Ventures team
Susan Wheeler, Managing Director
Susan (Susie) Wheeler is the Managing Director of Element Six Ventures. Previously, Susie worked as VP M&A and Strategy for Boart Longyear, a portfolio company of Bain Capital, Advent and Macquarie where she drove an industry consolidation of mining services companies prior to its IPO (Initial Public Offering) in 2007. Prior to Boart Longyear, Susie led and participated in many small company investments and acquisitions where she further provided strategic and operational assistance to various portfolio companies. She has also served as an independent advisor to investors. Susie began her career at Bain & Company, where she led client engagements in North and South America as well as Europe, providing due diligence support to private equity firms. During her nine-year tenure at Bain & Company, she also led numerous strategic and operational engagements for mid-cap and large companies. Currently, Susie is a Board Director for Element Six Ventures portfolio companies. She has an MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College and a BS from Brigham Young University.
Daniel Twitchen, Chief Technical Officer
Daniel Twitchen is the Chief Technical Officer of Element Six Ventures. He received MA and doctoral degrees in physics from the University of Oxford (winning the Merton College Harmsworth Senior Scholarship) and a diploma in Senior Management from the Open University. Following his doctoral studies he held a Junior Research Fellowship in the Clarendon Laboratory. His research interests in Oxford focused on magnetic resonance and optical techniques to study defects in wide bandgap semiconductors (including synthetic diamond). Soon after being awarded an EPSRC Advanced Fellowship in 2000, he joined Element Six Ltd, where until recently was a Principal Scientist. At Element Six he has managed programmes developing technology for growing synthetic CVD diamond for identified applications and products. His experience in synthetic diamond synthesis technology and its applications has culminated in more than 30 patents and 75 scientific publications. Daniel brings a wealth of technical knowledge and expertise to the Ventures division.
Yvonne Pop, Analyst
Yvonne Pop is an analyst with Element Six Ventures. Prior to Element Six Ventures, she was a consultant for the management consulting firm, Oliver Wyman. Her experience includes providing competitive analysis, strategy support, market analysis and scenario modelling in multiple industries such as oil & gas, commercial aerospace, and retail. Yvonne graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth College with a BA in Economics and Political Science.