I am a Managing Partner at Rift Partners, with 20 years of experience in the global re/insurance industry. My work focuses on bridging business development, investments and partnerships to accelerate insurance market development and close the protection gap, particularly in emerging markets. I have led pioneering initiatives in sovereign risk transfer, parametric insurance, climate resilience and financial inclusion, combining practical industry expertise with a PhD on risk management in low-income communities.
At Rift Partners, I design and deliver advisory and investment strategies that strengthen insurance propositions and unlock new growth opportunities. We are preparing the first close of the first VC fund dedicated to startups in the insurance ecosystem in Africa.
Dr. Benson Okita-Ouma is a distinguished Kenyan conservationist and Director of the Wyss Academy for Nature’s East Africa Hub since April 2022, driving innovative solutions to harmonize conservation and development (www.wyssacademy.org). Since 2018, he has co-chaired the IUCN SSC African Elephant Specialist Group, a global network of 95 experts dedicated to conserving Africa’s elephants and their habitats (www.afesg.org).
With over 25 years of professional experience, he has significantly contributed to the protection of black rhinos and African elephants, holding key roles in inter-governmental, governmental and non-governmental organizations such as IUCN, Kenya Wildlife Service (www.kws.go.ke), and Save the Elephants (www.savetheelephants.org).
He holds a PhD in black rhino population dynamics from Wageningen University (www.wur.nl) and is an alumnus of DICE, University of Kent. A recipient of a Presidential award the Moran Order of the Burning Spear (MBS) for distinguished service to the Nation, he is passionate about community development and preserving wildlife movement corridors.
As CEO of Edmond de Rothschild Foundations from 2005 to 2022, Firoz Ladak has managed an international network of foundations with impact-driven programmes in entrepreneurship, health, education and the arts. Ladak draws on his past experience as an investment banker with Paribas to steer ESG-compliant investments. Based on his knowledge of frontier markets, he founded and is the current president of Swiss foundation ERFIP, a circle of philanthropists and investors who share their experiences and cooperate to promote solutions in economic development and climate resilience.
The ERFIP network includes over 150 families from Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia. Firoz is also advising ES Partners on its sustainability strategy. ESP is a leading company in Africa that provides a range of consulting services to foundations, corporates and development organizations to enable entrepreneurship and private sector led growth. As a founding member of CREO Syndicate in Europe, Firoz is engaged actively in a unique community of investors dedicated to solve the climate crisis, particularly in emerging markets.
He holds a B.A. with honours in Political Science from McGill University and a M.Phil. in Oriental Studies from the University of Oxford. He is a French and Canadian citizen. He resides with his family in Geneva, Switzerland.
Lisa Jean-Mairet is an Executive Director and a member of the Extended Leadership Team at elea. In addition to being part of the investment team, she leads the elea Africa Hub in Johannesburg. Lisa is responsible for the continuous expansion of our hub activities and our investment portfolio in Africa. She also oversees due diligence and awareness activities on the continent. She currently represents elea on the boards of AMAZI, Lernern, and Qwili.
Before joining elea in June 2018, Lisa worked in the Impact Investing team of the Chief Investment Office at UBS, where she previously completed the Graduate Talent Program. Prior to that, she gained professional experience at start-ups and a social enterprise in India. Lisa holds a MA in International Affairs and Governance and a BA in International Affairs from the University of St. Gallen (HSG). She spent exchange semesters at the National University of Singapore and Maastricht University.
Derek George works as a Policy Advisor for Financial Inclusion and Private Sector Engagement at the SDC’s Economy and Education section, from where he advises Swiss embassies and SDC units and manages a range of partnerships in financial inclusion, impact investing and blended finance. He joined the SDC in 2013 and has specialized in economic development in various capacities both in Headquarters and SDC Field Offices in Developing and Transition countries. Prior to joining the Economy and Education section, he worked as Deputy Head of Swiss Cooperation in Dhaka, Bangladesh and in Belgrade, Serbia, where he headed the Economic Development teams and incubated a number of large-scale SDC programs in the field of Market Systems Development, Financial Inclusion and Impact-linked Finance, Private Sector Engagement and Vocational Education and Training. He holds a master’s degree in international relations and political economy from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies Geneva, and a Master of Advances Studies in Development Cooperation from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. He speaks French, German and English.
13+ years of experience in impact investing with geographical experience in Africa and Latin America. Experience in deal sourcing and structuring (on & off-balance sheet, secured & unsecured…), risk analysis and portfolio monitoring. Before joining EQ, Olivia worked as Investment Officer and Regional Coordinator (Africa) for ADA, financial advisor for the Luxemburg Microfinance and Development Funds. 60+ due diligences conducted on Microfinance, SME Banking, Fintech, PAYGO and Clean Energy companies.
Valérie’s passion is sustainable economic and financial development at regional, national and international levels. At the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), she oversees the Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets (SIFEM) and represents Switzerland’s interests in the multilateral Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG). Between 2014 and 2022, she held the position of Head of Regional Policy and Spatial Planning at SECO. In this role, she also led the team implementing the national COVID-19 hardship assistance programme for SMEs.
Previously, she worked for the Swiss delegation to the OECD in Paris as a diplomatic advisor, for Procter & Gamble as a financial analyst and Deloitte Consulting as a consultant. Her academic background includes a Master’s in International Economics and Management from SDA Bocconi and NYU Stern and a Master’s in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva.
Alain Nsiona Defise, of Congolese heritage and based in London, is the founder and CEO of Nsiona Impact Ltd, a consulting firm focused on capital mobilisation for sustainable development across emerging and frontier markets.
With over 20 years of experience in managing emerging market corporate debt, Alain has held senior roles at Pictet Asset Management, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, and Fortis Investments, where he developed recognised expertise in credit markets.
Through Nsiona Impact, he works to connect institutional investors, businesses, and high-impact initiatives—aligning capital flows with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). His work is particularly driven by an interest in blended finance mechanisms and innovative investment solutions that catalyse large-scale impact.
Beyond his professional pursuits, Alain is deeply passionate about art and culture. He is also the co-founder of the Defise Foundation, an initiative dedicated to promoting the Congolese art scene.
Sach is a 5th generation member of a multi-generational family, with interests in leading global businesses, which began from modest origins in East Africa over a hundred years ago. The family‘s core focus has been on nurturing entrepreneurial talent, by providing very patient capital, active strategic inputs, and broad operating latitude. His primary focus is on overseeing the family’s investments in electronics, media and technology.
Sach serves on the boards of the Harvard Club of Switzerland and the advisory boards of Katalysen & Partners, The Raba Partnership, Musha Ventures and Marcena Capital.
On the philanthropic front, Sach is a founding member of the Casa Laxmi Foundation (which is seeking to build a revolutionary new kind of boarding school); the boards of the ERFIP Foundation (a spin out from the Rothschilds Foundation) which is looking to give the Global South an active seat at the table at any discussion about development; the Family Business Network International board; the Family Enterprise Foundation; and on the Global Leadership Council of Internews.
Sach was born in Kenya and grew up mostly in North America. He is currently based in Geneva, Switzerland prior to which he spent time in Singapore, Shanghai, and Nairobi. He completed his MBA at the Harvard Business School and a BA in Political Science at the Brown University.
Jenni Chamberlain is the Founder and CEO of Altree Capital and the Founding Partner of the Altree Kadzi Gender Climate Fund, which invests in women-led businesses in sub-Saharan Africa with a climate-smart focus. She is also the portfolio manager of the Africa Opportunities Fund and Altree Credit Fund.
Jenni was named to the Africa Asset Management Power 50, ranking in the top 10. Prior to Altree Capital, she founded Securities Africa Ltd, a leading pan-African investment bank offering equity and fixed income services. Jenni also served as Managing Director of EMEA Equities at HSBC in New York and London.