Features / If I Knew Then
If I Knew Then: Ed Rowberry
Ed Rowberry is the founding chief executive of Bristol & Bath Regional Capital (BBRC), which recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary. Over this period, BBRC has mobilised more than £72m in impactful funding for initiatives in Bristol and beyond.
Rowberry also serves as president of the Bristol Chamber of Commerce & Initiative. Originally trained as a chartered accountant at KPMG, he has guided BBRC to become the South West’s leading place-based impact investor.
How did you start your career?
I began my career training with KPMG to become a chartered accountant. It wasn’t glamorous, but it gave me a solid foundation and the space to figure out where I wanted to go. It also gave me something even more valuable: a group of lifelong friends who are still an important part of my life.
I had briefly considered joining the armed forces; however, I eventually realised it wasn’t the right path for me. Training as an accountant offered a broad grounding in business while earning a salary — a safe option, perhaps — but one that bought me time, gave me real experience and spared me from taking on significant debt in my early twenties.
Ed Rowberry is the founding chief executive of Bristol & Bath Regional Capital (BBRC), which recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary – photo: First Avenue Photography
If you knew then what you know now, what mistakes would you have avoided?
I would have spent far more time early on understanding who I was as a person: my values, what energised me and the kind of work that aligned with that. I would have been more strategic and less reactive, while still recognising that life and the world around us are constantly changing.
After leaving KPMG, I often leapt at opportunities based purely on what was in front of me and, if I’m honest, often based on money alone. I didn’t properly explore whether the roles aligned with my values or interests. As a result, I spent too many moments in my twenties feeling trapped in work I actively disliked, with no obvious alternative route.
What advice would you give yourself when starting out?
Be bold, be courageous and take more risks early on — but only on paths that reflect your values. I’d still advise myself to avoid taking on unnecessary debt, but recognise that sometimes, depending on circumstances, financing your future is the only way to move forward.
Another option might be, if you can, to use one job to cover the basics while carving out time — evenings or weekends — to build the skills or qualifications that lead to a more meaningful, values-driven career. Even small steps outside normal hours can move you closer to where you want to be.
If you knew then what you know now, would you still be sitting here?
Yes. My career has had two distinct halves and I wouldn’t change that. The first half, nearly twenty years, was all about professional training, commercial learning and understanding how the business world works. The second half has been about applying that knowledge to improve the way society works. I needed the first to do the second well.
What do you know now that you didn’t know then?
It may sound like a list of clichés, but they’ve proved true for me: don’t sweat the small stuff; enjoy the journey rather than obsess over the destination; and be kind.
I learned these the hard way, through setbacks — personal and professional — that shaped me. My Christian faith has helped me navigate those moments. It gives me a sense of trust and perspective: that I am on the right path and that setbacks are part of learning. At the same time, I work closely with people of all faiths and none, because I believe positive change comes from unity, not division.
Perhaps if we saw people of all backgrounds as part of the solution rather than part of the problem, we might find ourselves living in a less angry society, one rooted in a renewed sense of community and shared hope.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received so far?
A friend once told me: “Don’t take yourself too seriously.” Being able to laugh at yourself keeps your ego in check and frees up energy to focus on the much bigger challenges facing the world.
What is your career highlight?
BBRC recently celebrated ten years of trading. It has been an exhilarating, sometimes frightening journey, with plenty of moments in the early years when I wasn’t sure it would work. Our celebration, surrounded by the many partners and colleagues who helped make it happen, was a very special moment for me and, I hope, for the talented team I’m fortunate and proud to work with.
What is your career low point?
The pandemic was extremely hard for me professionally. I’m naturally gregarious, so being stuck indoors was draining. It took a couple of years to properly reset, although now the whole experience feels like a historical event that taught us all something.
BBRC’s 10-year celebrations – photo: First Avenue Photography
What keeps you awake?
If I’ve had a difficult conversation during the day, I often wake up replaying it. Healthy relationships are critical in business — and in life — so I try to resolve things quickly when I can, although in business that isn’t always possible.
Otherwise, my biggest frustration is slow progress. Working in investment, I meet brilliant partners, but also some who take an extraordinary amount of time to make decisions. I sometimes lie awake wondering how to speed up those with the power and resources to act. That, without doubt, is the toughest part of my job.
What’s changed since you started out?
Remote working and rapid technological change have reshaped the workplace dramatically. More broadly, society has become increasingly polarised and angry, bruised by a series of global “polycrises”.
I believe businesses have a responsibility to help reverse this trend. That doesn’t just apply to tech giants; it applies to everyday businesses balancing competitiveness with genuinely valuing their people. When you get that balance right, you create the best kind of business: one that outperforms because it cares.
This idea of “business for good” is something I’ve championed in my role as president of the Bristol Chamber of Commerce and Initiative, and I am encouraged to see many business and civic leaders across our city share this vision.
What’s still on your to-do list?
At BBRC we’ve built a unique model that balances the needs of business and society at a regional level, and I want to help influence national thinking on this approach. I’m encouraged by Darren Jones’ creation of the Office for the Impact Economy, and I would love to work with them to replicate what we’ve learned in the South West of England on a national scale.
Helen Godwin (left), mayor of the West of England, lauded BBRC’s impact in the region – photo: First Avenue Photography
What’s next for you, professionally and personally?
At our ten-year anniversary we set an ambition: to catalyse £1bn of investment for good in our region over the next decade. I plan to continue working locally and nationally to help make that happen.
Personally, I want to stay fit and healthy, spend more time with family and friends, and make sure my love of music doesn’t slip too far down the priority list. My wife and I recently tried Sing for Happiness at St George’s Bristol. Singing together — hundreds of voices in harmony, performing everything from classic to ancient pieces — was incredibly uplifting. It reminded me how joyful shared experiences can be.
Main photo: Milan Perera
This article appears in Bristol24/7’s January/February 2026 magazine
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