Oryx Impact

Unlocking Africa's growth potential through
Impact Investing

Make a difference with Oryx Impact

The story of the Oryx is a story of success, cooperation and collaboration between the private and public sectors on an international level: the reintroduction into the wild of an animal species that neared extinction by human action.

At Oryx Impact, we believe that we can address and alleviate some of the world’s challenges by investing with purpose. As we have seen with the Oryx, if we join all our talents and efforts, we can achieve great outcomes. So, let’s embark on building a better world for us all.

Our Mission

Mobilising capital for investments in Africa to promote more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive societies, with the aim of reducing forced migration and global inequities.

Oryx Impact fosters the eco-system of impact fund managers investing in Africa, with a substantial focus on women-led and emerging fund managers.

Oryx Impact will channel funding to enterprises that generate local and regional jobs and economic development, mitigate climate change and promote gender equality, while generating attractive financial returns.

Our Values

Integrity

Transparency and accountability with all stakeholders are integral to the way Oryx Impact operates.

Diversity

Oryx Impact values and encourages diversity as a driver of thriving teams and inclusive communities.

Expertise

Experience, know-how and a constant pursuit for excellence make the Oryx Impact team differential.

Purpose

Oryx Impact is purpose-driven and is highly committed to its mission.

Collaboration

Oryx Impact promotes collaboration internally as well as externally, as an ecosystem building driver.

- EXECUTIVE TEAM -

We are a global and diverse team combining passion, investment experience and determination to ensure maximum impact.

Our group of dedicated investment professionals have a significant financial track record and ample social and environmental expertise. Our team is comprised of people with diverse personal and professional backgrounds who share the conviction that building a better future for people and the planet is not only an opportunity to foster profitable and sustainable economic growth but also a responsibility to those around us and the generations to come.

Teresa Guardans

Founding Partner
More than 24 years of experience in investment banking, wealth management, and impact investing with SBC Warburg, UBS, Rothschild and Pictet. Driving the transition from traditional financial return driven portfolios into net positive impact investments.

Sebastian Waldburg

Founding Partner
Seasoned impact investor with significant experience in climate finance and venture capital. More than 25 years in the financial sector related to energy investments and private equity, with relevant exposure to emerging markets.

Eva Abel

Partner, Head of Investments
Investment professional with over 13 years of investment experience, including Investment Banking in Nigeria, Venture Capital with Giza Polish Ventures, a Polish-Israeli VC firm, and Fund of Funds investing with the European Investment Fund in Luxembourg.

Lisa Hehenberger

Chief Impact Advisor – Advisory Committee Member
Professor at ESADE Business School and a recognized expert on impact measurement, impact investing and social entrepreneurship. Active in expert groups (EU, OECD, GSG, etc.) and advisory boards (Rubio, Creas) and former research and policy director of the European Venture Philanthropy Association.

Marjolaine Mandagot

Impact & ESG Manager
With over 13 years of diverse experience in Investment Banking, Credit Analysis, Impact Assessment and Venture Philanthropy. Marjolaine delivered capacity building and investment readiness support to impactful organizations. She has worked in South America, the US, Europe and South Africa and holds an MBA from IE Business School.

Timothy Llewellyn-Davies

Investment Associate
Emerging impact investing professional with over 10 years of work experience in Impact Investing, Social Consulting, Business Development and IT Consulting. Timothy has worked and/or studied across five continents and holds an MBA from ESADE.

Johnpaul Okoroafor

MBA Intern, Business Development Entrepreneurial background and over 2 years of cross-sectoral work experience in education and finance. Passionate about social impact, Johnpaul is based in Lagos, Nigeria and is an MBA candidate at Lagos Business School.

Kanini Mutooni

Senior Executive Advisor – Advisory Committee Member
Renowned Impact investment practitioner. MD at Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, Senior Adviser at Toniic EMEA, Chair of AMREF Africa. Recently retired Chairperson of the Global Innovation Fund.

Karim Ben Salah

Senior Executive Advisor – Advisory Committee Member
Management consultant to corporates, PE and VC backed companies and start-ups. +25 years experience managing PE growth funds in ME & North Africa and running regional operations for a global FMCG company in Europe, US, Latin America, Africa.

Farah Mulji

Venture Partner
Principal at ImpactVine Advisors. Entrepreneur, investor and strategic advisor with more than 12 years working in multiple countries in Africa in industries such as education, technology, manufacturing and healthcare, international trade and venture capital. LP and investor in impact businesses in Africa, Canada, and Europe.

- Advisory Committee -

We are supported by an international and multidisciplinary advisory committee with extensive experience in the fields of entrepreneurship, business, asset management, impact investing, and technical assistance. The members of the Advisory Committee have set up and worked for a myriad of companies and institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. Lisa Hehenberger and Kanini Mutooni are both part of the Executive Team and the Advisory Committee.

Adeolu Adewunmi-Zer

Strategic advisor and accomplished business leader with almost 25 years of professional and executive experience in financial services across four continents. Afro-optimist, dedicated to fostering sustainable growth in Africa. Founder & Managing Director of ZER Consulting Africa. Former MD/CEO of Allianz Nigeria.

Elias Masilela SOB

Renowned economist, strategist, policy formulator, negotiator, business leader, author and editor. Current and Founder Chairman of the National Task Force on Impact Investing in South Africa Chair of DNA Economics, Sanlam, and Capital Harvest Current and previous Board member of numerous organizations, including Multichoice Group, the South African Reserve Bank, the Government Employee Pension Fund, and Airports Company SA, as well as the UN Global Compact Board and Chairman of the (UNGC) SA Local Network, Former CEO of the PIC and DDG at the National Treasury.

Nasser Ali Khasawneh

A seasoned and highly respected lawyer with over 26 years of experience both as in-house counsel and in private practice. He is Chairman of the Middle East, Global Head of the TMT Sector, and AI for a renowned international law firm. His professional expertise centers around TMT, as well as dispute resolution. Over his career, he has acted as counsel and arbitrator in major arbitration cases in various sectors. Nasser plays an active role in the legal community and has been very active in the International Bar Association (IBA).

Anu Sing

Highly experienced in investment banking, strategy and TMT executive with more than 25 years of experience in various sectors, at both Board and executive levels. She founded MTN Bayobab in 2018 and was a member of the board of directors of the Development Bank of South Africa for nine years. She has been active in numerous board positions for MTN across the continent, and she contributes continuously to the cross-over between technology and finance.