Board of Directors

Andrew Gunther currently works as a consultant on strategy and on investment transactions for private sector clients and for multilateral development banks with a particular emphasis on emerging markets renewable energy, From 2011 to 2021, Andrew served as a Managing Director overseeing investments in infrastructure in Latin America for Darby, a global emerging markets private equity firm that is part of Franklin Templeton.

Previously he worked for the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank. From 2007 until 2010, he was the IFC’s Country Manager for Brazil based in Sao Paulo. In earlier stints he did emerging markets private equity investing for Emerging Markets Partnership (EMP) and Marine Midland Bank (part of the HSBC group).

Andrew has an MBA in finance from the Wharton School and a B.A. in economics from the University of Michigan. He speaks Spanish and Portuguese.

As an Agricultural Engineer, Rita has been working as a researcher at the Catholic University of Leuven for 3 years and spent 12 years in Africa managing and supporting SMEs & local MFIs. In 2003 Rita joined Incofin CVSO as investment manager, then CFO while taking various board positions including in the first three funds managed by Incofin, Akiba Commercial Bank (2004-14) and MFX Solutions since 2008.

Rita is currently working as Chief Risk & ESG Officer for Incofin Investment Management (IIM), a Belgium-based investment management company. In that role she instils a strong risk sensitive culture in line with the AIFM licensed mandate of IIM by performing credit reviews of investment proposals, managing credit, market, country, financial, operational, ESG and compliance risks while also taking an active role in managing stressed transactions.

Adnan Akant led currency teams for more than 35 years at FFTW and BNP while also managing portfolios for more than 20 Central Banks.

Before FFTW, Adnan spent six years at the World Bank managing its liquidity portfolio, and as a loan officer for Afghanistan and Yugoslavia.

From 2008 to 2019, Adnan co-chaired the NY Fed’s Foreign Exchange Committee, served on the MIT-Lemelson Prize committee, and the boards of the American Hospital of Istanbul and the Institute for Turkish Studies.

He holds a PhD in Systems Science and degrees in Electrical Engineering from MIT.

Jason Loughnane is MicroVest’s Lead Investment Officer for Africa and Southeast Asia. He is responsible for underwriting new investments and managing relationships with microfinance institutions.

Prior to joining MicroVest in 2022, Jason worked in Yangon, Myanmar, for Yoma Bank from 2018 – 2021, and for Early Dawn Microfinance Company from 2014 through 2018. From 2013 to 2014, Jason lived and worked for the Grameen Foundation in Nairobi, supporting microfinance partners in East Africa.

Jason started his career in investment banking at Goldman Sachs in New York City. He is an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University and been a CFA Charterholder since 2016.

Carolyn is a dual-qualified lawyer (England, New York) and specializes in helping her clients solve complex cross-border issues involving the regulation of financial institutions and financial products, including derivatives.

Carolyn’s depth of knowledge and practical approach are shaped by her first-hand experience: she managed the New York trading desk of several investment banks and was formerly the executive director of the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, Inc. Trading firms, banks, asset managers, clearing houses and trading venues rely on her to find creative-yet-sensible solutions.

Martin Spahr is a Senior Consultant for IFC and has worked across Africa leading microfinance institutions since 1998. He holds an MBA from FernUniversitat in Hagen and degrees in Economics, Development Finance, and Business Administration.

As a Senior Investment Officer for Accion Global Investments, Alex Qian supports the team’s investments and portfolio management activities globally, with a particular focus on Asia and Africa. He also works closely with Accion’s advisory team to provide strategic support to our portfolio partners.

Alex brings to Accion experience in the investment and banking industry. He holds a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Hong Kong.

Michalakis Kyriakos currently works as a Senior Investment Manager at Triodos Investment Management focusing on financial inclusion clients in Latin America, in the fields of MSME finance, agriculture finance, climate finance, and fintech. Additionally, he works at Triodos Regenerative Money Center focusing on social inclusion, natural regeneration, circular economy, and other high-impact investments with a primary focus on western Europe.

During his employment in Triodos Investment Management, he also worked for the finance & control and business analysis teams. Before joining Triodos, he participated in an assignment for the Statistical Authority in Greece and had a traineeship with the Capital Market Commission in Greece.

He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Athens, a Master of Science in Accounting & Finance from Erasmus University in Rotterdam and he is a CFA candidate (Level II). He speaks Greek, Spanish, English, and basic Dutch.