Kirsty
McDonald

I joined GCP in 2012 and have been a Partner since 2013. I lead GCP’s Investor Relations and remain hands on in new investments and origination as well as working with the businesses in which we’re already invested.

I currently work with the teams at JKR and ETC and was previously responsible for leading our investments in First Mile, Scopus, AMG, and AIS.

I feel extremely lucky to partner with remarkable people in some of the world’s most exciting businesses and in our own team, we have exceptional team spirit, accountability and alignment. I’m very proud of our team; the pragmatic, straightforward down to earth way we behave; and the reputation we have for doing what we say we will and for striving to do the right thing by all.

In terms of my background, I studied at Cambridge (I was the first person from my school to even apply to the university), gaining both a Double First Class honours degree and Masters in Engineering, before joining a start-up strategy consulting firm. It was a fantastic opportunity to build strategy, structured thinking and problem solving skills – though my colleagues also point out this also means I have killer PowerPoint skills and answer every question with a three pronged approach! I moved into the investing world in 2005 – working on behalf of a listed plc then a large global private equity firm before joining GCP.

I was born and brought up on the beautiful west coast of Scotland so have extensive experience in having my hopes dashed by my national sports teams and barbecuing in the rain! Outside of work, I spend time finding ways to combine three great passions – sensational food and wine, interesting travel and the great outdoors, whether with hiking shoes, golf clubs, a bike or on skis.