Helios Digital Ventures

Tope Lawani is a co-founder and Managing Partner with 25 years of principal investment experience. He previously was a Principal at TPG Capital in its San Francisco and London offices, where he worked on leveraged buyout and venture capital investments including Burger King, Debenhams, J. Crew Group and Scottish & Newcastle Retail, and began his career as an M&A and Corporate Development Analyst at the Walt Disney Company. He holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT, a J.D. (cum laude) from Harvard Law School, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Christopher North is a Partner at Helios Investment Partners LLP and Co-Head of its climate investing strategy, the Helios CLEAR Fund SCSp, with roughly 19 years of experience in energy, infrastructure, and sustainability as an investor, lender, developer, and advisor. He previously was a senior leader in McKinsey's Capital Projects & Infrastructure practice in Nairobi, led USAID's Power Africa program in Kenya, and headed an energy and infrastructure investment banking team at Standard Bank. Earlier in his career he developed, built, and sold wind, anaerobic digestion, and in-vessel composting facilities in the UK. He holds an MBA from Saïd Business School (University of Oxford) and B.Sc. (Mathematics) and B.Com. (Hons) (Actuarial Science) degrees from the University of Pretoria.

Dennis Aluanga joined Helios in 2011 as a Partner in the Portfolio Operations Group, with over three decades of experience in operational leadership. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer for East Africa at Industrial Promotion Services (IPS), where he oversaw investments across food processing, packaging, pharmaceuticals, textiles, steel, power generation, and telecoms, and held senior finance and operations roles at Nation Media Group. He holds an MBA from the University of Edinburgh and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Faris Ayoub is a Partner in the Helios Sports & Entertainment Strategy Group (HSEG), focusing on private equity investing in Africa's sports and entertainment sectors. He previously spent 15 years in Hong Kong where he founded a consumer-focused private equity firm, and earlier worked at JP Morgan for a decade in Leveraged Finance in London and later Principal Investments in Hong Kong, with an interim stint at Helios Investment Partners' maiden fund. He holds an MA in Economics and Politics from the University of Edinburgh and an MSc in International History from the London School of Economics.

Guy Willner joined Helios in December 2022 as Managing Director in the Digital Infrastructure Investment Team, with over two decades of experience in data centre development, scaling, and exits across Europe and Africa. He founded IXEurope in 1998, grew it into a 14-site platform across four European countries, listed it on the London Stock Exchange's AIM market in 2006, and sold it to Equinix in 2007, later serving as President of Equinix's European division until 2008. He holds a BSc in Engineering from Oxford Polytechnic (Oxford Brookes University).

Henry Obi is Partner, Head of Public & Regulatory Affairs, and a member of the Investment Committee at Helios, with more than 25 years of emerging markets investment experience. He previously served as Partner and Chief Operating Officer at Helios from 2006 to 2018, and earlier held roles as a Partner at Aureos Capital and a senior executive at CDC (now British International Investment). He holds degrees in Architecture from the University of Nigeria and the University of Nottingham and an MBA from London Business School, and was named a Commander of the British Empire in 2021.

Luciana Germinario is Chief Operating Officer at Helios, where she oversees operations including finance, administration, human resources, compliance, and firm strategy, having joined in September 2022. She previously served as Group CFO and Executive Director at John Laing Group plc, CFO of Eight Roads (Fidelity International's proprietary investment arm) for 12 years, and spent eight years at General Electric, including as CFO of a GE Healthcare division. She holds a BA from Universita' Commerciale L. Bocconi and an executive MBA from IMD in Switzerland, and is a Six Sigma Black Belt.

Nitin Kaul is a Partner in Portfolio Operations at Helios, which he joined in February 2018, with around 25 years of experience in strategy consulting, M&A, restructuring, and business transformation across developed and emerging markets. He previously co-founded the advisory firm Syndeo Capital, served as President of diversified industrial and aftermarket businesses at Gates Corporation, and held senior roles at Tomkins and Arthur Andersen. He holds an MBA from Warwick Business School, an MSc in Investment & Portfolio Management from City University Business School, and a BSc in Business Management from King's College, University of London.

Paul Cunningham joined Helios in 2008 as Chief Financial Officer, with a background of over 36 years in private equity finance, administration, and financial control. At the firm he handles accounting, financial control, taxation, fund administration, reporting, regulatory compliance, deal and fund structuring, LPA negotiations, and chairs the Valuation Committees. He previously served as CFO and COO at Barclays Private Equity and held senior finance roles at Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse, qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Whinney in 1989, and holds a mathematics degree from Imperial College London.

Sola Carrena has more than 22 years of professional experience, largely focused on buying and selling companies across a range of sectors in Africa. Before joining Helios in September 2022, she spent 10 years at Stanbic IBTC Capital as Executive Director and Head of Corporate Finance, and earlier worked at Travant Capital Partners, Ocean and Oil Holdings, Accenture, and Procter and Gamble. She holds an MSc in Economics and Finance from the University of Alberta and a BSc in Economics from the University of Lagos, and is a CFA charterholder.

Tavraj Banga is a Partner and Co-Head of Climate Investments at Helios, which he joined in 2019. He has about 20 years of investment experience across developed and emerging markets in industries such as renewable energy, waste management, transport, financial services, real estate, and technology, having previously worked at the private equity firm Terra Firma and started his career as an M&A investment banker in New York on cross-border deals. He holds a BSc in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Vitali Harwardt is a finance leader with nearly two decades of experience spanning private equity, public markets and international operations, with a focus on capital markets, M&A and strategic finance in multi-jurisdictional settings. He most recently was Managing Director and CFO at a European private equity firm, and previously served as Group CFO at a global technology-focused investment firm, along with senior finance roles at a listed technology group and a European media and technology company. He holds an MBA and is a qualified Chartered Accountant and Tax Advisor.

Wale Ayeni is Managing Partner and Co-head of Helios Digital Ventures, with over 18 years of experience in technology and venture capital. He previously served as Head of Direct Venture Capital Investments at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), where he built its venture capital practice in Africa, and earlier led venture investments in Silicon Valley for Orange after roles as a microprocessor design engineer at Intel and Qualcomm and in JP Morgan's Technology Investment Banking group. He holds an MBA from Dartmouth College and a bachelor's degree from Moscow University, and focuses on Series B+ founder-led tech companies with an African nexus.

Fope Adelowo has more than 18 years of experience investing in and supporting technology and fintech companies across Africa. As a Principal on Helios' Investment Team and Co-Lead of the Digital Ventures Fund, she leads the firm's technology and fintech investments, and previously worked in Helios' portfolio operations team supporting companies in Nigeria. Before joining Helios in 2014, she worked at CardinalStone Partners, Goldman Sachs in London, Boston Consulting Group, and Jumia; she holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and an MEng from Imperial College London.

Raed Barkatis is an investment professional with over ten years of experience in private equity and investment banking. At Helios, which he joined in 2018, he leads the firm's consumer non-discretionary strategy and has worked on transactions across education, retail, healthcare, FMCG, and agribusiness. He previously worked in investment banking at Credit Suisse in London and holds a Master in Management from ESCP Europe in France.

Tosin Awoyinka is a Principal on the PE Team at Helios, which he joined in August 2018. He previously worked at TPG/Greensphere Capital as a Vice President in Sustainable Infrastructure Investments, at Evercore focused on Infrastructure and Transportation M&A, and began his career at Citi in its Infrastructure and Transportation group and M&A group. He holds an MA in Economics and Management from Hertford College, University of Oxford, and works on digital infrastructure investments across Africa.

Ali-Abbas Punjani is a Senior Vice President at Helios Investment Partners, where he co-heads the Consumer practice and leads the Consumer Non-Discretionary sector since joining in September 2022, and he serves as a Board Observer at BetaGlass. He has 13 years of experience in investment banking and private equity, having previously worked as an investment professional at Development Partners International LLP and as an Associate at Lazard in London, where he handled US and European M&A transactions in the healthcare sector. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, a Masters in Finance from Imperial College London, and a BSc in Economics from the University of Warwick.

Claire Norton joined Helios in 2025 as Head of Client Services, supporting the firm's investor relations and client engagement activities. She has over 20 years of international experience across Europe, the Middle East and Asia-Pacific in client service, product management and marketing roles, having worked at Patria Investments (as a Product Manager for Patria Global Private Markets Solutions), abrdn, Man Investments and Standard Life Investments. At Helios she focuses on client experience and strengthening relationships across the firm's investor base.

Dominic Leong is a Vice President on the private equity team at Helios, which he joined in September 2022, where he leads investments in tech-enabled business services. He previously served as a Vice President at Emerging Capital Partners in Johannesburg, as an Associate Director at Ventura Capital, and began his career at Delta Partners Corporate Finance executing TMT M&A transactions across Africa and Southeast Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Business Science in Quantitative Finance from the University of Cape Town and is a CFA charterholder.

Jamie Hollins is an Operating Partner on the Portfolio Operations Team at Helios, where he supports portfolio companies using his regional expertise in Southern Africa. He has 22 years of experience in private equity and investment banking, previously founding and leading Growth Capital Partners in South Africa and serving as Head of Corporate Finance at African Merchant Bank in Johannesburg, after starting at KPMG. A Chartered Accountant, he holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Accounting and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Cape Town.

Mark Hartmann has over 32 years of experience in private equity, venture capital, lending, and real estate, focusing on frontier and emerging markets, and has worked on more than $3 billion of transactions across the US, Latin America, Europe, and Africa. He is principal of MH Advisory Services LLC, a sub-advisor to Helios Investment Partners, where he serves as a senior advisor and Investment Committee member; earlier roles include Partner at Helios (2008–2014), Managing Director at TPG Capital's Latin American affiliate, and founder of SF Capital Partners. He holds an M.Sc. from the London School of Economics and a B.S. in Finance from American University, and lectured on frontier markets private equity at Stanford Graduate School of Business from 2012 to 2017.

Pamela Brylski joined Helios Investment Partners in 2025 as Managing Director, Head of North America Investor Relations, focusing on investor relations and capital formation. She previously held senior roles at Shenkman Capital, BlackRock, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, and The Carlyle Group, and began her career as a private equity attorney. She holds a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center, and is licensed to practice law in New York and Texas.

Phil Davis joined Helios in August 2020 and leads the firm's ESG activities across the investment lifecycle, with over 18 years of experience in sustainability across consulting and private equity in more than 25 countries. He previously served as Head of Sustainability for EMEA at The Carlyle Group, and held roles at PwC's Sustainability and Climate Change Consulting team and at AMEC Earth & Environmental UK. He holds a BSc in Environmental Management from the University of Birmingham and sits on the PRI Private Equity Committee.

Rupeen Khagram is a finance professional with over 18 years of experience across private equity, asset management, and corporate finance, with a focus on LP reporting, valuations, financial structuring, and financial controls. He joined Helios in 2008, overseeing financial operations, and previously worked in KPMG London's Private Equity Advisory Group. He holds a BA (Hons) in Business Economics from Nottingham Business School and is a Fellow of the ICAEW.

Tolu Akinboboye joined Helios in 2024 as an Investor Relations Associate. Before that, Tolu worked as an Institutional Sales Associate at Goldman Sachs Asset Management and in Investor Operations at Man Group. Tolu holds a BA in Political Economy from King's College London and has earned the Investment Management Certification.

Virginia Doble is Global Head of Investor Relations at Helios, which she joined in 2023 from Chiltern Capital LLP, where she was Investor Relations Partner. She previously served as a Managing Director at Actis LLP leading EMEA fundraising and sales, and spent over a decade as Investor Relations Director at Sovereign Capital Partners. She holds an MPhil in Anthropology and Development from the University of Cambridge and a BA in Anthropology from the University of Durham.

Zineb Abbad El Andaloussi joined Helios in 2017 as a Partner on the Investment Team, with over two decades of experience in investment banking and corporate advisory across Europe and Africa. She previously was Managing Director in the Investment Banking Division at Rothschild in Paris, worked on European M&A across financial services, telecom, and consumer goods, and helped build Rothschild's M&A advisory franchise in Morocco and Francophone Africa, later becoming Head of Africa. She holds a degree from École Centrale Paris with a major in Economics and serves as a non-executive director on the boards of Banque Centrale Populaire and CACEIS.