BlueOrchard – empowering people, protecting our planet

Before joining BlueOrchard, Sevara worked for 15 years with the USAID and ADB, where she held a variety of managerial positions. She worked on development projects focusing on reforms of the banking system and the development of microfinance in Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. She has been a board member of the Credit Union Association and a number of credit unions in Uzbekistan.

Sevara has graduated from the Tashkent Finance University with a Bachelor’s degree in Banking.

David is Head of Information Technology, overseeing the BlueOrchard’s technology and IT infrastructure. Prior to joining the firm in 2009, David worked as an IT consultant and software engineer specializing in the development and integration of business solutions based on Microsoft technologies. David holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from the School of Engineering and Management Vaud, Switzerland. He is a certified ITIL Expert, Microsoft Solution Developer, Microsoft Database Administrator, and PRINCE2

Ernesto has over 20 years of experience in financial markets. He has worked in M&A advisory, structured credit and investment management in a number of institutions including Goldman Sachs and HSBC in London, Towers Watson and Credit Agricole CIB.

He holds an MBA from IE Business School and is a CFA charter holder.

Martin is a 25-year veteran of emerging markets private equity investments. Martin was previously Managing Partner in Capital Group Private Markets in London, which he joined in 2003, and prior to that he spent seven years at DLJ Merchant Banking Partners in New York and Buenos Aires. Martin has extensive experience and a deep understanding of emerging market investing across a variety of sectors and geographies.

Martin is responsible for BlueOrchard’s corporate development activities. In his role, he drives strategic growth initiatives and facilitates innovation and new products. Prior to BlueOrchard, Martin was a project manager with a leading international management consulting firm advising clients in the energy and transportation sectors on strategic topics.

Martin is a CFA® charterholder. He holds a Master’s degree in Energy Science and Technology from ETH Zurich and wrote his Master’s thesis at UC Berkeley.

Veronika has over 20 years of experience in emerging markets and impact finance. She was appointed Head of Impact Management in 2022. Previously, she was Head of Risk Management and member of the investment origination team, responsible for the regions in Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean, as well as other countries in Africa and Asia. She has been a voting member of various BlueOrchard committees, including the Risk, Investment, and Impact Committees.

Prior to joining BlueOrchard, Veronika worked at an international credit rating institution in Latin America and at a European bank on the derivatives pricing project team.

Veronika is an economist and holds an MSc in Economic Development from the University of Glasgow.

Yann is the Deputy Chief Credit Officer at BlueOrchard Finance. He joined BlueOrchard from ProCredit Group where he worked for 13 years in management of ProCredit banks in Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. He has served on board of directors of ProCredit Ghana and Banco ProCredit in Colombia and has extensive experience in SME finance, among others having developed programs for agricultural and green finance in Mozambique and Colombia. Apart from his managerial positions, he has been involved in setting up a professional training institution in Africa and was teaching in Latin America and Germany on various finance related topics.

Yann has completed a Master’s degree in Economics at the Institute of Political studies in Paris (Sciences-Po), after having earned the Diploma from the same institution. He previously completed undergraduate studies in Economics and Sociology at Goethe University in Frankfurt.

Patricia is Head of Finance at BlueOrchard, supervising all the financial tasks and tax requirements of the company. Patricia has over 20 years of experience in financial accounting, tax reporting, payroll and audits for multinational companies with subsidiaries in various jurisdictions.

Patricia is a Swiss Certified Public Accountant.

Before joining BlueOrchard, Sébastien worked in Paris for nine years for Réunica, a major French institutional investor. He was responsible for portfolio management, asset-liability management, asset allocation and mutual fund selection in multiple asset classes.

Prior to this, he held various roles at Caisse d’Epargne des Alpes in Grenoble for two years in the asset management team. Sébastien travelled by bicycle for two years on the American continent from Alaska to Patagonia to meet MFIs and microfinance customers on the way.

Sébastien holds a Masters Degree in Management from Grenoble Graduate Business School and is a Certified International Investment Analyst (CIIA).

Raphaël is Head of People & Development at BlueOrchard, overseeing the human resources function. Raphaël started his career in finance and subsequently gained multiple exposures to HR practices through various consulting assignments at a leading advisory firm specialized in corporate governance, risk & finance, compensation, and HR management. Raphaël is a CFA Charterholder and holds a Master’s degree in finance from the Universities of Lausanne, Geneva, and Neuchatel and a Bachelor’s degree from HEC Montreal.

Alessandra is responsible for the fund management of BlueOrchard’s blended finance mandates and relationships with development finance institutions. In her role, she is involved in the creation of new blended finance structured investment strategies and technical assistance facilities, from design to implementation. Alessandra has ten years of experience in advisory and impact investing in emerging and frontier markets with previous roles at Innpact and Accenture.

Alessandra holds a Master of Science in Management from Bocconi University and a bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Organizations from University of Ferrara.

Ebony joined BlueOrchard in 2014 and was appointed Chief of Staff in 2023. In her new role, she will support BlueOrchard’s executive management team and board of directors in the areas of strategy and culture. In her previous position, Ebony was BlueOrchard’s Head of Investor Relations for the past seven years. Before joining BlueOrchard, Ebony worked at Hyposwiss Privatbank AG.

Ebony holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and IE Business School in Madrid.

Matt oversees the risk management, legal and compliance departments of BlueOrchard. He joined the company from from impact investment pioneer Root Capital, where he built the in-house counsel function and a comprehensive framework for the management of legal and operational risk.  He previously served as Special Counsel to the Division of Trading and Markets at the US Securities and Exchange Commission at its Washington headquarters. Among the few lawyers specialized in impact investment, he has been closely involved in the efforts to develop a specialized field of legal practice in this emerging field.

Matt began his career as an adviser on domestic and international policy for a senior Member of the US Congress. An attorney at law since 2008, he holds a Doctorate of Jurisprudence (J.D.) from Northeastern University School of Law and a B.A. in History from the College of the Holy Cross.

Tahmina is responsible for overseeing all communication activities at BlueOrchard, including brand management, PR, content development, and social media.

She began her professional career as a parliamentary affairs manager and later transitioned to the Office of the Managing Board at a development bank that specializes in providing credit and financial services for underserved markets and populations in Germany.

Tahmina holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Bonn and a PhD in International Politics from the University of Konstanz.

Sascha has over 20 years of experience in emerging markets, banking and finance. Before joining BlueOrchard, he established an investment fund in Georgia, the pioneer in collective real estate investments. He resides in Tbilisi since 2007, where he initially served as CFO and later as CEO of ProCredit Bank Georgia and subsequently as Deputy CEO of Bank of Georgia. Prior to that, Sascha held various senior executive positions in a German Technology Group, which focused on international development and investment.

He serves on a volunteer basis as Chairman of the German Business Association (DWV) in Georgia. From 2015 to 2017, Sascha was also elected by the Parliament as an independent Board Member of Georgia’s Financial Supervision Agency (FSA).

Sascha has a background in finance and business administration and was awarded with an honorary doctoral degree, affirmed by the German Ministry of Education and Science.

Evariste is the lead Portfolio Manager of BlueOrchard listed debt’s funds. Before joining BlueOrchard in 2017, Evariste worked for more than 12 years at BlackRock (formerly Barclays Global Investors) in London, where he was managing active investment strategies across fixed income with a focus on emerging markets. Evariste holds an MSc in Financial Markets and Investments from Skema Business School and a Master’s degree from Paris Graduate School Of Management.

Lisa has been in the field of impact investing for more than 20 years, focusing on both financial and social impact assessments in inclusive finance. She is currently Chair of BlueOrchard’s Credit Rating Committee and a member of the company’s private debt Credit Committee. Prior to working in impact investing, Lisa was as a Portfolio Manager in Emerging Markets fixed income asset management. After that, she followed with a year of volunteer work at microfinance institutions in Peru and Mexico. She then began working with BlueOrchard in 2005, managing the Investment Team.

Lisa holds a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) in New York and a BA in History and Economics from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.