British Business Bank appoints growth equity specialist as Managing Director of Direct Equity

The British Business Bank, the UK’s economic development bank, has appointed Charlotte Lawrence as Managing Director of Direct Equity. 

Charlotte brings two decades of experience across corporate finance and growth equity. She joins the British Business Bank following previous roles as a Managing Director at PSG Equity, a $28bn AUM growth equity firm, and over a decade investing for the European Technology fund at global investment firm The Carlyle Group. Prior to that, she worked for Merrill Lynch in investment banking. Charlotte also has extensive Board experience, including currently as an advisory Investment Committee Member at Albion Capital, a £1bn AUM UK venture capital firm.   

In her role, Charlotte will lead the Bank’s direct and co-investment activity, which is complementary and additive to the Bank’s position as the largest LP investor in UK venture and growth. The British Business Bank started its co-investment activity in 2021 and since then has built a portfolio of 37 companies, becoming the most active late-stage investor in life sciences and deeptech. 

This appointment follows reforms to the Bank’s investment capabilities in 2025, allowing it to increase the number and size of investments into UK scale-ups.  

In addition to its large balance sheet position, the British Business Bank is currently fundraising for the inaugural fund of the British Growth Partnership, which is the Bank’s third-party vehicle to catalyse institutional capital into UK venture. The initial fund will have a direct investing strategy, leveraging the Bank’s position as the most active late-stage investor into UK companies and the largest investor in UK venture and venture growth capital funds. 

Leandros Kalisperas, Chief Investment Officer at British Business Bank, said