Our Team

Lukasz has over a decade of investment experience in M&A, commercial and corporate finance from organisations such as Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Montagu Private Equity and PwC. Before moving to London, Lukasz studied and worked in Amsterdam, Boston, New York, Paris, São Paulo and Warsaw where he gained a global perspective and an appreciation for diversity. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MA in management from Warsaw School of Economics and an MA in law from Warsaw University. At BTV, besides origination and execution of deals, he also leads the ESG venturing efforts. He was also recognised by Global Corporate Venturing as a Global Top50 Rising Star (2022) and a Global Top50 Emerging Leader (2023 and 2024) across the corporate venture capital industry.

Sam joined BTV in March 2021 after working in NatWest's corporate and commercial banking team. From Glasgow, he holds an MSc in finance and accounting from Imperial College Business School, a Graduate Diploma in financial and actuarial mathematics from the University of Leeds, and an MA in financial economics from the University of Dundee.

Karen has experience across startups, venture capital, and private equity, with a strong focus on CPG businesses and value creation through strategic growth and acquisitions. Previously, Karen held investment roles at Diageo-backed Distill Ventures, where she led investments and supported portfolio growth in emerging spirits and non-alcoholic brands, as well as at Dragonfly and Warren Equity Partners. She holds a BSc in Economics from The Wharton School and an MA from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Luca graduated from NUL with a BSc in Economics with Philosophy and from UCL with a MSc in Finance. He has also completed M&A internships at Kon Group S.p.A. and at KPMG in Milan. Originally from Florence, Italy and now living in London, he is excited to continue his career with BTV. Venture capital has always been fascinating for Luca given its broad exposure to brilliant and innovative entrepreneurs across a multitude of sectors and industries.

George is a finance enthusiast, born and raised in Greece. He holds a BSc in Economics and Finance from the University of Bristol, where he founded Bristol's Data Science Society. Prior to joining BTV, he completed an investment banking internship at AXIA Capital Ventures. He is excited with the opportunity to combine his passion for finance and entrepreneurial spirit in his work.

Peter is a Venture Capital specialist and joined BTV in 2020 with over 10 years of private practice experience in the corporate teams of international law firms, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP and Brown Rudnick LLP. In 2022 and 2023 he was awarded In-House Counsel of the Year with the SME UK Legal Awards. Outside of VC, he is an advocate in giving back to the community and serves as legal director to UK based charities: LIFEbeat, Facing History and Ourselves and the National HIV Story Trust. Peter is also the Co-Chair of B United, BAT’s LGBT+ global employee resource group.

Bringing nearly a decade of in-house and private practice experience with him from New Zealand and, more recently, London, working for DLA Piper LLP’s corporate team, Yemo joined BTV’s legal team in February 2025. In his spare time, Yemo is a keen foodie, and enjoys sports and travelling the world.

Emily is a Trainee Solicitor currently on secondment from Freeths LLP. After graduating from Nottingham Trent University with an LLM in Law, Emily gained over two years of experience in the corporate team at Freeths, followed by six months in the restructuring and insolvency team. She joined BTV’s in-house legal team in September 2025.

Fiona is a financial professional with more than 30 years of experience in scaling start-ups as a founder, company director and corporate advisor. Living in Cambridge, she’s managed numerous corporate finance transactions, including London IPOs, reverse takeovers and M&A. Fiona is a strong proponent of EDI and sustainable businesses, has an MBA from University of the Witwatersrand and is a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.

Debbie is a Life Fellow of Girton College, Cambridge, where she was Senior Bursar for 26 years, responsible for all aspects of finance, including an investment portfolio of £100m. After graduating from Cambridge and qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, she joined 3i as an investment controller, responsible for making and managing venture capital investments in the Cambridge region. She has extensive experience of governance, including as a member of the University Council, as a company director and as a charity trustee.

Emma-Jane joined the BTV Team after 6 years in public audit at Deloitte. She has joined to assist in the accounting and reporting functions of BTV as it continues to expand and accelerate change. Emma-Jane holds a Bachelor of Business Science and Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting from the University of Cape Town and is a registered Chartered Accountant with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Sarah joined the BTV team in 2020 as a paralegal to support both the in-house legal and BTV teams following over 13 years of legal support experience from several top London law firms, including Charles Russell Speechlys and Brown Rudnick LLP. At the Start of 2024, Sarah also took on the role of BTV’s Office Manager, supporting the day to day running of the fund and its administration support. Beyond work, Sarah has a huge passion for horse riding!

Kerrita McClaughlyn is a senior communications leader with over 15 years global experience across a diverse range of industries. Her expertise spans communications, strategy, media relations, brand PR, marketing communications, crisis management, external relations, public affairs, and sustainability. Kerrita has worked for numerous companies including BAT, Mars Inc. and Unilever. She holds a Master of Arts in International Relations from the University of Kent at Brussels (Belgium) and a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from Northeastern University (USA). At BTV, Kerrita leads on communications and is a member of the BAT Global External Communications Team.

Juan is based in the U.S. and is the Senior Vice President of Business Development at Reynolds American, BAT’s U.S. subsidiary. His role will see him partnering and advising both BTV and our founders, working to find collaborations between our portfolio and our corporate’s U.S. operations.