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Mark Beilby - Chairman
Having gained a First Class Honours BA degree in Modern History at Oriel College, Oxford University, Mark Beilby taught Modern History at Balliol and Oriel Colleges, Oxford University. Between 1982 and 1985 he worked as a researcher, writer and executive producer for White City Films (a BBC subsidiary), Video Arts (Sir Antony Jay and John Cleese's production company) and the American Program Bureau in Boston.
He began his financial career as a Corporate Finance analyst at Morgan Stanley, before becoming a media equity analyst conducting research into the media industry and giving investment advice. He was rated the number 1 European Media Analyst for 9 years by Institutional Investor magazine and Reuters surveys. After 6 years at UBS and 8 years at Deutsche Bank he joined JP Morgan as Managing Director for European Media in 2003. In January 2006 he joined Dresdner Kleinwort as Capital Markets Managing Director and head of the European media team.
Mark is the co-founder and chairman of film, media and technology finance boutique Apollo Media. He has been a visiting Fellow in Film Finance at The Cass Business School in the City University of London, is a Board Director of leading business publishing group Cavendish International (www.cavendishgroup.co.uk), and served on the UK Government Committee in 2006 that reviewed the BBC's licence fee.
In 2008, Mark co-founded Lumi Insight (www.lumiinsight.com), a mobile technology company based on a unique and proprietary state-of-the-art content management system enabling real-time interactivity on any mobile device. Lumi was awarded 5 innovation grants in 2010/ 2011 by the UK's Technology Strategy Board. Originally created for viewers to interact in real time with live TV, Lumi’s patented software has been deployed in music, market research, digital polling, CRM, and meetings & events for clients including YLE, SVT, Mediaset and NBC, EMI, CI and Abbey Road Live, WPP, Kantar, Ipsos, IBM, Vodafone, and MBI (for Unilever, Pepsi, and London Transport), YouGov, and eBay.
Lumi’s shareholders now include advertising giant WPP and Chris Morris, founder of Computershare. In June 2013, Lumi completed the acquisition of IML, a UK-based tech company providing software services to meetings & events. In 2014, Lumi was named as one of the UK Government’s Future50 top tech companies.
Mark is Lumi’s Executive Chairman.
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Gavin Poolman - Managing Director
Born in Canada, Gavin graduated with an Honours B.A. in French Language and Literature from Trinity College, University of Toronto. After moving to the UK and graduating from the London Film School, he worked as an Acquisitions and Finance executive with the Film Trustees/Glinwood group, where he was involved in the financing and licensing of The Sheltering Sky, Naked Lunch, A Rage In Harlem, Howard’s End and The Crying Game. In 1994, Gavin was appointed Head of Development at sales agency Mayfair Entertainment International (Jefferson in Paris, Vanya On 42nd Street, Richard III).
In 1996, he established Apollo Media Limited, a film, media and technology finance boutique co-owned by Mark Beilby. Apollo’s first film, The Zookeeper, starring Sam Neill, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won Grand Prize at the Taos Film Festival 2002. Apollo’s second film, Festival Express, produced together with John Trapman, was released in the USA in July 2005 to combined critical acclaim and commercial success.
In 2006-2008, working together with LA-based Grand Army Entertainment and with Apollo Media in the UK, he was involved in the financial structuring of 11 independent US feature film productions and 18 TV movies.
In 2008, Gavin co-founded Lumi Insight (www.lumiinsight.com), a mobile technology company based on a unique and proprietary state-of-the-art content management system enabling real-time interactivity on any mobile device. Lumi was awarded 5 innovation grants in 2010/ 2011 by the UK's Technology Strategy Board. Lumi’s shareholders now include advertising giant WPP and Chris Morris, founder of Computershare. In June 2013, Lumi completed the acquisition of IML, a UK-based tech company providing software services to meetings & events. In 2014, Lumi was named as one of the UK Government’s Future50 top tech companies.
In 2013, Apollo co-founded the Ingenious Senior Film Fund, which Gavin manages. The Fund’s current film investments, which Gavin is executive producing, include The Dressmaker (w Kate Winslet), Hunter's Prayer (w Sam Worthington) from director Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3, U571), and Jim Sheridan's new film The Secret Scripture (w Rooney Mara).
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John Trapman
John was born in Canada and graduated with a BA in Economics from the University of Western Ontario. He began his career working in financial markets working for eight years as a market maker at the Amsterdam Options Exchange and in 1990 he founded Peachtree Film BV, a successful film, TV and commercials production company.
In July 2005, together with Apollo Media, he produced Festival Express, a feature film released in the United States to both critical acclaim and commercial success.
In 2006-2008, working together with LA-based Grand Army Entertainment and with Apollo Media in the UK, he has been involved in the financial structuring of 11 independent US feature film productions and 18 TV movies. In 2008, he associate-produced Chelsea On The Rocks, which had its world premiere at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. He is also a director of Eurotin Inc., a mining company. In 2013, he co-founded the Ingenious Senior Film Fund.
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Lucy Macdonald
Lucy joined RCM in October 2001. She heads the Global Equity Fund Management team, which is responsible for global mandates from clients around the world with currently $8bn of assets under management. She was instrumental in launching the Global High Alpha product six years ago, now representing over $6bn of global equity assets, which she also manages. Retail funds following this strategy include the Allianz RCM Interglobal retail fund (S&P AA rated since December 2007) and the Allianz RCM Global Equity Fund (also S&P AA rated).
Prior to RCM, Lucy spent 16 years, latterly as a Director and Senior Portfolio Manager, at Baring Asset Management managing High Alpha funds. Lucy graduated from Bristol University in 1984, and is an Associate of the Society of Investment Professionals (ASIP). She was made a Managing Director of RCM in December 2007.
Lucy is a member of the European Management Committee and sits on the Global Policy Committee which consists of the most senior investment professionals, economists and strategists around the globe. Lucy joined the board of Apollo in December 2004.