Board of Directors
The Board of Directors is comprised of representatives of Shareholders of the Fund. The Board bears general responsibility for all aspects for the administration and management of the business of the Fund. In particular, the Board of Directors is in charge of (but not limited to) the following:
- Determine the business policy of the Fund within the framework of, and to approve major business issues in accordance with, the mission statement as set out by the General Meeting of Shareholders, the Issue Document and the Fund’s constituent documents
- Take or, as the case may be, supervise investment decisions
- Ensure that funding is honored and the cash and other investments are managed wisely
- Approve the contributions of the Fund to the TA Facility
- Oversee the Investment Manager, approve reports on the business operations of the Fund and approve the financial statements
Directors of the Fund:
Ms. Laure Wessemius-Chibrac
Ms. Laure Wessemius-Chibrac (Chairwoman)
Chairwoman of the Board, independent Consultant and independent Board member
Ms. Laure Wessemius-Chibrac is an investment professional with 20+ years of experience in the financial sector, specialized in sustainability and governance.
A former investment banker, she started working in 1995 at Banque Nationale de Paris in Equity Advisory, then joined ABN AMRO Rothschild in 2000, first in Paris where she structured equity transactions, and from 2001 in London where she directed marketing and syndication of equity and equity-linked transactions. She then moved to the Netherlands and in 2010 started working as an independent consultant in strategy and financial advisory. In parallel, Laure remained involved in various projects as a volunteer.
From 2013 to 2018, Laure led the transformation of the investment activities of Cordaid, an INGO based in the Netherlands, managing EUR 80m of debt and equity investments in MFIs and SMEs in fragile and developing countries. She now works as an impact consultant and supports financial institutions in their transition towards sustainability and engagement with their employees, their clients, and all their stakeholders. She has held various non-executive governance positions.
Laure has a Masters in Management Grande Ecole from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Rouen/NEOMA Business School.
Mr. Michael Brill
Mr. Michael Brill
Senior Portfolio Manager at KfW
Mr. Michael Brill is a Senior Portfolio Manager at KfW in Frankfurt am Main. Michael works on fund investments which in particular promote the financial inclusion of women, digital finance and the economic empowerment of SMEs in emerging markets.
Michael has been with KfW since 2017 and worked in KfW’s legal department prior to taking over his current position as a portfolio manager. During his time at KfW, Michael has worked and advised on numerous international financing transactions across the partner countries of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) which involved both, equity and debt investments. Having worked as a lawyer in corporate law and project finance with Clifford Chance in Düsseldorf and Frankfurt am Main for almost ten years, Michael has extensive experience in structuring innovative and complex financing transactions.
In addition to his role at REGMIFA, Michael is a member to the Limited Partners’ Advisory Committee of Verdant Capital Hybrid Fund. Michael is a qualified lawyer (University of Bonn and Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf) and holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) of the University of Wellington, New Zealand.
Ms. Claudia Huber
Ms. Claudia Huber
Senior Consultant and Founder of devImpact
Ms. Claudia Huber is a motivated and enthusiastic senior professional with 15+ years of experience in financial inclusion and (rural) economic development from public and private sector perspectives. She gained her experience managing credit and deposit sides for ProCredit banks in Africa and Latin America, as well as working with CGAP/The World Bank, GIZ and the Jacobs Foundation.
She is the founder of devImpact, a consultancy company focusing on access to finance, SME finance and agricultural/value chain finance. Claudia is also a member of various Boards of Directors.
Claudia has a Master’s in Business Administration and a CEMS Master’s in International Management from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland and is fluent in English, French, Spanish and German. She has long and short term working experience in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.
Dr. Giuseppe Ballocchi
Dr. Giuseppe Ballocchi
Board member of CFA Institute and Partner at Alpha Governance Partners
Dr. Giuseppe Ballocchi, CFA, is a Partner at Alpha Governance Partners, a former Governor of CFA Institute and a member of CFA Institute’s Future of Finance Content Council. He also serves as an Adjunct Professor and a Member of the Steering Committee for the Master in Finance programme at the University of Lausanne.
Giuseppe represents CFA Institute on the IFRS Advisory Council. CFA Institute’s mission is to lead the investment profession globally by promoting the highest standards of ethics, education, and professional excellence for the ultimate benefit of society.
He specializes in derivative-based strategies and is passionate about bridging the gap between the theory and the practice of finance. Dr. Ballocchi has served as head of financial engineering and risk analytics at Pictet & Cie, chief investment officer at Olsen Ltd, fixed-income manager at the Asian Development Bank in Manila and as a high-energy physicist at CERN. He is a past president of the CFA Society of Switzerland.
Giuseppe holds a degree in physics from the University of Bologna, an MBA from the Open University, and a PhD in high-energy physics from the University of Rochester.
Ms. Edwige Takassi
Edwige TAKASSI is a passionate senior professional with nearly 20 years’ experience in the financial sector in Europe and Africa, with a focus on supporting MSMEs. She started her career at Société Générale in France, then worked as an auditor at PwC in Luxembourg. Her financial inclusion journey started in 2007 when she joined the ProCredit Group (Germany). She worked as the CEO of ProCredit in Ghana and later as the Deputy CEO of ProCredit Bank and Equity Bank in DRC.
She is the founder and CEO of Women in Financial Inclusion Africa Consulting. Edwige has an in-depth understanding of the global challenges facing MSMEs, including women entrepreneurs in Africa. In particular, she advises banks and MFIs on developing inclusive policies and procedures, and training staff in people-centered business approaches. She has practical experience in designing financial and non-financial products and services for MSMEs.
She holds a Master’s degree in management from Neoma Business School in Rouen, France.
Investment Committee
The Investment Committee is comprised of four voting members. The Investment Committee bears general responsibility in relation to the investment decisions of the Fund and oversees the Investment Manager in ensuring the Fund is compliant at all times with the Investment Guidelines.
Members of the Investment Committee:
Ms. Claudia Huber
Ms. Claudia Huber
Senior Consultant and Founder of devImpact
Ms. Claudia Huber is a motivated and enthusiastic senior professional with 15+ years of experience in financial inclusion and (rural) economic development from public and private sector perspectives. She gained her experience managing credit and deposit sides for ProCredit banks in Africa and Latin America, as well as working with CGAP/The World Bank, GIZ and the Jacobs Foundation.
She is the founder of devImpact, a consultancy company focusing on access to finance, SME finance and agricultural/value chain finance. Claudia is also a member of various Boards of Directors.
Claudia has a Master’s in Business Administration and a CEMS Master’s in International Management from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) in Switzerland and is fluent in English, French, Spanish and German. She has long and short term working experience in Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.
Mr. Fodé Bangoura
Mr. Fodé Bangoura
M&A and Strategy
Fodé Bangoura is an investment professional with over 15 years of experience. He began his career in pensions asset management and moved into impact investing in 2014. He has led several debt and equity transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and debt restructuring, working extensively in sub-Saharan Africa, including in fragile and conflict-affected states such as Sierra Leone and Liberia. More recently, he has supported the clean energy sector, both on-grid and off-grid projects, where he has guided corporate finance and value creation initiatives.
Currently, Fodé works in the industrial sector in Sweden, focusing on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and strategy. In this role, he leads end-to-end transactions and post-merger integration of acquired companies. Additionally, he is involved in several strategic initiatives, including co-leading a renewable energy participation model.
Furthermore, Fodé has served on non-executive governance committees within the venture capital and financial services ecosystems in Africa. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and a master’s degree in Law and Finance.
Ms. Jana L. Lessenich, CFA
Ms. Jana L. Lessenich, CFA
Investment Partner, Purpose Evergreen Capital
Ms. Jana Lessenich is a finance professional specialized in sustainable investing in emerging markets and developing countries.
In her over 25 years of experience in the financial sector, she has worked with development banks, impact investors, start ups, NGOs and consultancies, focusing on investment decision making, capital raising and structuring, financial management and leading and building teams.
Her roles have included CFO of an African agtech start-up, member of the investment committees of blended finance funds and investment manager at DEG, the private sector arm of the German development bank.
Jana is currently Vice President, Sustainable Finance for Conservation International in Europe.
Jana is a CFA Charterholder.
Mr. Albert Hofsink
Albert is a professional with 25+ years of experience in a multicultural environment and in developing countries as well as in financial inclusion and (rural) economic development. He joined Oikocredit, in 1995 and served as CFO and Director for Risk Management Compliance and IT. In 2015 he started consulting and strategy support activities regarding Responsible Investments. In addition, in 2019 and 2020 he was a part time director of Symbiotics Netherlands BV responsible for Compliance, Risk & Finance. He has served on several Boards of MFIs and agricultural entities in Africa, Cambodia and India.
Albert holds a Bachelors and Honours degree in Accounting & Controlling as well as a Certificate in Theory of Accountancy from the University of South Africa and has done several follow up courses (Development Finance in Africa, strategic influencing).
Investment Manager
Symbiotics Asset Management is a regulated asset manager headquartered in Switzerland, with more than 160 employees worldwide.
Symbiotics is the leading market access platform for impact investing, dedicated to private markets in emerging and frontier economies. The group offers investment, asset management and capacity building services. Symbiotics Asset Management has USD 2.8 billion in assets under management spread across 20 different funds and mandates.
Symbiotics has been active in Sub-Saharan Africa since 2009 through its South African subsidiary, partnering with 100 financial institutions in 26 countries.
The investment company values are focused on the principles of independence, integrity and innovation: independence towards clients and partners with regards to investment strategies and choices, integrity of staff and work, and innovation in products and services.
Organizational structure
