SouthBridge, a pan-African investment bank led by Donald Kaberuka and Lionel Zinsou, has hired Emeryc Kpenou as Managing Partner, based in London, UK.

In addition to bringing his unique experience in capital markets and structured finance, Kpenou will actively participate in the development of SouthBridge's green finance operations.

Over the last 20 years, Kpenou has been involved in the financing of numerous emblematic projects around the world: real estate, airports, railroads, highways, wind and solar farms, etc.

A graduate of Sciences Po Paris, Kpenou started his career in the options department of Société Générale. 

He then joined Credit Suisse First Boston in London and in 1999 moved to ING Bank where he oversaw derivatives activities (interest rates and foreign exchange rates) and was responsible for hedging operations related to structured finance: real estate, infrastructure, renewable energy. 

Overtime, Kpenou has also developed a keen interest in green finance, the implementation of innovative solutions in carbon credit management, renewable energy as well as financing related to sustainable development goals.

For Africa, a continent of more than 1.2 billion people that is truly on the front line, the energy transition and fight against the effects of global warming are crucial issues. Sustainable development must be integrated to the imperatives of growth and the fight against poverty. Forests in particular represent both a challenge and an opportunity in terms of preservation, development and the emission of carbon certificates.

SouthBridge and its investment arm, SouthBridge Investments (SBI), intend to play a pioneering and innovative role in this sector that is essential for the future of the continent. 

With the field experience, expertise, network of talents and professionals, SouthBridge brings a unique proposition, with solutions that cover asset management solutions for green investing and the entire value chain of energy transition, decarbonization, sustainable development.

Emeryc will operate from London, opening a new geographical base for SouthBridge, with Kigali, Abidjan, Casablanca, Mauritius, Lagos and Paris, in one of the key cities of global finance.