OUR BOARD
Justin MacRae
Chief Operations Officer
Justin has extensive experience in the development and implementation of operational strategies and ensuring the ongoing effectiveness of new income stream products. He has led on the development of these products for small, medium and multi national companies across the MENA & Asia regions, being solely responsible for the capitalisation of new ventures and the integration of key members into the operations.
Having in-depth and hands-on experience working with both SMEs and Corporates he has developed an intuitive understanding of the associated risks. His overarching strength is in international trade and finance, but also has current ongoing experience in UK-based manufacturing and finance industries. He has real-time experience in helping businesses achieve their growth ambitions and is resourceful in this approach.
Coming from a military background as a Commissioned Officer, he has worked in key roles around the globe. Justin also represents the business and financial interests of his family office as co-investors. He is responsible for overseeing the day-to-day operations of Fortunis Capital, reporting to the Board the flow and subsequent management of inwards investment.
Sue Lawrence CDir FIoD
Senior Advisor
Sue is an expert governance professional with years of experience and is a Chartered Director through the Institute of Directors. This is backed by practical application both in a career as a divisional managing director in the professional and corporate services sector and as an independent director, trustee and governance consultant.
She has a breadth of board-level experience across various sectors including financial markets, professional services, investment and funding structures and business outsourcing across SMEs, listed companies and global organisations, as well as in highly regulated environments. She is experienced in chairing committees and boards of multiple organisations, including setting strategy and making time-critical board-level decisions based on financial risk and operational data.
Sue acts as an independent trustee for employee ownership trusts and is passionate about the benefit that effective corporate governance can bring to an organisation in terms of its operational efficiency, client service and employee engagement. Sue aligns success of the individual organisation and the ethos of the Fortunis Group in supporting business innovation and development to deliver meaningful value to local communities throughout the UK.
Bob Frost
Director Venture Capital
Bob has over 25 years’ experience in international businesses, managing operations in nearly every country in Western Europe, USA, India, China and South Africa. His experience comes from working in companies across a number of sectors including manufacturing, logistics and supply chain management, project engineering, renewable energy and technology, media and telecom (TMT).
As well as being a Chartered Accountant, Bob has over ten years’ experience chairing a professional services firm providing transformation management services to clients in the £10M to £250M turnover range. Acting as a senior role within client companies he has worked with numerous management teams to overcome periods of significant change and return businesses to stability.
Bob has a passion to help new aspiring companies to flourish and has worked with multiple companies, focusing on management accountability through corporate governance, strategy development, corporate acquisitions and disposals, fund raising, shareholder deadlock reconciliation and debt management.
Emma MacRae
Investment Director
Since leaving University, Emma joined the family group of companies and over a ten-year period assumed the mantle of CEO. With a wide ranging portfolio of businesses based on innovation including sustainable construction, temperature-controlled manufacturing and distribution to revolutionary developments in the Pet & Leisure Industry.
Emma has extensive experience in product development, commercialisation, operational management, marketing, and investments in the SME sector. She has a passion for innovation and the progression and development of new innovative businesses & concepts.
Emma has successfully developed one of the leading composite building materials in the UK, managing deployment of the material into different market sectors, some of which have changed the landscape of the UK coastline. Her experience and leadership have transformed multiple companies and Emma now brings that to bear in her role as a Lead Investment Director in Fortunis Venture Capital, and as the nominated CEO for our forthcoming Innovation Alternative Investment Fund.
Sir Andrew Ross Bt
Director Fortunis Investments
After graduating University, Sir Andrew has enjoyed a successful, varied and distinguished military career commanding on a number of global operations and international deployments as a Commissioned Officer. In 2018 Sir Andrew was appointed to Her Majesty’s Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms.
Since leaving the British Royal Marines he has gained extensive experience in managing global security operations, involving the management of numerous sensitive security challenges. Sir Andrew has worked in some of the world’s largest corporations including top 5 Fortune 500 companies and has developed an extensive knowledge of international business at the highest level. Areas of expertise include security risk management and the heavily regulated Health, Safety and Environmental setting.
Sir Andrew has had hands-on global experience creating and leading on a fundamentally new approach to the governance, risk management, assurance and awareness training of cyber security in a strategic digital change management programme.
Bo Zhu
Senior Advisor
Bo Zhu has in-depth operational experience of setting up business units from the ground up in different continents across the globe including the UK, India, South Africa and the Netherlands and is a registered Director of four businesses making up the largest independent organic pigment producer in the world.
He is a strategic thinker and brings a wealth of knowledge surrounding the inner workings of business environments in different countries and has operated against challenging foreign cultural backdrops. From administration to finance, from logistic to HR management, he has vast practical experience in hands-on operations as well as having a senior corporate governance background.
Currently, Bo is on the Project Management Board of a revolutionary new production facility in Durban: this project is an industry-leading technical innovation, and is registered and supported by the Department of Trade and Investment in South Africa.