Martin Miles

Martin Miles is the Chief Operating Officer of Global Natural Resource Investments (GNRI), a London-based private equity firm focused on the global natural resources sector. GNRI was formed in October 2015 through a management buyout of Barclays Natural Resource Investments (BNRI), Barclays' in-house natural resources private equity business, which the bank spun out as a standalone firm run by its existing team. Miles carried over into GNRI from BNRI, where he had held an operational/finance role, making him one of the continuity executives of the platform.

Before his private equity career, Miles trained and worked in professional services, with prior roles at Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young — a typical accounting/audit-to-finance path — before moving into the natural resources investment business at Barclays. He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Warwick Business School, University of Warwick (2003–2004).

As COO, Miles sits on the operations/finance side of GNRI rather than acting as a headline deal-maker. The firm's investment leadership is headed by CEO and Managing Partner Mark Brown, alongside managing directors and investment professionals including David Ellis, with a broader team spanning London and Doha. GNRI has historically committed over $3 billion of equity since 2006 and, at the time of the buyout, advised on roughly $1.7 billion of capital commitments (including a significant relationship with the Qatar Investment Authority and continued mandates from Barclays), with more than $800 million of undrawn commitments across a portfolio of around 15 companies.

Important accuracy note: The stub data describing Martin Miles as an "Angel Investor" making "Seed Round" investments does not match verifiable sources. He is an operating executive (COO) at an institutional natural-resources private equity firm. Founders seeking angel/seed capital are unlikely to find a fit here.

• GNRI invests as a private equity firm, not an angel — its capital comes from institutional investors (e.g., Barclays legacy commitments and the Qatar Investment Authority), not personal angel checks.
• Sector focus: upstream oil & gas outside the United States, upstream mining, oilfield/mining associated services, and power & renewables.
• Stage/structure: growth equity, buyouts, and project/asset-backed investments partnering with experienced management teams — CEO Mark Brown has described the firm's approach as "consistently identifying and partnering with world-class management teams."
• Geography: global mandate, deliberately excluding US upstream oil & gas; operational hubs in London and Doha.
• Miles's own remit as COO centers on operations, fund administration, financial modeling, portfolio management, and business planning rather than sourcing or leading deals.