Meet the team across the South West

Our Innovation & Growth Specialists are based across the South West—from Land’s End to the New Forest—bringing deep sector expertise and hands‑on commercial experience to every business they support. Together, they form a regional team with national reach, combining local knowledge with access to Innovate UK’s wider network to help ambitious companies grow, scale and succeed.

Angelo Spencer-Smith

Based in Cornwall, Angelo has 30+ years’ experience spanning strategic marketing, management consulting, and business innovation. He helps organisations unlock growth through clear strategy, consumer‑centric thinking, and practical technology adoption.

James Rowberry

Based in the Cornwall, James is an Innovation & Growth Specialist supporting some of the region’s most disruptive and ambitious businesses. He brings deep experience working across all sectors - academic, public, private, and voluntary, helping innovative companies scale through strategic guidance, and impactful stakeholder engagement.

Jason Nichols

Based in Bristol, Jason brings 20+ years’ experience across corporate, entrepreneurship, and business coaching. He supports ambitious founders and high-growth businesses to gain clarity, build momentum, and turn ideas into structured, scalable ventures.

Alison Briggs

Alison is a specialist in Investment Readiness for clients raising pre-seed to Series A equity, drawing on her experience of being a VC for 10+ years, a Corporate Finance advisor for KPMG, and a Chartered Management Accountant in a variety of finance roles in industry.

Clare Whitney

With over 30 years’ experience working with start-ups and scale-ups — both advising and operating within them — Clare has a track record of turning high-potential ventures into scalable, investable businesses. Her work focuses on bridging the gap between innovation and execution: embedding experienced operators into growing firms, supporting boards and governance structures, and building the management capability required for sustainable growth.