As the past and present bosses of BHS are quizzed by MPs, there has never been greater scrutiny on retail ownership and corporate governance.

Following Tesco’s decision to sell Dobbies Garden Centres to an investment group led by Midlothian Capital Partners and Hattington Capital, Retail Week takes a look at the men behind the £271m deal, who will now join the retailer’s board.

Andrew Bracey

Midlothian Capital co-founder and adviser Bracey has form in the retail industry, having served as chief financial officer at Ocado for three years.

Bracey was part of the online grocer’s senior team when it launched its IPO in 2010, one of the highlights of a 24-year career in corporate finance.

He has held senior roles in investment banks including UBS and Credit Suisse, and also served as head of Barclays Capital PIA, where he led numerous transactions including Somerfield and Alliance Boots.

Bracey’s most recent role before founding Midlothian Capital Partners was as finance boss of Michael Page.

Speaking following the acquisition of Dobbies, Bracey said he was “very optimistic about the potential of the business” and was focused on “growing the business across the UK.”

His head for numbers could prove crucial in achieving that aim.

Aidan Clegg

The second of three Midlothian Capital co-founders, Clegg now serves as a partner at the firm.

Before forming the business, Clegg enjoyed 24 years in corporate finance at companies including UBS, Nomura and BNP Paribas.

Clegg also has retail rooted within his CV, having been involved in acquisitions including the disposal of HMV from EMI and the subsequent merger with Waterstones.

He was later involved in the sale of Waterstones and helped defend supermarket giant Sainsbury’s from a hostile takeover.

Clegg also spent time as an auditor at PwC before embarking on his banking career.

Neil Currie

Before launching Midlothian Capital Partners alongside Bracey and Clegg last year, Currie spent 22 years working as an equity analyst in New York and London, specialising in the retail sector.

He headed up UBS’s US consumer research team and also went on to lead its global research function.

Like some of his other new Dobbies board members, Currie has also crossed paths with Tesco before, having served as the grocer’s head of national marketing campaigns.

More recently, Currie has started his own Connecticut-based boutique retail consultancy firm, called Cornershop Advisers.

Barney Burgess

A partner at Hattington Capital, Burgess focuses on the private equity side of the business, with particular attention on consumer and retail investment opportunities.

But the deal to acquire Dobbies from Tesco was far from the only involvement he has had with the grocer.

Burgess was on the payroll at Britain’s biggest retailer for six years, five of which he spent heading up its online grocery business.

In that role, Burgess oversaw double-digit sales growth, spearheaded the launch of its click-and-collect proposition in the UK and built Tesco’s portfolio of automated picking facilities across London.

Prior to joining Tesco, Burgess spent six years at McKinsey & Co management consultants, working on operational, strategic and organisational engagements with clients.

He also co-founded Acturis, a firm that provides internet-based back-office software for insurance brokers and now employs more than 200 people.

Frederick Goltz

Goltz is a co-founder of Hattington Capital and primarily focuses on property acquisitions, deal structuring and industrial investment opportunities.

Before joining Hattington, Goltz served as an executive at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts for 17 years, initially working in KKR’s private equity business, moving on to work across its energy and natural resources portfolio, before ultimately becoming a partner in the firm in 2005.

In 2007, Goltz left the private equity business to start a finance arm for KKR and was most recently the head of the firm’s global credit strategies group

Goltz also sits on the board of The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and is a member of the University of Pennsylvania UK Executive Leadership Committee.