ShareSoc Growth Company Seminar (IN-PERSON EVENT), Manchester, 12 May 2026 5.30pm
Featuring: Duke Capital Limited (DUKE), Abingdon Health Group (ABDX), Third Company TBC
Location: DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester – Piccadilly
One Piccadilly Place, 1 Auburn Street, Manchester, M1 3DG
Companies presenting
Duke Capital Limited (DUKE)
Duke Capital Limited (“Duke Capital”, the “Firm”) was founded in 2015 and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (AIM) with office in London and Toronto. Since inception, the Firm has focused providing hybrid capital solutions that incorporate a combination of long-term loans and minority equity financing to profitable, cash-flow-generative lower middle market companies, typically with EBITDA of £2–10 million. The investment strategy is to facilitate and provide hybrid credit to finance buy and build strategies, management buyouts, dividend recapitalizations, and other shareholder transitions of lower middle-market companies across United Kingdom, Western Europe, and North America. Since inception, Duke Capital has deployed more than ~£300 million across 22 investments, completed 8 realizations, and currently manages an active portfolio of 14 platform companies comprising more than 70 operating subsidiaries.
Presenters:
Neil Johnson – Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer
Neil Johnson is an Executive Director and the Chief Executive Officer of Duke Capital. Neil is responsible for the overall strategic direction and performance of the company. He works closely with the other Board members and the Investment Committee, leveraging his extensive experience of originating, evaluating and structuring deals to deliver bespoke and flexible funding solutions for an underserved segment within the SME market.
Neil’s 30-year career has been dedicated to supporting the inflow of capital into mid-market growth companies. During this time, he has raised over £5 billion in capital across the private and public markets, as an investment banker and through his own ventures.
Neil is a graduate of the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University and holds the designation of Chartered Financial Analyst. He is also the Founder and Chair of the UK Terry Fox Association, the UK affiliate of the global cancer research charity, to further the legacy of Terry Fox for the UK.
Charlie Cannon Brookes – Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer
Charlie Cannon Brookes is an Executive Director of the company and is focussed on deal origination, due diligence, execution and monitoring as well as UK plc responsibilities.
Charlie has over 20 years investment experience and has advised and sat on the boards of several different funds, trusts and other publicly traded investment companies. Prior to Duke, he owned and was the CIO of Arlington Group Asset Management Limited which acted as the UK based, FCA regulated investment management company to the Arlington Special Situations Fund. Earlier in his career Charlie worked at Jupiter Asset Management, ABN Amro and Barclays de Zoete Wedd.
Charlie holds a BA Honours degree in Economics & Politics from the University of Exeter.
Abingdon Health Group (ABDX)
Abingdon Health Group is a leading med-tech contract service provider offering its services to an international customer base.
The Group’s CDMO (Contract Development and Manufacturing Organisation) expertise offers lateral flow product development, regulatory support, technology transfer and manufacturing services for customers looking to develop new assays or transfer existing laboratory-based assays to a lateral flow format. Abingdon Health has the internal capabilities to take lateral flow projects, in areas such as infectious disease and clinical testing, including companion diagnostics, animal health and environmental testing, from initial concept through to routine manufacturing; from idea to commercial success.
Abingdon’s regulatory services companies, Compliance Solutions (Life Sciences) and IVDeology, provide a broad range of regulatory services to the in vitro diagnostic and wider medical device industry, to support customers in bringing products to market across a range of territories including the USA, EU and the UK. Its consultancy services range from design, implementation and maintenance of quality management systems, preparation of technical files for regulatory approvals, part-time and interim management support, auditing both internal and external, management reviews and presentations, training and mentoring. The Company’s subsidiary, Abingdon Analytical Ltd, offers analytical testing and performance evaluation to generate the required technical and data for regulatory approval for lateral flow and other in vitro diagnostic assays from its Doncaster, England facilities.
Founded in 2008, Abingdon Health is headquartered in York, England with laboratories in Doncaster, England and laboratories and commercial offices in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Presenters:
Dr Chris Hand – Executive Chairman
Dr Chris Hand is a Co-founder of Abingdon Health with more than 30 years’ experience in the medical diagnostics industry. He co-founded Cozart plc, sold to Concateno plc in 2007 (now part of Abbott). Chris holds a BSc in Applied Biochemistry from Brunel University and a DPhil from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oxford.
Tom Hayes– Chief Financial Officer
Tom Hayes Joined Abingdon Health in January 2025. He has 10 years’ experience as Group Finance Director at Northern Bear plc, an AIM-listed Group of ten specialist building services companies. Tom held roles with EY and Sentio Insight LLP, a boutique advisory firm. He holds BA Economics from Durham University and Fellow of Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales
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 5.00 pm and presentations commence at 5.30 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
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