Christopher Samler

Background

About Christopher Samler

Christopher Samler is a business leader, serial entrepreneur, and former British Army officer. He has experience as both CEO and Chairman of quoted (LSE) and private companies in the education, healthcare, services and tech sectors in U.S./Europe as well as the emerging economies. Christopher graduated top of his class from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1980 and was Adjutant of his regiment from 1984-86. His early commercial career included working for The Boston Consulting Group and senior positions at the US based Baxter International, where he led a turnaround of Bentley Laboratories b.v. Subsequently, he was CEO of several vc backed businesses. In 1994 he led Imutran, a Cambridge University spinout biotech company (funded by Warburg Pincus), to a sale to Novartis at an EV of $50m. He then led the innovative med-tech business, Weston Medical plc, through 3 vc rounds to an LSE IPO. It was subsequently sold to the U.S. based Aradigm, achieving a return of a multiple of 4.6x cost. In 2004, Christopher co-founded Iceni Capital — a private equity firm focused on providing capital & operational support to fast growing service companies. Iceni Partners have invested expertise/capital in companies such as Carluccios, Stockwell Communications, Ted Baker, Mentor and Zero C. It has achieved a gross return on realised investments of <3.5x and is in the top decile for cash returned for its vintage. In 2005 Christopher was appointed Executive Chair of TQ Education & Training, which he sold to Pearson plc, one of the world's largest education companies and a component of the FTSE-100. Until 2015, he led Pearson's businesses in the ‘emerging’ economies. From 2011-13 he was Chair of AIM-listed Tristel plc (infection control in healthcare). In 2022 as Chair, Christopher sold Sphonic, a digital AML company, to Signicat AS and is currently Chair of two technology based service companies - Bubble (an on-demand provider of baby sitting services) and Induction Healthcare plc (an AIM listed provider of digital communications solutions for patients/healthcare professionals in secondary healthcare). He is also a Director of three hydro electric plants. Christopher has been a Governor of a small rural primary school as well as the Defence Sixth Form College and in Nov 24 was appointed the first executive Chair of the Sherborne Schools Group following the exciting merger of Sherborne School, Sherborne Girls School, Hanford and Sherborne Prep School. Christopher holds an MA from the University of Oxford and an MBA from Harvard University (HBS).