Hey there, Trailblazer.

Fiona manages our social media accounts and is currently studying Business and Marketing at Regents University London. Driven by her passion for entrepreneurship and marketing, Fiona has previously built a photography business where she photographed and ran social media campaigns for many global brands such as Hollister and Brandy Melville.

Tara has worked in both corporate and start-up environments across a range of Financial and Fintech spaces, including a private markets investment platform, an insurance house and most recently, revenue-based financing.

Tara is passionate about working with innovative SMEs with a particular love for burger start-ups.

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Sam studied Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham. During this time, he began to explore his entrepreneurial interests, utilising his passion and knowledge for fashion to launch a fashion re-marketing business. Sam has spent time in the Corporate, Start-up and Scale-up space and joins us from the Commercial team at JustPark, where he helped establish the fastest-growing EV charging network in the U.K alongside his participation on the NEF+ program.

Tom began his career in Corporate Finance at Deloitte before moving into the tech sector. He worked in Business Development at Mimecast and Leverton AI, after which he completed his MBA at Cambridge University. Tom is a big Brighton & Hove Albion fan and usually spends his weekends disappointed at the Amex stadium or running down the Thames Path.

Maddie studied Biomedical Sciences at University of Edinburgh. Driven by her passion for nutrition and sustainability, she furthered her career at a number of early stage, high growth plant-based food startups. With a desire to form her own entrepreneurial path, Maddie graduated NEF+, a program to develop entrepreneurial skills by the Centre for Entrepreneurs.

Joe joined us from Credit Portfolio Management at Barclays, where he focused on the pricing and structuring of debt facilities across the Retail, Tech & Media, and Real Estate sectors. Joe is passionate about the mental health of young people, and a trustee of The Wolfpack Project, a charity dedicated to reducing loneliness and social isolation amongst young adults.

Before joining Forward Advances, Jamie spent time in Iraq with the United Nations before moving to London to work at Private Equity International specialising in EMEA and APAC fund managers. When Jamie isn't out looking for the UK's next best start-up, you will often find Jamie nestled in the corner of a pub wearing his Irish rugby jersey.

Hasam spent four years in the British Army before progressing through the ranks at Bank of America and PayPal, alongside founding two startups. Hasam is passionate about re-imagining business lending for entrepreneurs, and is using his expertise to improve the offerings for founders. Hasam recently rekindled his youth by doing his motorbike exam.

Brendon started his career in banking at Credit Suisse and the National Australia Bank before completing his MBA at the University of Oxford. Brendon joins us from Nautica Capital, a pan-European VC focused on Series A investments in B2B software. Brendon has lived across three continents and his accent is more confused than his story about where he is from.