Kharis Capital

Manuel Roumain co-founded Kharis Capital, where he leads capital-raising and long-term partnership strategy focused on consumer businesses. He previously served for a decade as Chief Investment Officer for the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation, overseeing multi-asset direct and co-investment programmes and building a global family-office network. Earlier in his career he held roles at Goldman Sachs, UBS and Citigroup.

Alexander Carlier has been with Kharis Capital since 2015 and leads its quick-service restaurant vertical, serving as Group CFO of QSRP and overseeing foodservice platforms including Dani Garcia Group and Foodmaker. Before Kharis, he was Business Modelling Manager at EY Brussels, advising private-equity and corporate clients on transactions in consumer, energy and infrastructure, with earlier experience in consulting and banking.

Eric Melloul focuses on global consumer investing, with two decades of experience scaling food-and-beverage brands across Europe, the US and Asia. Over 16 years at Verlinvest he backed companies including Oatly, Vita Coco, Mutti, Tony's Chocolonely, Bevyz and Remy Cointreau. Earlier in his career he worked on brand and go-to-market strategy at AB InBev and McKinsey & Company, and he was educated at the London School of Economics and Harvard.

Laurent Vermer is a Partner on Kharis Capital's FoodTech Fund, where he oversees investments in the food delivery sector and helps portfolio companies with development and expansion, focusing on healthy food and beverage. Before joining Kharis Capital in 2015, he was Investment Director at private equity fund BeCapital and previously held M&A and sales roles at Anheuser-Busch InBev, as well as M&A and project financing roles at Suez Energy in Brazil and Italy. He holds an MBA from INSEAD and a BA from Solvay Business School.

Joined in 2025 as an expert in digital transformation and AI strategy; also serves as an industry mentor at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University.

Steven Couturier is an Investment Principal at Kharis Capital, which he joined in 2022, with a financial background focused on the consumer and retail sectors. He previously worked as an Associate Director in the Investment Banking team at KBC Securities in Brussels, and earlier held M&A roles at Rothschild & Co and Allyum, working on mid-market transactions across consumer, retail, food, industrial, business services and technology. He holds a Master's in Business Engineering from KU Leuven and a Postgraduate in Finance & Securities from EHSAL Management School, and is a CFA charterholder.

David Kedwards is Managing Director of Pearson's English Direct Delivery Business, overseeing operations across multiple countries including Wall Street English – China. He joined Wall Street English as CEO in 2001 and grew the business from US$1m to US$200m by 2010, opening 60 learning centers in China and leading capital events with Carlyle (2006) and Pearson (2009). His background is largely in education, including founding and running children's nursery schools and learning centres in the UK and USA, and he holds an MBA in International Marketing, a BA in Politics and Economics, and a Diploma in Marketing Management.

Thomas Arend launched his own venture in 2014 after advising and mentoring numerous international startups. He previously led international product efforts at Airbnb and Twitter, headed mobile at Mozilla (launching Firefox on Android), worked on global products at Google, and held roles at SAP and IBM Research, later leading product teams at Facebook focused on next-billion users and AI-driven innovation. He holds a Ph.D. in Artificial Intelligence from Technical University Berlin and works as a keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor, including as an executive product advisor to Singularity University.

Yon Lachmann has about ten years of experience in communications and event planning, and at Broadscale supports the firm's network, partnership, and investment activities while contributing to its research and thought leadership. Before Broadscale, she worked in business development and communications for various organizations, including the environmental non-profit INFORM. She holds a B.A. in Metropolitan Studies from New York University and an M.S. in Sustainability Management from Columbia University.

Alain Sethi is the Legal & Compliance Officer at Kharis Capital, overseeing legal and compliance matters. Since 2014 he has been Chief Administration Officer of QSRP, a Kharis portfolio company, and sits on the boards of several QSRP entities. He previously worked as an investment manager at the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation and held investment research roles at Bank am Bellevue and CFRA in Zurich and London. He holds an MBA from London Business School and a Master's in Law from the University of Lausanne.

David Jachir works in investor relations and business development, engaging with the firm's investor base throughout the investment cycle. He has a background in controlling, IT, and international trade finance, and before joining Kharis Capital in April 2020 he worked as an IT and project management business consultant. Earlier he served as Group CFO and partner of an international garment and manufacturing company, with experience in M&A and international trade finance, and holds a Master's in Management from Solvay Business School in Brussels.

Deborah Panarello has managed high-profile offices for nearly 20 years across sectors including banking, government, and shipping. She combines executive administration with project management and planning experience. She holds a master's degree in foreign languages and intercultural communication, has training in accounting and finance, and speaks English, French, and Italian.

Lionel Schreiber is Group CFO at Kharis Capital, where he oversees finance, regulatory, and structural matters. He joined the firm in 2016 after roles at McKinsey & Company, the private equity firm Cobepa, and energy investment company Engie China. He holds degrees from Imperial College London and HEC Paris, is a Certified International Investment Analyst, and speaks English, Dutch, and French.