The Team
James Arkless
Tel: 0191 499 8552
James is responsible for all legal, governance and procurement issues in NEA2F and its group companies. He looks after the Boards and committees and has strong links with our stakeholders and professional advisers. James studied at Durham and Northumbria Universities. He has worked for some large grant-making trusts and in the legal team of regional development agency One North East, as well as in private practice. He also ran a small business in Scotland. Outside work he sings in a choir and loves walking and cooking.
Glen Foreman
Tel: 0191 499 8553
Glen is an accountant with over 30 years’ financial experience in a variety of roles, particularly in the legal and banking sectors. He is responsible for the financial affairs of North East Access to Finance and its group companies, together with its various legacy funds. As well as overseeing the preparation of annual Accounts and Board reports, he plays a key role in the audit process and financial compliance of the company.
Kay Goodinson (Wilkinson)
Tel: 0191 499 8551
Kay became Chief Executive in 2022, having joined NEA2F as Legacy Programme Manager in 2012. As well as overseeing the organisation, she has responsibility for the SME investment portfolios held in the NEA2F group, working with the businesses to to maximise financial returns from those investments. She also works closely with stakeholders on all matters relating to SME access to finance including supporting the development of new funds and initiatives for North East businesses. NEA2F has been able to redeploy the returns from its funds as legacy into new initiatives delivered by Teesside University and The North East Fund. Previously, Kay worked for 13 years in Government Office North East and One North East, developing and managing ERDF supported funds such as JEREMIE.
Andrew Mitchell
Andrew was educated at Oxford and INSEAD. Following an early career in the oil industry, investment banking and management consultancy, he founded and ran his own business for almost 10 years. More recently, he was an executive director and shareholder in one of the UK’s most successful university spin-out companies, which was sold in 1997 to a large US corporation.
He also established a £25m venture capital fund - targeted at early stage technology businesses - and has served as a non-executive director for a number of high growth companies. For five years, until 2008 he was chief executive of fund development and business investment company NStar.
Hanna Simon
Tel: 0191 499 8554
Hanna joined NEA2F in 2021 and is responsible for the preparation of quarterly management accounts, reporting to subsidiary company Boards, and overseeing treasury management. She also manages the investee database and serves as the company’s IT Officer. She has over 10 years of experience in the finance sector, with prior roles in the satellite services and hospitality industries. She is ACCA part-qualified and is currently progressing towards full qualification.
Viv Walsh
Viv joined us in January 2020 after working with North East Technology Fund for the previous 10 years. As Portfolio Officer her main role is to support the effective and compliant delivery of the Finance for Business North East Fund, working with colleagues from North East Finance and North East Access to Finance and to be first point of contact for the investees. Before moving to the North East in 2009 she was Operations Manager for a large US owned Software Company and was based at their UK head office in London.
