A former top US military leader, Lieutenant General (Ret) Ben Hodges (pictured below) has brought his insights to the advisory board of the Finserve Global Security Fund. 

Ben Hodges 

The fund says it is the first actively managed global defence fund to be launched in the UK and European markets, coming at a time when calls for higher defence spending in Europe have grown louder, affecting a number of sectors – as reported here, here and here. The fund was started in 2019.

As Commanding General of US Army Europe, Hodges led US land forces across the continent.

In his new role, Hodges will serve as principal strategic advisor working with another former senior military figure, Lieutenant General (Ret.) Karl Engelbrektson, head of the advisory board and former Chief of the Swedish Army, as well as lead portfolio manager, Joakim Agerback. 

Hodges will support the portfolio managers in evaluating long-term capability requirements and the company’s positioning within the security landscape, Finserve said in a statement.

Welrex

William Bethell (pictured below) has been appointed chief compliance officer at has made two appointments for its Scottish team, strengthening its investment capability and expanding its growth in Scotland.

Nicola Holloway, who is joining as portfolio director, will be based in Glasgow. She will work closely with Maven’s Scottish portfolio companies supporting new investment activity across the region. Previously she was with The Weir Group, where she had served as corporate development manager since 2023, supporting the Group’s M&A strategy and execution. Prior to that, Holloway spent 12 years at Grant Thornton, building extensive experience advising owner-managed and private equity backed businesses on corporate finance transactions.

Andrew Leslie is also joining as portfolio director in Glasgow. He will be responsible for the portfolio companies and supporting them alongside the investment team. Leslie was formerly with Scottish investment firm N4 Partners, where he had been investment director since its inception in 2020. Before that, he worked at PwC and Leslie Corporate Finance. Leslie is a chartered accountant with experience of advising entrepreneurs, management teams and investors.

“We are delighted to welcome Nicola and Andrew to Maven. Both bring excellent investment and corporate finance experience and are highly complementary to our existing team,” David Milroy, partner at Maven, said. “Maintaining a strong, locally-based team is fundamental to our regional led approach and allowing us to work closely with the management teams we proudly support.”