Serge Mayaka is the Founder and Managing Principal at Akipeo. Prior to founding Akipeo (originally as Impact Capitalyst) Serge spent over 15 years in investment banking, executing M&A transactions and raising capital in the agriculture, infrastructure and financial institutions sectors.  Serge has focused on emerging markets throughout his career, based in Kenya, South Africa and Singapore with Standard Chartered Bank, before joining Macquarie Capital Markets and BMO Capital Markets in Toronto where he continued to work on agriculture and infrastructure transactions across Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa.  Serge has a M.B.A. with Distinction from the University of Oxford.

Shelley is the Director of Corporate Affairs at Akipeo. Prior to Akipeo, Shelley worked in creative and managerial roles throughout her career in TV Production. She has produced and developed content worldwide for TV shows including “The Amazing Race Canada,” “Top Chef Canada” and “Home to Win”. Shelley manages marketing and operations and is responsible for executing corporate projects in a high growth environment. She has lived and worked in Canada and Japan. She has also run multiple projects with people on the ground in India, Chile and Argentina. Shelley graduated with a B.A from McGill University and continued her post-graduate education in Writing and Producing for Television at Humber College.

Guy NGUYEN NHON is Principal at Akipeo. Guy brings over 20 years of experience in investment banking, investment management and business management. He built expertise in capital markets with Merrill Lynch and in reserves management with Credit Agricole du Languedoc before leading Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank in Vietnam where he continued to serve as a thought partner to business leaders, providing advisory support. Lately, Guy has partnered with Development professionals in social entrepreneurship on projects aiming to fight modern slavery and drive strategic management with impact indicators. Guy holds a master’s degree in Management from ESCP Europe Business School.

Andrew Githaiga is a Director at Akipeo. Prior to Akipeo, Andrew spent over 19 years in Investment Banking, Commercial Banking, and Insurance and entrepreneurship. Andrew has executed financing transactions across various sectors including renewable energy, agri-business, micro-finance institutions and SMEs. Based in Kenya, Andrew’s experience has spanned across East, Central and Southern Africa, building customer and partner relationships across these regions based on his working experience with SunFunder East Africa, Jamii Bora Bank and Stanbic Bank Kenya. Andrew has a BA (Hons.) in Economics and Finance from McGill University as well as Certifications in Credit Analysis and Sustainable Finance.

Derek is an Analyst at Akipeo. Derek earned a BSc from the University of Ottawa in Biopharmaceutical Sciences and Biology with a minor in Business Management with Distinctions, and a Master of Science in Sustainability Management from the University of Toronto where his graduate research was focused on the correlation between ESG integration and stock price volatility in the Canadian financial markets.

He is passionate about sustainable development and alleviating climate change.  He believes finance plays a key role in the global transition for this development through strategic, effective and efficient allocation of capital. By joining Akipeo, he hopes to make a positive impact on society and the planet by combining his background in science, finance and sustainability.

Kate is a Consultant at Akipeo. Kate was previously the Chief Impact Officer of the Australia-based Impact Investment Group (IIG), a funds management company with $730m in impact assets under management when she completed her tenure with the firm in August 2018. There she built the impact assessment, measurement and management framework across IIG’s investments in commercial property, renewable energy infrastructure and venture capital. She has lived and worked in Canada, Vietnam, Australia and Zambia and is now settled permanently in Toronto, Canada. Kate holds a B.A. in International Studies from Glendon College, York University and a M.A. in Planning from the University of Waterloo.