gilt-edged market maker (GEMM), Stacey is the founder and Chair of the Investor Access to Regulated Bonds working group (IARB), a member of the London Stock Exchange Group’s Primary Markets Group and a Livery woman of the Worshipful Company of International Bankers (WCIB) Stacey joined RetailBook in early 2025.

Mercia Asset Management PLC (MERC)

Mercia Asset Management PLC (MERC) is a UK-focused private capital asset manager that backs regional SMEs and high-growth businesses outside London, helping them achieve their growth ambitions through flexible capital and active support.

Mercia provides investment solutions across four core asset classes, venture, debt, private equity, and proprietary capital with adjacent strategies spanning development capital and property finance, and an expansion into real assets where there is clear market demand. The Group’s investment platform is designed to connect institutional and private capital with attractive regional opportunities that can be under-served by London-centric networks.

A defining strength is Mercia’s national footprint of 11 regional offices, supported by deep local adviser relationships, personal networks and university partnerships. This regional presence helps Mercia originate and access high-quality deal flow, often identifying opportunities earlier and with greater local insight than more centralised competitors.

As a listed business, Mercia is executing its Mercia ’27 plan, focused on:

Growing third-party assets under management (AuM)
Improving profitability
Delivering a progressive dividend

Presenters:
Dr Mark Payton, CEO
Mark has extensive investment and scale-up experience. Since co-founding Mercia, he has led the sales of Hybrid Systems Ltd (to Myotec) to create PsiOxus Therapeutics Ltd, Warwick Effect Polymers Ltd (to Polytherics Ltd) to create Abzena plc, Oxford Genetics Ltd (sold to WuXi AppTec) and led the founding investment in Allinea Software Ltd (sold to ARM).

Prior to Mercia, Mark played a leading role within Oxford University Innovation (“OUI”), the technology transfer operation of the University of Oxford, spinning out BioAnalab Ltd (sold to Millipore), Oxford Immunotec Ltd (listed on NASDAQ), Oxitec Ltd (sold to Intrexon) and Natural Motion Ltd (sold to Zynga). Following his time at OUI, Mark was the vice president of corporate development at Oxxon Therapeutics Inc, prior to its sale to Oxford BioMedica plc.

Mark gained his PhD jointly between the University of Oxford and the University of London (King’s College). Mark also has an MBA from the University of Warwick, is a Sainsbury Management Fellow for Life Sciences and was awarded the 2015 EY Entrepreneur of the Year
(regional and national).

Martin Glanfield, CFO
Martin has significant public and private markets business experience. He is a KPMG-qualified chartered accountant with more than 25 years’ experience as chief financial officer of four listed, three private equity-backed and several privately owned technology-led businesses.

Martin joined the main market listed Forward Group PLC in 1993 and was group financial director from 1995 until its sale, for £129.0million, in 1997. In 1999, as deputy chief executive of Symonds plc, Martin led the ‘public to private’ of this main market-listed technology group, backed by NatWest Equity Partners. The group was successfully restructured and sold within 12 months to a NASDAQ-listed US electronics group, whereupon he became a vice president, working frequently in Silicon Valley.

In addition to his CFO responsibilities, he also has overall responsibility for Mercia’s legal, compliance, marketing and M&A activities. Martin also chairs Mercia’s two lending subsidiaries which are currently managing c.£850million of Mercia’s AuM. He has an Honours degree in Business from Aston University and has passed the FT Non-executive Director Diploma.

This seminar consists of a 20-minute presentation by each company followed by 10 minutes of questions and answers.

After the presentations there will be an hour of Networking with light buffet and wine where you will have the opportunity to engage directly with company directors and share your investing experience with fellow investors.

Event registration opens at 4.30 pm and presentations commence at 5.00 pm.

Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come, first served.

Stockopedia will provide facts and figures on the presenting companies for attendees (don’t forget that ShareSoc subscribing members can get a special discount on Stockopedia subscription rates – see Member Offers).

Registration

To register, members should log in, then just click “SUBMIT” below.

Click here for help on logging in or email events@sharesoc.org

If you are not yet a member, please complete the registration form below and you will automatically be granted Associate membership.

March 25, 2026

Group description:	Our group discuss a wide range of income generating instruments. Quoted dividend paying companies are usually the biggest topic for discussion; but we also discuss dividend paying Investment Trusts (including REITs) and ETFs, bonds (government and corporate), and preference shares.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are held online via Zoom.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly on the 1st Tuesday of the month, from 6:30pm.

Group description:	The aim of this group is to share our investing ideas and experiences across all equity markets, brokers, websites and software to the benefit of us all. We do not discuss sums of money invested but may mention percentages gained and lost. We will rotate the chairperson who is responsible for creating, with member’s help, suitable agendas. We also rotate members to deliver a presentation, lasting between 15 and 45 minutes, on a topic of their choosing.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are held online via video conferencing.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly on the 3rd Tuesday of the month, from 2-4pm.

Group description:	We welcome anyone interested in investments regardless of their level of knowledge and experience.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are held in a function room of a pub in Beaconsfield New Town.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly on the 1st Wednesday of each month at 6pm.

Group description:	Investors of all levels of experience are welcome to join the Farnham (Surrey) group. Convened by David Stredder, who will be known to many as the founder of Mello, organiser of in person investment conferences and virtual Mello Mondays. David is also a director at ShareSoc and has been investing in quoted shares since the 1980s, with a focus on UK small caps. He has an extensive knowledge of UK companies and network of contacts in the investing universe.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are held at a pub near to the railway station in Farnham, GU9.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are held monthly on the 2nd Tuesday of the month from 11am to 3pm with a break for lunch.

Group description:	Our Group considers both US Small Caps (up to $2bn Market Cap) and Mid Caps (up to $10bn market Cap). Meetings include discussions around buys / sells / watchlists, a short Macro discussion and discussions led by group members on companies or topics of their choice.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are held online.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are held on the 3rd Monday of the month from 7pm.

Group description:	Our group is interested in sustainable investing and our goal is to identify and evaluate businesses that will thrive through innovation and their transition to a ‘One Planet Economy’. By leveraging the skills of group members, we aim to deeply understand these businesses, particularly focusing on how they develop long-term valuable benefits for their customers. Each year, we plan to evaluate around seven businesses to identify opportunities where our valuation exceeds the market price. A successful outcome is defined as achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR), including dividends, of 10% over a decade.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings are in-person in a pub near to Waterloo station in London.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are bi-monthly on a Monday from 10:45am to 4:30pm. Members are expected to also pay for their own lunch which secures the group free use of a private room in the pub. The cost is expected to be £35-40 per person, per meeting, in addition to your SIGnet membership fee.

Group description:	All levels of experience welcome. A typical meeting agenda includes: – Macro Environment – Trades: Members review existing positions and identify securities with promising TA entry patterns or setups and with suitable risk/reward. Any security, long, short, futures, options may be considered. The convener takes actual positions in trades and maintains his own detailed ledger, accurately measuring performance of individual securities and cumulative activity. Members are notified by e-mail prior to the entries or exits that are decided upon. Following each meeting an updated copy of the ledger is circulated together with the next meeting agenda. Members may wish to maintain similar ledgers of their own but there is no obligation to do so. – Technical Analysis: Techniques and systems used in trades. Members can request discussion of particular aspects of TA.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Online via Zoom
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	The first Tuesday of every month from 7 to 9pm

Group description:	Open to all investors / people with an interest in investing. Typical meeting will involve members talking about recent purchases, successes, failures and possible future purchases. Also with occasional visiting speakers or members making presentations on a topic of interest.
Meeting Type/Venue:	We aim to meet on the last Tuesday of each month in a private room at a pub in Playhatch. Start time 7pm with members encouraged to meet up around 6pm for a bite to eat / drink before hand, if their diaries allow.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	7pm on the last Tuesday of the month. Meetings likely to last about two hours but with informal ‘overspill’ before / after.

Group description:	Our group members have wide ranging investment experience and work backgrounds. Discussion topics include reviewing our recent stock or collective investment buying and selling activity, plus what we are considering buying or selling and the reasons for our decisions. We also have a wider discussion on where we think opportunities might arise in the next few months and what we think needs to be avoided. Members occasionally lead discussions on specific topics such as recent events attended, articles or books of interest and sources of investment ideas and information.
Meeting Type/Venue:	During the pandemic our meetings were held on Zoom, but we have now resumed meeting in person at a location a few miles to the west of Colchester. Most meetings will now be in person, but it is possible that occasional meetings will be held on Zoom in special circumstances.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	We meet midweek every two months. Zoom meetings run for about two hours from 10.30am and in person meetings from 11am until about 3pm, including a break for lunch.