A team on a mission

Venture Partner

Ali is a Venture Partner at Solon and a founding partner of Renaissance Advisers LLC, a boutique emerging markets adviser.

Prior to founding Renaissance, Ali was an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Co. in New York and Pakistan (having launched McKinsey’s Pakistan office in 2014), Special Assistant to UN Secretaries-General Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon, and an Associate Attorney at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. Ali has an A.B in Economics with high honors from Harvard College and a JD from Yale Law School.

Chief Executive Officer, Flash Vehicles

Antoine is the Chief Executive Officer of Flash Vehicles (a Solon portfolio company) where he oversees the company’s strategic direction and operations across West Africa. Prior to joining Flash, Antoine was the Country Manager for The Coca Cola Company in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for Diageo in Cameroon, and SC Johnson in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.

Partner, ESG Lead

Arthur is a Partner at Solon Capital Partners. He is principally involved in operational oversight, local stakeholder management, special project development, and conservation and climate finance initiatives. Arthur also leads Solon's ESG function within the partnership team, as well as all corporate social responsibility initiatives through The Solon Foundation. Arthur sits on the board of Solon Property Partners, and is also at Partner at Solon subsidiary West Africa Blue.

Prior to joining Solon in 2011, Arthur worked at Qualico Homes, one of Canada’s largest fully integrated real estate companies. Arthur graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business from Mount Royal University, in Calgary, Canada.

Investment Committee Member

Bernt is a member of the Solon Capital Partners Investment Committee and is a Vice President at Norfund, where he heads investments in private equity and venture capital funds as well as in fragile and conflict-affected states.

Prior to joining Norfund in 2019, Bernt was CIO at asset manager Fronteer Solution, Head of Research and Chief Strategist at Danske Bank Markets, and CIO at wealth manager Formue. Bernt holds a PhD in economics from the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH).

Managing Partner, HC Capital Properties

Cheick is the Managing Partner of HC Capital Properties, a real estate investment and development company focused on Africa (and a Solon portfolio company). He is a member of the Investment Committee of Investisseur & Partenaires and is active in the basketball industry in Côte d'Ivoire. Prior to HCCP, he worked at Helios Investment Partners in London and at Merrill Lynch in New York. Cheick holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences from Northwestern University.

Finance Manager

Crise is a Finance Manager at Solon Capital Partners. In this role he oversees financial management and reporting, compliance, and audit liaison for Solon’s operations. Crise is also a Finance Manager at Solon subsidiary Terra Nova Solutions.

Prior to joining Solon, Crise spent several years in private practice with a focus on audit, accounting and tax advisory services. Crise holds a Chartered Accountant designation from the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana and B.Sc in Accounting (First Class) from the University of Professional Studies Accra in Ghana.

Analyst

Daniyal is an Analyst at Solon Capital Partners. In this role he focuses on corporate strategy, investment evaluation, ESG compliance, market research, and operational modelling. Daniyal has worked across various sectors and geographies in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East.

Prior to joining Solon, Daniyal gained internship experience in finance and microlending, and was a finalist at the Global Case Competition hosted by Harvard. Daniyal is pursuing his CFA designation and holds a B.Sc. in Economics from the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

Partner, Investment Committee Member

David is a founding Partner at Solon Capital Partners. He is principally focused on sourcing and evaluating new investments, raising capital for Solon and its investees, and general management and strategy. David sits on the boards of Flash Vehicles, HC Capital Properties, Solon Property Partners, Terra Nova Solutions, and West Africa Blue. David is also at Partner at Solon subsidiary West Africa Blue.

Prior to co-founding Solon in 2010, David worked in Freetown as the Deputy Project Leader for the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative (now Tony Blair Institute for Global Change), leading the team’s Private Sector Development activities from the Office of the President of Sierra Leone. Prior to AGI, David was a member of the Corporate Private Equity division of The Blackstone Group in London, and the Financial Sponsors Group in the investment banking division of Credit Suisse First Boston in New York. David graduated with Honours in Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western Ontario.

Investment Committee Member,
Senior Partner at West Africa Blue

Elizabeth is a member of the Solon Capital Partners Investment Committee and is the Senior Partner of West Africa Blue.

She has led organizations in emerging markets in the public, private and multilateral sectors for three decades with a focus on sustainability, climate finance, and economic empowerment. She Chairs the Board of M-KOPA, the leading pay-as-you-go solar company in Africa, is a Senior Adviser at the Pollination Group, and serves on the boards of several environmental and mission-driven organizations operating in developing countries.

Elizabeth served as President, CEO, and Chair of OPIC, now renamed the US International Development Corporation (DFC), from 2010 to 2017. From 1999 until 2010 she was a Director at the World Bank and CEO of CGAP (Consultative Group to Assist the Poor). Prior to that, Elizabeth was a Managing Director at JP Morgan, where she led emerging markets capital markets for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. She lived and worked in West Africa in the late ‘80s and helped local communities establish several start-up microfinance institutions in The Gambia, Mali, Senegal, Mauritania, Rwanda, and Burundi.

Analyst

Insia is an Analyst at Solon Capital Partners. In this role she focuses on financial modelling and analysis, market research, and support of strategic advisory and transaction mandates.

Prior to joining Solon, Insia held positions of progressive seniority at the Pakistan Credit Rating Agency where she provided diversified sector coverage and research. Insia is a CFA Charterholder and holds a B.Sc. in Accounting & Finance from the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

CEO, Terra Nova Solutions

Joel is the CEO of Terra Nova Solutions (a Solon portfolio company), a professional services firm specializing in frontier markets. Prior to assuming leadership of TNS in 2021, Joel led various innovation projects for Solon portfolio company Flash Vehicles, including the launch of Sierra Leone’s first ride hailing service.

Prior to joining Solon in 2018, Joel practiced corporate and securities law at a national law firm in Toronto and worked for both global and Canadian investment managers. Joel holds a Juris Doctor degree from Western University and a B.Com from the University of Toronto.

Partner, Investment Committee Member

John is a founding Partner at Solon Capital Partners. He is principally focused on sourcing and evaluating new investments, supporting portfolio company operations, and general management and strategy. John is the Chair of the Solon Investment Committee and sits on the boards of Flash Vehicles, Rising Academy Network and Terra Nova Solutions. John is also at Partner at Solon subsidiary West Africa Blue.

Prior to co-founding Solon in 2010, John was a Senior Manager in the New Businesses Group at Accenture where he was responsible for developing and launching businesses across all sectors globally. John graduated with Honours in Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University.

Director of Legal, ESG & Policy

Nitya is the Director of Legal, ESG & Policy at West Africa Blue. Prior to joining Blue full-time in 2023, she was Director of Legal & Operations for Solon Capital Partners, where she supported Solon and its portfolio companies on all legal, compliance, and administrative mandates, including advising on M&A and fundraising transactions.

Prior to joining Solon, Nitya worked at Trilegal in Mumbai, India, and MD&T Partners in Bangalore, India. She specializes in M&A, private equity and venture capital transactions in emerging markets with a special focus on tech-based companies. She is a member of the New York Bar and the Bar Council of India. She has a master’s in law from Columbia University, New York, and a bachelor’s in law from Christ University, Bangalore.

Co-Founder, Rising Academy Network

Paul Skidmore is the founder and CEO of Rising Academy Network (a Solon portfolio company), one of the fastest-growing quality-focused education companies in Africa, and a Certified B Corp®. Prior to launching Rising Academies in 2014, Paul was a founding team member at the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative in Rwanda and Sierra Leone, and later served as Deputy CEO. He began his career as a think-tank researcher and government strategy advisor in the UK. He has a BA and MA from Manchester University, and an MPA from Princeton University. He was named a UBS Global Visionary and a Mulago Foundation Rainer Arnhold Fellow in 2019.

Partner

Shaun is a founding Partner at Solon Capital Partners. He is principally involved in operational oversight, local stakeholder management, special project development, and conservation and climate finance initiatives. Shaun sits on the board of Flash Vehicles, a company which he co-founded and was instrumental in launching and developing. Shaun is also at Partner at Solon subsidiary West Africa Blue.

Prior to co-founding Solon in 2010, Shaun worked in fleet management, construction and logistics in Western Canada. Shaun has been operating in West Africa since 2008 in both the private and non-profit sectors. Shaun graduated with a Bachelor in Management from the University of Lethbridge.

CEO and Co-Founder, Rising Academy Network

Stephanie is the Chief Impact Officer and Co-Founder of Rising Academy Network (a Solon portfolio company). In this role, she is responsible for designing Rising’s learning systems and for maximizing and tracking its impact and learning outcomes. Prior to co-founding Rising Academy Network in 2014, Stephanie was a course instructor and researcher at the University of Oxford and conducted research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, Maryland. Stephanie holds DPhil and MSc degrees in Evidence-Based Social Intervention from the University of Oxford, and a B.A. in Psychology from Queen’s University.

Finance Director

Tawanda is a Finance Director at Solon Capital Partners. In this role he manages finance and accounting services for the Solon portfolio and is responsible for strategic financial reporting, audit management, and financial controls for several companies. Tawanda is also a Finance Director at Solon subsidiary Terra Nova Solutions.

Prior to joining Solon in 2017, Tawanda was a manager in the audit and assurance group of Deloitte & Touche in The Bahamas where he focused on the financial services industry. Prior to joining Deloitte, Tawanda worked for other ‘Big Four’ accounting firms across Zimbabwe, the United States and Sierra Leone. Tawanda is a Chartered Accountant and holds a B.A. in Accounting from the National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe.

Head of ESG

Dr. Tiwalade Adeniyi leads the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives at Solon Capital Partners, bringing over 13 years of experience in environmental sustainability and ESG impact management. His mission is to help Solon’s portfolio companies mitigate ESG risks while unlocking sustainability-driven opportunities.

Dr. Adeniyi has extensive experience working with leading development finance institutions—including the World Bank, IFC, AfDB, BII, DFC, Norfund and EIB—where he developed sustainability strategies and managed ESG risks and impacts across multiple sectors. Before joining Solon, he served as Group Head of Sustainability & Strategy at FMDQ Group PLC, spearheading initiatives in ESG finance, sustainability reporting, and stakeholder engagement within the capital markets.

A recognized pioneer in sustainability practice in Africa, Dr. Adeniyi is among the first professionals on the continent to earn the FSA Credential Holder designation for reporting aligned with the IFRS S1 & S2 Financial Sustainability Accounting Standards. He is also a certified Lead Implementer and Trainer for ISO 14001 (Environmental Management Systems) and ISO 37301 (Compliance Management Systems), an ISO 21502 Lead Project Manager, and an IUCN-certified expert in assessing species extinction risk.

Dr. Adeniyi holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Sustainability and a B.Sc. in Botany from the University of Lagos, as well as an Executive MBA from the Quantic School of Business & Technology, USA.

Compliance Associate

Umair is a Compliance Associate at Solon Capital Partners. In this role he is responsible for managing regulatory and administrative compliance obligations, supporting the ESG and impact reporting process, and transactional support.

Prior to joining Solon, Umair spent six years working across business, technology and law covering MENA, Europe and West Africa. In addition to work in the consulting and tech sectors, Umair drafted some of Pakistan’s first contracts dealing with NFT assets and assisted the World Bank with advising a state government on tourism policy. Umair holds a B.A. and LL.B. (Bachelor of Laws) from the Lahore University of Management Sciences.

Investment Committee Member

Yasser is a member of the Solon Capital Partners Investment Committee and is the Head of Food Security Investments at U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (“DFC”), the development finance institution of the US government. He previously served on the boards of multiple Solon subsidiaries, including as the Chair of Rising Academy Network.

Prior to joining Solon, Yasser was the Head of West Africa for AgDevCo. Prior to that, Yasser worked in Freetown for the Tony Blair Africa Governance Initiative (now Tony Blair Institute for Global Change), leading the team’s Private Sector Development activities from the Office of the President of Sierra Leone. Prior to that, Yasser spent ten years as an investment banker and principal investor in the United States, including as a General Partner at TSG Consumer Partners LLC. Yasser graduated with a B.A. in Economics and Computer Science from Dartmouth College.