Scottish climate tech venture studio Ventex has announced several senior hires as it gears up for further international expansion.
Cross-border business development specialist Eddie Moore has joined the Aberdeen-headquartered firm as a Partner to support its growing portfolio of companies.
He will work alongside Chief Financial Officer Robert Aitken and founders Steve Gray and Stuart McLeod to unlock global growth for businesses within the studio.
They will be further supported by marketing specialist Chloe Watson, artificial intelligence engineer Luis Toral, and Lynn Fraser, who has joined the firm’s finance function.
Ventex repurposes companies, technologies, skills and experience in the existing supply chain to support the transition to net zero. It also invests in companies with technologies that have significant potential to help solve the climate crisis.
The studio has already completed its first four investments: Aberdeen-based High Performance Robotics (HPR), Cumbria’s Rovtech Solutions, Westhill-based VALOR ROV, which it has since merged with Rovtech, and decommissioning-focused rahd.AI, which is headquartered in Australia.
Eddie Moore
Eddie Moore brings more than a decade of international experience across the energy and marine sectors. Throughout his career, he has supported businesses to scale into new markets and build sustainable international momentum.
His career includes a notable tenure at Motive Offshore Group, where he played a key role in scaling the business from £5million to £30million in revenue.
He also led Motive’s expansion into new markets, establishing operations across the UK, Norway, the UAE, and launching the company's first dedicated renewables hub in Taiwan.
Chloe Watson
Chloe Watson – a 2024 TEDx speaker - joins Ventex from marketing agency Mission10 and will develop visibility strategies across the group.
Luis Toral
Luis Toral will work across the portfolio on deploying artificial intelligence where it adds value and efficiency, while Lynn Fraser will help strengthen financial reporting, governance, and planning across the group’s growing portfolio.
Lynn Fraser
Steve Gray, Managing Partner at Ventex Studio, said: "The pace of change in the energy sector is unprecedented, due to the transition, accelerating technology, politics and the consequent challenges in financing businesses.
“The Ventex venture studio model is now validated by our track record of refounding and repurposing companies with remarkable results. These appointments will enable the rapid scaling of Ventex to support and grow more businesses.”
Stuart McLeod, Managing Partner at Ventex Studio, added: "By bringing together exceptional talent across multiple disciplines, we’re laying the foundation Ventex needs to scale globally - and helping the businesses we invest in to do the same.”
Both Gray and McLeod have a track record of success and have built global businesses in the past. They now see an opportunity in the UK energy sector, where the political environment has made it challenging for oil and gas supply chain companies to access the capital they need to invest in the skills and technology needed to serve new clients in renewable energy.