LDC has promoted John Clarke (1) to partner. Based in the Manchester office, he works on deals in the North West and nationally. He joined LDC in 2017 from Clearwater International where he spent seven years. Before that he was in Grant Thornton’s corporate finance team. 

The firm has also recruited Endrit Gashi (2) as investment manager in the North West from Livingbridge, where he spent four years.

Rachael Taplin joins Palatine’s Manchester office as investment manager for its Impact Fund. She moves from Grant Thornton, where she was a corporate finance manager after training as a chartered accountant in audit at Grant Thornton and initially PKF Cooper Parry.

Synova has promoted Sunil Jain to partner. He joined the private equity firm in 2019 from Sovereign Capital, where he specialised in fintech and financial services. He started his career as a consultant at Oliver Wyman and moved into investment at Blenheim Chalcot, before joining Sovereign in 2011. 

Manchester-based Praetura Investments has recruited Caroline Flagg (1), Peter Marsland (2) and James Rochfort (3) to its business development team, all from Octopus Investments. Flagg will handle fundraising and relationships with direct investors, family offices, high-net-worth individuals and angel investors. Marsland will manage relationships with financial advisers in London and the South East. Rochfort heads up the new internal business development team.

Tenzing has recruited Malte Pollmann and Sven Lindemann to its entrepreneurs panel, which gives strategic insight and support to the European tech investor’s portfolio companies. Both are based in Germany.