Team talk

David Lonsdale joined August Equity in early 2008 with responsibility for originating deals across all four sectors.

What was it about August Equity that attracted you?

I had always worked in larger organisations and wanted to work in a small team in a focused environment.

What aspects of your role gives you most professional satisfaction?

The chance to meet and build relationships with entrepreneurial management teams.

What sectors are you excited about in 2008?

There is a lot going on in each of our four sectors. On the consumer side I see major opportunities in leisure services, travel, personal care and branded goods.

What for you represents an ideal investment?

A niche business with a driven management team operating in a growing and fragmented market.

Who would be your ideal dinner guest?

Gordon Ramsay.

Which of your personal achievements are you most proud of?

Running the London Marathon in 2006 with a group of friends. We raised several thousand pounds for Help the Hospices – the hospice movement’s umbrella charity in the UK.

What did you want to be when you grew up?

A central midfielder for Aston Villa.

What’s the most dangerous thing you’ve ever done?

Mountain biking down ‘The World’s Most Dangerous Road’ – a 40-mile, narrow dirt road descent from La Cumbre to Coroico in Bolivia. It’s cut somewhat into the side of the mountain with a 1,000m+ sheer drop on the side. Definitely not for the faint-hearted!

If you could be any character in fiction, who would you be?

Roy of the Rovers.

Describe your ideal weekend.

Playing golf in Ireland.

If you had to go on a TV show which would it be?

Dragons’ Den.

If you won £10 million on the lottery, what would you do with the money?

Get a subscription to Boat International.

Which was the first record you ever bought?

World in Motion – the official song for England in the World Cup 1990.

Which event would you compete in at the Olympics?

Beach volleyball.

What would be your ideal meal?

Barramundi on a terrace overlooking Sydney Harbour.

Beach or mountains?

Mountains. I love snowboarding.

Bordeaux or Burgundy?

Bordeaux.

Lie in or up and about?

Definitely not one for lounging around.