'Milestone event' as former AstraZeneca executive joins Fife investment firm Eos Advisory

A former senior AstraZeneca executive has come on board at Eos Advisory, the Fife-based investment firm, in a “milestone event”.

Left to right are Andrew McNeill, Chris Brinsmead and Kevin Grainger of Eos Advisory. Picture: Stewart Attwood

Chris Brinsmead – a council member at Imperial College London and a former adviser to the UK government on life sciences – has joined Eos as a partner.

He has previously held senior executive roles at ICI, Zeneca and AstraZeneca, and over the last decade has been a non-executive board member and chair on a number of private and public limited company boards.

Andrew McNeill, managing partner at St Andrews-based Eos Advisory, said: “We have always had an enormous amount of respect for Chris’s achievements in the UK and international pharmaceutical sector, and have then had the pleasure of working more closely with Chris on Cumulus Oncology and other Eos-backed ventures in recent times.

“Bringing Chris on board is a milestone event for the firm and is a sign of our ambitions for the future.”

Brinsmead said: “Meeting the team over the last two years and investing in a couple of their companies I realised that I was fully aligned with the goals of the Eos partners.

“Eos is a group of hugely talented, diverse individuals with tremendous experience. I believe that by joining the partnership, I can help to strengthen their work and potentially increase the impact.

“I am excited to identify and work with start-up companies, conceived in Scotland, focused on four distinct themes, all of which can have an impact worldwide. Some of these companies may grow to be global players, making a positive impact on the environment and human health.”

Founded by chairman Kevin Grainger in 2014, Eos currently has a portfolio of 13 investee companies, including ILC Therapeutics, 3FBio, Xelect and Cumulus Oncology, investing in four key impact areas – disease prevention and treatment; energy security, climate change and pollution; food and water security; and sustainability of industrial processes and infrastructure.

The investment firm sees specific opportunities with strategic investments in novel oncology technologies and treatments and cleantech, but says it “will remain active on a deal-by-deal basis in all four of the wider impact areas”.

In November, Eos appointed Mark Beaumont, the record-breaking cyclist and author, to its leadership team to help deliver its strategic growth plans over the coming years.

The firm said at the time that the strengthening of its senior executive team was the first in a series of forthcoming announcements which would support its growth strategy.

Beaumont’s remit will include helping to secure new co-investors, based in the UK and internationally, adding to the investment leverage which the firm has been able to bring to its portfolio to date.

Beaumont is best known for his record-breaking cycles around the globe, his broadcasting and as an author. In 2017, he was awarded the British Empire Medal for his contributions to sport and charity.

Beaumont said: “Eos has established itself as one the most exciting early stage investors in Scotland. I am much better known for building record-breaking teams and creating world firsts in the adventure world, but the processes and entrepreneurial skills are remarkably similar.”

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