Peter Gardner
Job title: Sector Partner (Communications)
Peter is the Communications Sector Partner in 3i’s venture capital team with special responsibility for strategy and business development. Peter advises 3i’s global investment team as well as the extensive portfolio of over 45 communications companies on strategic opportunities and building value. Through his ecosystem of a substantial network of contacts in leading communications corporate and entrepreneurial companies, he creates opportunities for investment, commercial relationships, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions.
Since joining 3i in 1997 with many years experience of owning and running companies in the IT and communications sector, he has looked at over 800 business plans and been involved in over 100 investments. He was appointed Global Sector Head in 2003. He is regularly seen as a speaker and panellist at telecoms conferences, as well as publishing 3i’s “Communicating” newsletter and contributing to external publications, and is known for his forthright views in all of these. He is on the board of a number of 3i companies.
Peter’s background is as a technologist first with IBM and then teaching computer science before starting his own venture backed IT business, after which he then went on to run two other IT and telecoms businesses before joining 3i. He also found time to obtain an executive MBA from Cranfield, and is both a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors.
3i has over 1,300 portfolio companies and a market capitalisation in excess of €6bn. It has 250 market facing professional investors in 28 locations around the world. The communications portfolio numbers some 45 companies, valued at over £150m.
