John East became a member of the London Stock Exchange in 1974, when he was with Panmure Gordon & Co. He established the stockbroking firm of Kent, East, Newton & Co in 1977 before merging the firm with and becoming senior partner of Margetts and Addenbrooke, one of the oldest firms in the country with a long history of advising smaller public companies. During this period Margetts and Addenbrooke played an active role in the development of the Unlisted Securities Market, the first UK market for young and growing companies. Following the sale of the firm, he joined the predecessor of what is now Merchant John East Securities in 1987 and led its management buyout in 1992. He was a founder member of the executive committee of the Quoted Companies Alliance, the City group which champions smaller companies and which was instrumental in pressing for the establishment of AIM. He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.

Simon Clements graduated from Hull University with a degree in Accounting in 1994 and qualified as a chartered accountant with Horwath Clark Whitehill in 1998, where he worked in the corporate finance department. He joined the predecessor of what is now Merchant John East Securities in 2000 and has been involved in and led a significant number of new issues, reverse takeovers and acquisitions and disposals. He is a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.

After graduating from Cambridge University with an engineering degree, David Worlidge joined Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co in 1978. He qualified as a chartered accountant in 1981 and after spending three and a half years in the Sydney office, he joined the then parent company of what is now Merchant John East Securities in 1988 as M&A manager. In 1989 he formally transferred to the predecessor of what is now Merchant John East Securities, becoming a member of the management buyout team in 1992. He is a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.

Bidhi Bhoma is a graduate of The University of Birmingham and qualified as a solicitor with international law firm Denton Wilde Sapte in 2001, where he specialised in corporate finance and M&A. He has significant public transaction experience, especially in relation to IPOs and equity issues and has also advised on joint ventures, investments and corporate re-organisations. He joined the predecessor of what is now Merchant John East Securities in 2005 and is a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment.

Virginia Bull graduated from Liverpool University with a degree in Mathematics. She joined the predecessor of what is now Merchant John East Securities in 2004 and is an Associate of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.

Lauren graduated from The University of Birmingham with a degree in Economics. She joined the predecessor of what is now Merchant John East Securities in 2008.

A former fund manager and head of corporate finance at a number of well established houses, Jeffrey Coburn's long career has spanned the development of small to medium companies' markets over the last 20 years, during which time he played a significant role in the development of the Unlisted Securities Market. He joined the predecessor of what is now Merchant John East Securities in 1991 and is a Member of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.