Alan Lewis
Member since 2018
Alan Lewis is originally from Luton and moved to the north-west to study Geology at the University in Liverpool.
After graduating, Alan joined the manufacturing arm of Rio Tinto Zinc, working in the steel industry in South Wales and subsequently at chemical plants in Manchester. Later, he worked for Black & Decker at its main European factory in County Durham. During this time Alan gained an MBA from Manchester Business School; prior to this, his first real commercial experience was working on the Manchester street markets. There followed a 30-year investment career, starting with ten years at development capital firm 3i, where he was involved initially with inward investment and early-stage company development in the north-east following closures of the steel and coal industries. Alan then spent several years undertaking similar work in London and the East Midlands.
He moved to Bristol in 1989, and, as one of the founding partners of investment firm Bridgepoint, Alan spent the next twenty years working in the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and the Nordic countries. Throughout this time, he served on numerous boards in diverse sectors across the UK and Europe, including Birmingham International Airport, a perfumery retailer and an MOT testing business in Finland and the UK.
Since stepping back from full time investment, Alan has been Chairman of other boards including National Friendly (the health insurance Friendly Society in Bristol), Porterbrook (the train leasing company in Derby), Leeds Bradford Airport, and most recently the listed self-storage business Safestore. He was also a founder shareholder of Anaplan, an enterprise software business now listed on the New York Stock Exchange. He is currently a board member of Palico, a digital virtual market for private equity holdings, and also runs Amplan Developments, a property business he started ten years ago.
Alan’s voluntary interests include Leaders’ Quest, a global social enterprise dedicated to improving leadership and, in particular, developing local leaders in economically developing areas, such as Mumbai, to which end he was a founder donor to the Leaders’ Quest Foundation. Closer to home, he is currently a member of the investment committee of Bristol-based Quartet Community Foundation.
His activities within SMV include working on social enterprise projects and involvement with the St Monica’s Trust endowment.