3i Group plc today announces that Jo Taylor will succeed Rod Perry, on his retirement, as Head of its Venture Capital business, with effect from the conclusion of the 2005 Annual General Meeting in July.

Rod Perry, 59, who will formally retire from the 3i Group plc Board at the 2005 Annual General Meeting, has been responsible for 3i''s Venture Capital business since 2001 and has led a significant turnaround and stabilisation of its performance.

Paying tribute to Rod Perry, 3i Group''s Chief Executive Philip Yea said:

"Rod has made a significant contribution to 3i since he joined us in 1985. He has guided our Venture Capital business through the post-bubble period and positioned us well for the future."

Jo Taylor, 43, will become Head of Venture Capital designate from 1 January 2005. He will become a member of 3i''s Executive Committee with effect from the conclusion of the 2005 Annual General Meeting in July. He will report to Philip Yea.

Since 1999 Jo Taylor has run 3i''s UK Venture Capital team. Jo has 20 years of investment experience and has invested in all areas of venture capital across Europe. Key investments made by his team include Cambridge Silicon Radio, which successfully achieved an IPO earlier this year, and Trigenix which was recently sold to Qualcomm. He is also Chairman of the British Venture Capital Association (BVCA) High Technology Committee.

Commenting on the appointment, Philip Yea said:

"Jo is one of our most talented venture investors and has successfully led the team in the UK over the last five years. He has also contributed to the development of 3i''s Venture Capital business as a whole, which today has the opportunity to become one of the few truly international players in the sector."

Jo Taylor said:

"3i''s venture team is now well positioned to be the investor of choice for ambitious management teams looking for a truly international provider of intelligent capital. I am delighted to be given the opportunity to lead the team into its next phase of growth and success."

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About 3i 
3i Group plc is a FTSE100 company and world leader in private equity and venture capital. We focus on Buyouts, Growth Capital and Venture Capital and invest across Europe, in the United States and in Asia Pacific.

3i''s Venture Capital business is focused on early stage technology investing in the Healthcare, Software, Communications and Electronics sectors. At 30th September 2004, it represented 14% of 3i''s portfolio value and operates in Europe, Asia and the United States.

In the 6 months to 30 September 2004, 3i''s venture capital business invested £74m in early stage technology companies and during the year achieved such successes as the flotation of Cambridge Silicon Radio on the London Stock Exchange, led a $40m series C financing round in Vonage, the leading provider of broadband phone service and the £2m investment in a start-up, 42 Objects, and many others. 3i was winner of the "VC Fund of the Year 2004" Investor AllStars Award.

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Jo Taylor 
Jo has run the venture capital team in the UK since 1999 and in recent years has taken an active role in co-ordinating 3i''s global venture activities. He has 20 years of investment experience and has invested in all areas of venture capital across Europe.

Jo has led a number of investments for 3i. Some examples of companies that have been successfully realised include the biotechnology companies Morphosys, Crucell, and Isotis; Alliance Medical a healthcare service provider and the software companies Maconomy and Netstore. Jo recently led 3i''s investment in Microsulis, a medical device business developing breakthrough technologies for the US, Asian and European markets.

Jo is a board member of MVM Limited and Microsulis Limited. He is also the chairman of the British Venture Capital Association (BVCA) High Technology Committee and a BVCA council member.