The Faces Behind 1818

Meet the individuals who drive our vision and success

Daisy Avery-Wright

Investor Relations Associate

Daisy is a Guernsey resident, who has recently moved back over after graduating from Cardiff University in July 2022. She received a First-Class Honours degree in BSc Business Management and French, and has taken on the role as Investor Relations Associate at 1818.

Daisy's early years were spent in Wales, Australia, and the French-speaking region of Switzerland. Daisy spent three years in Switzerland, where she discovered her love of languages. She speaks French and Spanish to A-Level standard and continued her French studies throughout her university career. Alongside her studies, Daisy was an Intern at Credit Suisse for 5 years, which provided her with the opportunity to understand the fundamental operations of various business departments.

In her spare time, Daisy loves spending time with family and friends, travelling the world, and keeping fit. She enjoys skiing, playing padel tennis, and horse riding.

Richard Avery-Wright

Founder and CEO

Richard, a Cardiff University graduate, is an accomplished investor with close to 4 decades of experience in public and private markets. With a relentless drive for success, he has established himself as a highly accomplished serial entrepreneur, consistently achieving outstanding outcomes.

Richard's extensive experience spans venture capital, private debt, equities, equity derivatives, and various other financial domains, providing him with an invaluable depth of knowledge in navigating multifaceted landscapes.

Being a founder himself, Richard has played instrumental roles in co-founding various ventures. Notable among these are Pie Funds Management (AUM NZ$ 2.5bn), Castle Point Funds Management (AUM NZ$ 1bn), RAW Capital Partners (AUM £150m), Wealthify (which he successfully exited to Aviva PLC in 2020), and the visionary creation of 1818.

Richard also has extensive board leadership experience, where he has held positions in diverse capacities, including within a FTSE listed company, as chairman, director, and active engagement in investment committees and credit committees.

Richard drives 1818's success and has a proven track record of consistently delivering results, exemplified by the 1818 investment track record and impressively low company failure rates compared to industry norms.

Tim Parkes

Director

With over 30 years of experience in fund management, banking, and financial services, Tim boasts an impressive career trajectory. He has held prominent positions at a FTSE listed Bank and garnered more than a decade of expertise in offshore fund management and administration.

Tim's educational background includes a BSc (Hons), a Diploma in Marketing, and the Institute of Directors Diploma in Company Direction. Tim is an avid personal investor, actively investing in early-stage growth companies, particularly within the FinTech sector.

Residing in Guernsey for over 12 years, Tim's leisure activities include training and coaching sailors, skiing, and cycling. He also finds joy in cooking, although he humorously claims not to be a "British Bake Off" star!

Louis Falla

Compliance Manager

Louis has been a key part of the 1818 team for over 6 years. During this time, he has gained valuable venture capital and compliance experience.

Day in and day out, you'll find Louis assisting the Operations and Compliance teams here at 1818. Louis recently completed the ICA Certificate in Compliance, showcasing his commitment to growing and excelling in his role.  

Louis is an avid sports fan and enjoys playing football.

Ben Nichols

CFO & Director

Ben is a highly experienced tax, advisory, and financial services professional with a decade of experience in the industry. He is focused on maintaining high standards, ensuring the firm achieves its financial goals, and has a proven track record of success in providing tax planning, financial reporting, and risk management services.  

Ben is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT). He is also Deloitte-trained and responsible for managing the budget and overseeing accounting, financial controls, and financial reporting.  

Outside of the office, Ben enjoys spending time with his young family as well as taking part in team sports such as football and touch rugby. He also enjoys travelling, particularly visits to France!

Dawn Pybus

Investor Relations Manager

Ben is a highly experienced tax, advisory, and financial services professional with a decade of experience in the industry. He is focused on maintaining high standards, ensuring the firm achieves its financial goals, and has a proven track record of success in providing tax planning, financial reporting, and risk management services.  

Ben is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT). He is also Deloitte-trained and responsible for managing the budget and overseeing accounting, financial controls, and financial reporting.  

Outside of the office, Ben enjoys spending time with his young family as well as taking part in team sports such as football and touch rugby. He also enjoys travelling, particularly visits to France.

Harry Williams

Investment Associate

Harry relocated to Guernsey from West Wales and has taken on the role of Investment Associate at 1818.

Harry graduated with a First-Class Honours from Cardiff University in BSc Business Management with a Professional Placement Year. During his year-long placement at BMW Group UK, Harry led global initiatives to counter the pandemic's impact on UK BMW retailers. He also contributed to launching the UK market entries of BMW 128ti and BMW M3 Competition.

Harry is a huge rugby fan and spent several years playing for the Scarlets U16s and U18s Regional Team. Harry also enjoys high-performance sports and previously held the title of ‘Welsh Karting Champion’. Additionally, Harry secured 4th position in the British and European Karting Championship, competing against elite Formula 1 drivers, such as George Russel and Lando Norris.

Dan Idhenga

Investment Associate

Dan is an Investment Associate at 1818 Venture Capital. Originating from Namibia and having lived in ten countries, Dan brings a unique perspective and sharp attention to detail to the team.

At 1818, Dan is involved in evaluating investment opportunities, conducting due diligence, and supporting the 1818 portfolio founders.Dan is familiar with the ins and outs of bootstrapping and launching a company. In 2016, Dan Founded his first start-up and, in 2020, he was a founding member of a successfully exited US-based HealthTech start-up.

In addition to his role at 1818, Dan serves as a Co-founder of London VC Network, and supports a Namibia-based foundation. Dan also enjoys training Brazilian jiu jitsu tactics and discussing development in emerging economies.

David Fitch

Director

David has over 35 years’ experience in the financial services industry and during his 25 years in Guernsey has held senior positions with the offshore divisions of two FTSE listed banks. In addition,  has held non-executive directorships with a Guernsey regulated and licensed bank, investment management company, captive insurance company and investment fund. 

David is also a consultant to a Jersey licensed and regulated fiduciary company focusing on strategy and acquisitions and the non-executive director of a Guernsey regulated and licensed investment management company, the UK Group of which has in excess of £6Billion under management and administration. He also achieved the Institute of Directors Diploma in Company Direction in 2002.

Outside of the office, David enjoys all-weather sea swimming and embarking on travels to new and exciting destinations.

Sofia Abreu

Finance Manager

Sofia is an accomplished Finance and Accounting Manager with over 16 years of experience in accounting and 9+ years in auditing.

A graduate of the University of Madeira, Sofia has an international perspective on the industry. Sofia's accomplishments and high level of attention to detail have established her as a well-respected member of the team.

James Clifford

Risk & Compliance

James possesses a wealth of invaluable experience acquired through his career within the financial services sector, both in the United Kingdom and the United States. James has held significant roles at esteemed institutions such as JPMorgan and Chief Risk Officer at the Bank of New York. 

James is the Regulatory-appointed MLRO (Money Laundering Reporting Officer) and MLCO (Money Laundering Compliance Officer) at 1818. In these capacities, he is responsible for risk identification, assessment, measurement, and mitigation, all while upholding rigorous compliance standards.

When he's not at the office, James enjoys his time out on the water – whether it's surfing, paddle boarding, or any other aquatic activity you can think of.

Ben Lloyd

Commercial Advisor

Ben is a Commercial Advisor at 1818 and recently played a key part in originating an investment in a unicorn. He is adept at constructing and managing novel financial instruments and payment systems within start-up environments, scale-ups, and FTSE-listed enterprises.

Ben's portfolio of accomplishments includes diverse board positions and directorships within regulated and venture capital-backed alternative investment firms. Notably, Ben's influential tenure as the Head of Digital Product and Chief Digital & Innovation Officer at Banque Saudi Fransi stands as a testament to his strategic leadership. During this time, immersed himself in pioneering technologies, innovative products, and the global FinTech landscape.

Samuel Hodgson

Tech Advisor

Sam is 1818’s in house technical expert. He is a versatile thinker with a passion for data analysis and machine learning.

Currently, Sam is pursuing his PhD at the University of Oxford, where he is delving into the utilisation of efficient machine learning for resource-constrained visual perception using distributed sensing techniques.

Alongside his academic pursuits, Sam enjoys boxing, playing tennis, and discussing entrepreneurship. His background in engineering brings a strong attention to detail and solutions-oriented approach to challenges.

Meet Our Team

Partner with people you can trust- we always personally invest in everything we do (and on the exact same investment terms)
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Richard Avery-Wright
Founder & CEO
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Tim Parkes
Director
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Daisy Avery-Wright
Investor Relations Associate
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Louis Falla
Compliance Manager
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Ben Nichols
CFO & Director
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Harry Williams
Investment Associate
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Dan Idhenga
Investment Associate
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David Fitch
Director
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Sofia Abreu
Finance Manager
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James Clifford
Risk & Compliance
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Ben Lloyd
Commercial Advisor
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Samuel Hodgson
Tech Advisor
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