Sam Smith (born 22 May 1974) is a British businesswoman and financier.[1] She is the founder and chief executive of the corporate advisor and brokerage firm FinnCap, the largest broker for companies listed on London's growth stock market AIM and a top five broker for the London Stock Exchange.[2] Smith is the first female chief executive of a City stockbroking firm.[3]
Early life and education
editSmith was born and raised in Selsey, West Sussex, and attended Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School in Kent.[4] She studied Economics and Accounting at the University of Bristol, graduating with a BSc in 1995.[5]
Career
editAfter graduating, Smith joined KPMG, where she qualified as a Chartered Accountant.[4] In 1998 she joined investment manager JM Finn to establish its corporate advisory and brokerage division.[6]
In 2007, Smith established FinnCap and became chief executive following a 50% buyout of JM Finn Capital Markets, making Smith the only female chief executive of a City broking firm. The British venture capitalist Jon Moulton became chairman of the firm in January 2010.[7]
The buyout was completed in April 2010 when the outstanding 50% of the company was acquired from JM Finn.[8] FinnCap is now 95% employee-owned and offers new employees low-interest, long-dated loans to purchase shares.[9]
The firm is now the largest broker for companies listed on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM growth market, with over 120 clients. It advised companies on raising a total of £363 million in the financial year ending 30 April 2017.[10]
Smith was announced as a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in April 2017.[11]
Other activities
editSmith is a supporter of women in business and finance; Finncap established a female founders forum in March 2017, aiming to enable more female CEOs to scale up using growth capital.[9]
She is a former winner of the Women of the Future Award for Business,[12] and is a patron for the Modern Muse project, a not-for-profit social enterprise designed to inspire and engage the next generation of female business leaders and entrepreneurs.[13]
References
edit- ^ Ralph, Alex. "Being a woman at the top isn't child's play, but imagine doing it with a child".
- ^ "London's stockbrokers have had a trading 'bloodbath' post-Brexit, according to finnCap's CEO".
- ^ Parkinson, Gary. "Sam Smith of finnCapp: breaking down the door to the men's club".
- ^ a b Times, The Sunday. "Leading edge: Sam Smith".
- ^ "Business Interview: Sam Smith, finnCap". 17 July 2015.
- ^ "Sam Smith: How we pulled through the credit crunch - MoneyWeek". 20 July 2015.
- ^ Terazono, Emiko (19 January 2010). "Moulton lands FinnCap chair" – via Financial Times.
- ^ "Moulton and staff complete FinnCap buy-out". Financial Times.
- ^ a b Green, Harriet (14 March 2017). "FinnCap's Sam Smith on IPOs, MBOs and the value of skin in the game".
- ^ Chopra, Shruti Tripathi (24 May 2017). "IPO bonanza: Appetite for stock market debuts in London to remain strong".
- ^ "EY Entrepreneur Of The Year 2017 UK finalists announced". www.ey.com.
- ^ "2009 - Women of the Future Awards". Women of the Future Awards.
- ^ "Modern Muse". Modern Muse.