Erick is our CEO and co-founder and has helped developed our unique investment approach that combines funding, knowledge transfer, and capacity building. He is our specialist for working with start-ups, global strategy, and business development. Erick has traveled extensively since he was young and has lived in various countries while traveling with his parents. He has Cameroonian roots, although he was born in Bonn, Germany and attending university in France. Erick became an entrepreneur and strategic consultant immediately after his studies, where he further developed his strategic thinking skills and comprehensive track record of launching and scaling up new business concepts. He is also a specialist in international marketing strategies, implementing brand strategies, marketing plans and communication campaigns. He has also directed innovation efforts and managed international teams in executing company strategies with global vision. He is especially passionate about the environmental as well as the economic impact of his projects. Erick speaks English, French, and German and is well-versed in cross-cultural collaboration. He has a passion for basketball and used to be a professional player in his youth.  

Thomas is our CFO and co-founder, who brought his extensive financial and investment background to the development of our investment approach. Thomas is our specialist for financing, investor relations and business planning. In the middle of a successful career at Deutsche Bank (DB), Thomas decided to apply his wealth of financial expertise towards work with more direct impact. Familiar with the challenges in emerging markets through his family ties to Peru, he started by volunteering with several projects in Africa and Latin America. Experiencing that his abilities and knowledge could make a significant difference for companies and projects that wanted to grow in Emerging Markets, he decided to make it his full-time business. Thomas was head of Product Management (International & Customized Funds) at DB’s Asset Management subsidiary and was promoted to Director within 5 years, resulting in more than 10 years of financial experience and a comprehensive network in the financial industry. He speaks fluent English and Spanish in addition to his native German. He is married and in early 2015, he became first-time father to a son who he wants to grow up in a better world.

Jean-Dominique (JD) is our Chief Operating Officer, he is responsible for overseeing the growth and operations of the rapidly growing GreenTec organization. JD is a senior business development executive specialized in organizational performance and change management. He has more than 25 years of management experience spanning 20+ countries in the IT, Automotive, Banking, Entertainment and Fast Moving Consumer Goods industries, as well as management consulting experience for large corporations, medium & small enterprises, and national and international institutions. Most recently, JD was Sales Director EMEA & APAC for Toronto-based Environmental Health & Safety leading SaaS software vendor Cority, where he was instrumental in the growth of Cority's business beyond North America. JD enjoys coaching and leading organizations through change and business growth in multi-cultural environments, with a preferred focus on solving sustainability-related challenges. He holds a master degrees in Management and Information Systems from Ecole Centrale de Lille (France), and in Sustainability Business Practice from Bath University School of Management (UK). He is an Adizes qualified change management consultant.  Married and father of two, JD speaks French, English and Swedish, is co-owner of a rising star micro-brewery, and is an avid opera tenor and football player.

'Tomi Davies is our Chief Investment Officer, who will leverage his extensive experience in business and African investing in guiding GreenTec Capital's investment decisions. Mr. Davies was a systems analyst turned tech strategy advisor, public speaker and Angel Investor, Harry ‘Tomi Davies (TD) is Collaborator-in-Chief at TechnoVision, co-founder of the Lagos Angel Network (LAN) and President of the African Business Angel Network (ABAN). For nearly two decades after graduating from the University of Miami TD led implementation of innovative technology-led transformation initiatives in the Oil & Gas, Retail, Information Technology and Telecommunications industries for influential global brands Elf Aquitaine, Marks & Spencer, Ernst & Young and Sapient across Europe, the United States and Southeast Asia. In 2000 his focus shifted to Africa where he helped create the African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF), led the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) initiative in Nigeria and delivered a World Bank pilot of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel information system (IPPIS) that uncovered over 20,000 ghost workers in the Nigerian Government payroll system. Leading these kinds of innovative initiatives in Africa using his goal-oriented approach to project delivery which consistently delivered effective results inspired his 2014 book “The African Project Manager”. TD is Chairman of TextNigeria (Telecoms) and Non-Executive Director at MBO Capital (Private Equity) and Big Cabal Media (Media & Entertainment). He is a member of the Lagos State Science, Research & Innovation Council (LASRIC) and sits on the board of Laptops4Learning (L4L) Nigeria and the Global Business Angels Network (GBAN). As a thought leader with increasing knowledge gained from nurturing entrepreneurs in a growing portfolio of tech-enabled early stage business ventures originating from Africa, TD’s personal mission is “to help drive Africa’s development by supporting young entrepreneurs using innovation and technology to create social impact and economic value.” TD can be reached at www.tomidavies.com and on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook as TomiDee

Andrew Gwadiva is our Vice President, Growth. He brings a wealth of knowledge of the African entrepreneurship ecosystem. He is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with DFIs, Foundations, Investors, Entrepreneur Support Organisations (ESOs), and other entities involved in the development and strengthening of the African entrepreneurship ecosystem, and to support the overall growth of the firm. He is a member of the Global Shaper Community (GSC), an initiative of the World Economic Forum. He serves as an Africa Partnership Lead for Shaper Impact Capital an organisation founded by a team of experienced VCs who are part of the GSC. He has walked in the shoes of an entrepreneur; as a founder, he provided secure housing solutions in informal settlements. He has also co-founded Zao Invest an African investment consultancy that focuses on the diaspora community. He previously worked as a head of investor relations and a venture partner for a leading ESO in Africa. His experience spurs across Africa’s top-performing pension schemes, banks, and VCs. Gwadiva holds a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science as well as a Master of Science in Finance and Investment from the University of Nairobi. Gwadiva loves to build communities; he coordinates a run club community and an investor club. He loves working with kids in line with talent development, loves experimenting with new cuisines, hiking, travelling, he is a functional fitness CrossFit enthusiast, practices meditation, and is passionate about discovering new cultures.

Jörg is our Senior Product Manager who is bringing deep knowledge of the Asset Management industry, including complex investment vehicle structures and offshore solutions. Jörg is responsible for the lifecycle management of our SPVs and funds. He has worked for more than ten years in the financial industry. Before joining GreenTec Capital, Jörg worked as a Product Manager at DWS Investment GmbH. In his role he gained experience for various jurisdictions in Europe and APAC. Jörg holds a Diploma degree in Economics with a specialization in Monetary Policy from Goethe University Frankfurt (Germany). He speaks English and German. Jörg has a strong interest in diving deeper into impact investment, venture capital and frontier markets.

Sylvia is our Head of Communications and responsible for media and public relations. She support us by working to raise our profile with relevant target groups. Her expertise in the field of communication as well as in the financial and capital markets, coupled with her passion for projects with a social and environmental impact and her knowledge and understanding of the African continent align well with GreenTec Capital's activities. Before Sylvia started her own business, Sylvia was positioned in the German speaking market as the sole Managing Director of a leading international consultancy headquartered in London, specializing in financial and corporate communication. The agency focused on M&As, IPOs, investor relations as well as corporate and crisis communication, with banks, private equity companies, hedge funds and commercial law firms among the target clientele. Previously, she worked for different international agencies with a strong focus on cross-border financial communication. Her specialization is the positioning of management and firms from start-ups to DAX companies. Among her recent clients are a company active in renewable energies and an impact investing advisor with almost 2 billion Euro assets under management. Sylvia is passionate about discovering different cultures and has repeatedly visited more than half a dozen African countries. As a Rotarian, she is committed to service and doing good in her projects. In her spare time, she is a frequent swimmer. Sylvia speaks German, English, and French.

Kaarina brings to GreenTec 20+ years of experience in the field of business, organizational and ecosystem development linked to sustainability challenges and innovation opportunities. She has a MSc in Business & Sustainability, was one of the first globally to hold a Corporate Social Responsibility management role (at Volvo Car Corporation in the late 1990s), and has served small, medium and large companies, government agencies and NGOs in Africa, East Asia, Europe and South America. Fields with which she has in-depth experience include transport and logistics, public and private procurement, inclusion of marginalized groups (in employment, product and service development, etc.) and climate mitigation and adaptation.

At GreenTec, Kaarina serves as a pathfinder to identify and evolve winning solutions for customers and partners including governmental agencies, the private and public sectors, and other partners. Kaarina also serves as Vice-chair on the executive board of Circular Economy 4 Africa, an international multi-stakeholder consortium that focuses on the development of circular thinking, waste management and recycling, and the creation of sustainable, inclusive, quality, green jobs through joint action in Africa.

Kaarina is a Canadian-Finn, is fluent in English, French, Portuguese and Swedish, and has conversational competencies in Chinese and German. She is married, has two children, enjoys singing, swimming and the rhythm of the seasons. On a voluntary basis she co-manages an alternative primary school and a local agricultural resiliency project.

Fabienne Kirchhof is an Associate currently responsible for leading projects supporting the newly founded CE4Africa consortium (Circular Economy 4 Africa). Fabienne comes to us with relevant professional experience having previously held an Intern role with GreenTec Capital Partners. Fabienne received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University Osnabrück in Lower Saxony, Germany; and was awarded a Master of Science in Integrated Natural Resource Management from Humboldt-University Berlin. She is fluent in German and English; and enjoys traveling, hiking, ocean surfing and advocating for sustainability.

Francisco “Paco” Schäfer Aguilar is our Intern supporting the Investment Business Unit. He will assist the team in screening, sourcing, and assessing potential startups and support the Investment Business Unit in supporting GreenTec portfolio companies.  He is of German-Spanish descent and holds a B.Sc in Economics and Business Administration form Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main and a M.Sc in Environment, Politics and Development from SOAS University of London.  Prior to GreenTec, Paco was the Head of Communications and Project Manager for Bodawerk International, a Ugandan-German startup that focuses on energy storage systems and e-mobility.  He speaks English, German and Spanish fluently, and is an avid fan of Eintracht Frankfurt and Real Madrid. His other interests include: circular economy, finance, economics, sustainability and renewable energies.

Clemens Habig is our Impact Analyst.  He has Bachelor in Biochemistry from Jena University (Friedrich Schiller-Universität Jena) and is currently studying Philosophy and Economics at the University of Bayreuth.  Clemens is skilled in Agile Project Management from a previous internship and is knowledgable of B2B communications from another internship at Merck KGaA. He speaks fluent English having attended boarding school in the UK and has a basic understanding of Japanese having studied the language for 3 months in Kobe, Japan.  He is a Game Master of two Dungeon and Dragons groups, and creates “wonderous worlds” in this game environment.

Jana is our Business Manager who supports GreenTec Capital’s senior management. She comes to us with experience in the international development sector from her internship at GIZ.

Jana studied International Relations at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands and the University of the Free State in South Africa.

Jana speaks fluent English as well as her native German and has strong working knowledge of French. She enjoys playing basketball, reading as well as cooking.

Thomas Albert is a member of the Management Board at Swiss Life Fund Management (Lux) S.A. Prior he has worked as a Managing Director at Credit Suisse Asset Management as Head of Retail Distribution in charge of Europe (ex Switzerland and Italy) and Latin America and as a member of the Operating Committee for Germany and Central Europe. Up until 1999, Thomas Albert worked for Fleming Asset Management (now JP Morgan) and was responsible for the distribution of mutual funds in Germany’s western federal states, a function that also saw him active in various support areas in Luxembourg and London.

Matthias is an Economist by training (Diploma of University of Freiburg and Doctorate at University of Munich).  He started his carrier in the economic policy advisory sector (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik and Policy Planning Staff, German Foreign Office).  He then turned into Development Banking (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 1990-1995) and Commercial Banking.  Since 2006 Generalbevollmächtigter (authorisised signature), head of the Banking Department (2006-2018). Since then in charge of strategic projects.

Rasheed previously held the position of Managing Director/CEO of the Bank of Industry (BOI), Nigeria’s oldest and leading Development Bank. Mr. Olaoluwa has 30 years’ experience in banking and financial services sector, playing senior and executive level roles in Retail, Corporate and Investment Banking, Treasury Management, Financial Control and Strategic Management gained from reputable institutions such as KPMG Professional Services, GTBank, Ecobank, United Bank for Africa (UBA) and BOI. He has recently founded Niche Capital Limited in 2016 as an investment company with the objective of making minority equity stakes in early-stage, high growth technology and tech-based companies in Africa.

Pauline Mujawamariya Koelbl is an Innovation Catalyst, Angel Investor and Co-Founder of the Professional Women of African Heritage (PROWAH) in Switzerland. PROWAH initiative aims to empower professional women of African heritage to connect, learn from one another and expand professional and leadership skills so that they are change agents who shape the African narrative globally. Pauline’s passion lies in innovation, entrepreneurship and empowerment of youth and women. Pauline worked for the African Innovation Foundation (AIF) from 2011 to 2018 as the Managing Director and Program Director for AIF’s flagship program, Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA), where she was responsible for the overall management of the Foundation and led all work related to building African innovation ecosystems and catalyzing market-orientated solutions for African-led development across the continent. Pauline has over 20 years’ experience in international affairs and philanthropy industries including various UN bodies and international organizations in Africa, Europe and USA. Pauline currently serves as a Board of Directors member of the Flame Tree Initiative, a US-based NGO that uses ICTs to address the digital divide through collaboration with African universities. In addition, Pauline is an Advisory board member for EurAfrican Forum and Innovation in Laboratory Engineered Accelerated Diagnostics (iLEAD). She is also a Bellagio/PopTech Catalyst, a joint initiative between the Rockefeller Foundation and PopTech, working with a global community of innovators and thought leaders for positive social change.