Investment company BGF has appointed Sonia Powar as its lead for healthcare investments in growth-stage companies in London and the Southeast.

Powar’s experience spans private equity investment and alternative lending. She was formerly a partner at Boost&Co, an alternative lender to small and mid-sized businesses. Powar began her career at PwC, where she qualified as a chartered accountant, later working as an investor at private equity firms 3iplc and Foresight Group.

She will split her time between BGF’s offices in London and the Cambridge office, which is also the base for the early-stage investment team, led by Tim Rea. The early-stage team focuses on investments in healthcare, life sciences and clean technology, with a remit spanning the UK and Ireland.

BGF’s London and Southeast team has invested in a variety of growth-stage healthcare businesses. These include Renal Services, a specialist dialysis provider which was acquired by DaVita UK in 2021; Healthshare, which works alongside the NHS to provide integrated, community-based care; and The Good Care Group, a provider of home care for the elderly that was acquired by Sodexo UK in 2019.

Nicol Fraser, head of BGF in London and the Southeast, said: “[Sonia’s] experience as an investor in high-growth companies will prove invaluable as we continue to expand the capacity of the London and Southeast team to invest in growth-stage healthcare businesses. This is an exciting sector where we see many opportunities.”

Powar commented: “I’m thrilled to be joining an investment firm that has such a well-established presence and deep sense of purpose. I’m delighted to be focusing on growth-stage businesses in healthcare and I look forward to building on BGF’s impressive platform and helping more great healthcare businesses achieve their potential.” 

Rea added: “One of the benefits of BGF’s model is that we can support businesses across a variety of stages, from earlier stage to growth-stage and quoted. I see many opportunities within the healthcare sector where BGF can act as an escalator for growing businesses, providing the support they need at each stage. This is one of the ways we are contributing to a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem in the UK and Ireland.”