Graham Thrower, Board Member, One North East

Graham Thrower, 43, is a director and founder of alt.vinyl, a North East based online and physical retailer of music and a successful record label.

Graham’s background is in corporate finance, primarily the telecom, media and technology sectors where, with Lloyds Bank, Societe Generale and most recently as a Managing Director at Citigroup, he played a leading role in raising debt and equity finance for numerous leading global corporations in over 30 countries between 1988 and 2002.

He chose to call the North East “home” after moving to the region from London in late 2003. This, he feels, together with the international breadth of his private sector background complements the holistic view of the region that One North East takes as it drives forward, with partners, the Regional Economic Strategy.

“I’ve found being on the One North East Board a great opportunity to have material input in a wide range of transformational projects and initiatives that are continuing to reinvent and reinvigorate the region for the better,” said Graham.

“Whether it’s new creative and digital business growth at Digital City in Middlesbrough, printable electronics at PETEC in Durham or development of the world’s largest wind turbines at the New and Renewable Energy Centre in Blyth, you can’t help but develop an appreciation for the wide range of work which is going in to secure a bright future for the North East, and all of my fellow Board members and colleagues at One North East are a part of it.”

Thanks to his commercial and creative sector interests, Graham also carries out additional roles as Chairman of Generator, the national music development agency based in Newcastle. He also sits on the Board of North East Access to Finance, the legacy company for many of the region’s existing equity funds and an entity charged with developing the region’s angel networks and driving SME access to finance.

“My role as a One North East Board member allows me to draw on the experience and networks I have developed both in finance and the commercial creative sector and to use them for the benefit of broader regional aims and initiatives” added Graham.

“During a typical day, for example, I could find myself at One North East meeting with directors around the Business and Skills agenda; then with NEA2F discussing the launch of the ground breaking Access to Finance guide for SMEs.

“Afterwards, I can put on my Generator hat and head off to a music business networking event where we attract serious global industry players to come and speak to regional music based entrepreneurs, and that’s before I spend any time on my own portfolio of businesses! It’s a fantastic opportunity.”