Harvey Sinclair – Chief Executive Officer

In 2009, Harvey acquired Business Auctions (now renamed E-Trader Group) from Elderstreet Ventures, as a result of an MBI to develop marketplace strategies across the Internet via start-up ventures and acquisitions. Harvey is a successful entrepreneur with a proven track record in the new media, e-commerce, publishing, retail and leisure sectors.

Having trained as a Management Consultant with RSM international, Harvey spent 3 years as commercial director for two integrated marketing and branding agencies before setting up his first business in 1999, www.irisoptical.co.uk, an online optics business selling initially contact lenses and then latterly designer spectacles.  The business now has 3 showrooms across London and is one of the leading online brands in the sector. Between 2000 – 2006, Harvey founded and grew an online recruitment business from a start up concept (www.hotrecruit.com) into one of the top 3 online recruitment businesses in the UK, listed on AIM (www.hotonline.com & www.thehotgroup.com).  As part of this growth, the business successfully acquired 8 online businesses and led the much awaited consolidation of the online recruitment sector.  Harvey led the sale of the business to Trinity Mirror for £50.5m.

From 2006 to 2008 Harvey founded Matterhorn Capital SA in Switzerland, having secured a 25m CHF leisure property fund. The business acquired a landmark hotel in Verbier (www.rosalp.com) and secured necessary planning and zoning requirements to develop a mixed use, private residence club within a hotel model.  In tandem to this Harvey launched a VIP members club in Verbier (www.cococub.ch) and a luxury student club brand in the UK (www.kukuioxford.com); in early 2009, following a partial exit via a management buy-in, these ventures are now being run and managed by professional management teams.

Murray Salmon – Finance & Operations Director

Murray joined E-Trader Group in November 2009 following the investment of MMC Ventures in the company and is responsible for Finance, Operations, IT, Customer Service, and Supply chain management across the group businesses.

Prior to joining the E-Trader Group Murray was EU Project Manager for Guthy-Renker Europe, the European division of US based direct response TV marketing company with a turnover of c.£40m. Previously Finance Director and Head of Operations at Net-a-Porter from 2000 until 2004 helping the internet retail and magazine business grow from a start-up to a turnover of £10m within 4 years. Prior roles included 4 years at Forward Publishing Group as a Senior Finance Manager. Murray was educated at the Manukau Institute of Technology in New Zealand and qualified as a chartered accountant with Bowden, Impey & Sage in 1994.

Markus Grad – Director

Markus invested in Business Auctions in 2007 as part of a MBI, and is now responsible for E-Trader Group’s Services division, which specialises in an asset recovery, providing companies with the processing and re-marketing ‘end-of-lease’ IT equipment, and is also responsible for the E-Trader Group’s in-house brokerage team working directly with trade buyers.

Before E-Trader Group, Markus was a Main Board Director of Concorde Logistics and headed up their Technology Division. Whilst Managing Director of the Technology Division he developed and built their Asset Recovery Division, to become one of the country’s leading IT End of life services, incorporating Dell, RBS, Bank of England, FSA, EDS as some of their leading clients. Concorde Logistics handled approximately 100,000 second user IT assets per year. Markus developed strategy and new business for Concorde including the Audit and Asset Management of Hardware and the corporate governance and compliance of Software on behalf of many of its clients. Concorde was sold to Unitrans in November 2005.  Markus has previously held Business development posts for Merrill Lynch, ECI Global search and Lundy Healthcare. Markus studied BA Business Studies at Northampton University.

Ben Richardson – Non-Executive Director

Ben is MMC Ventures’ representative on the E-Trader Group Board following their investment in October 2009. MMC is a leading early-stage venture capital fund manager with a full-time investment team of six professionals and funds under management of c.£70 million.

Ben is responsible for new investments at MMC and currently also sits on the board of Clash Media. Prior to starting at MMC, Ben worked as an investment banker for BNP Paribas focusing on financial institutions. Ben is a qualified accountant and has an MA in Natural Sciences from Queens’ College, Cambridge.

Michael Jackson – Non-Executive Chairman

Michael has been Chairman of the Board since Elderstreet Ventures invested in the company, then called Business Auctions. Elderstreet is a leading UK venture capital fund manager investing in early stage and development capital for UK growing businesses, with over £40m of investor funds under management. Michael is Chairman of Elderstreet Investments which he founded in 1990.

Michael specialises in raising finance and investing in the smaller companies quoted and unquoted sector. From 1983 until 1987 he was a director and from 1987 until 2006 was chairman of FTSE 100 company The Sage Group plc. He was also Chairman of PartyGaming plc. Michael currently also sits on the board of Access Intelligence plc, Snacktime plc, Advanced Computer Software plc, Netcall plc, The Kellan Group plc, Evolve Capital plc.

Paul Kingsley – Non-Executive Advisor

Paul was responsible for the development of the business proposition along with Harvey Sinclair, CEO and managed the fund raising process.  Paul became a Non-Executive Advisor from 1 January 2010, and retains a specific responsibility for product strategy, technology platform and brand marketing.

Paul has over 15 years experience within the online and media industry and currently sits on a number of private company Boards. Paul provides start-up and M&A advice to  businesses through his own company Bare Consulting. Paul is a qualified accountant ACMA and has a BSc in Business Economics from the London School of Economics.