Wol Kolade

My job is to lead the Livingbridge team. My workload is varied – from meeting management teams of prospective new investments or visiting existing portfolio companies to explaining “why Livingbridge?” to potential new investors.

In 2007/8, I was Chair of the private equity industry association (“the BVCA”). It was a difficult time for the industry but I learnt a whole bunch of new skills and met some very interesting people. Private equity doesn’t operate in a vacuum and despite stepping down from the BVCA in 2010, I still find myself explaining to government, the media and other stakeholders that the work we do with entrepreneurial companies is hugely beneficial to the wider economy.

I am a Kings College London engineering graduate and I have an MBA from Exeter University Business School. I started my career with Barclays in 1990 and after a short period in various head office roles I joined a predecessor firm of Livingbridge in 1993. I remember learning about ‘venture capital’ as it was called back then in an economics class at my secondary school and from then on it was very clear to me what I wanted to do.

I have a deep interest in healthcare and education, and have been a member of board of a number of schools and universities. I was previously Chair of the Guy’s & St Thomas’ Foundation, a 500-year-old charitable foundation with total assets of £1bn.

In March 2022, I joined the board of NHS England as Deputy Chair, after becoming a Non Executive Director of NHS Improvement in 2018.

I am a co-founder of the 10,000 Black Interns Initiative and a Trustee of Somerset House Trust. I also sit on the advisory boards of Level20, Acorn Capital and the Prudence Trust.

I was appointed an Emeritus Governor of the London School of Economics in 2017 and I received an honorary doctorate from the University of Exeter in 2014.

In June 2021, I was awarded a CBE for services to Financial Services in the Queen’s Birthday Honours and in September 2021, I became the 25th inductee into the “Private Equity Hall of Fame” at the Real Deals Private Equity Awards.

I have a big family and love company, so most weekends we are either entertaining or being entertained. I am also a bit of a movie buff.

Learn more about Wol: Leaders Lives