Millar Cameron is partnering with an established international impact investment firm to appoint a Director of Africa, based in Nairobi, Kenya.
Our client is a well-established investment manager with a strong track record across Africa and Asia, investing in businesses that expand access to financial services for underserved communities. Its investment activities span MSME finance, affordable housing, asset financing, agri-finance and emerging opportunities in fintech and climate finance.
This is a senior leadership opportunity for an accomplished investment professional to take responsibility for the firm's African investment activities, lead an established regional team and contribute to the organisation's broader strategy and growth.
As a member of the Management Committee, the successful candidate will combine hands-on investment expertise with the commercial judgement, entrepreneurial drive and leadership capabilities required to shape the next phase of the firm's development in Africa.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead investment origination, assessment, structuring and execution across Sub-Saharan Africa, covering equity, debt and mezzanine investments.
- Develop a strong investment pipeline, identifying attractive opportunities, priority markets and emerging investment themes.
- Oversee the African investment portfolio, including performance monitoring, value creation, governance and exits.
- Represent the firm on portfolio company boards and work closely with management teams to support sustainable business growth.
- Contribute to the firm's investment strategy, capital allocation decisions and future growth initiatives.
- Support fundraising activities and develop relationships with institutional investors, development finance institutions, co-investors and other capital providers.
- Lead and develop the Nairobi-based investment team, fostering a collaborative, accountable and high-performing culture.
- Represent the African business within the firm's Management Committee and contribute to wider organisational leadership.
Candidate Profile
We are seeking a commercially astute and entrepreneurial investment professional with a strong track record of investing across African markets.
The successful candidate will demonstrate:
- At least 10 years of relevant professional experience, ideally 15+, with significant exposure to African or emerging-market investments.
- Substantial private equity transaction experience, including direct responsibility for originating, structuring, executing and managing investments.
- Strong financial analysis, valuation, due diligence and investment structuring capabilities.
- Experience in financial inclusion, financial services, MSME finance, fintech, agri-finance or adjacent investment sectors.
- A demonstrated ability to manage investment portfolios, engage with senior management teams and contribute to value creation.
- Experience leading and developing investment professionals.
- Strong relationships across the African investment ecosystem, including financial institutions, investors, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders.
- Exposure to fundraising, investor relations or investment strategy development would be advantageous.
Beyond technical expertise, we are particularly interested in individuals who demonstrate initiative, resourcefulness, humility and sound commercial judgement. The successful candidate will be a collaborative leader, comfortable operating autonomously and motivated by the opportunity to build and grow an investment platform.
The Opportunity
This position offers the opportunity to combine direct investment responsibility with broader strategic leadership within an internationally established investment organisation.
Based in Nairobi, the role involves regional and international travel, expected to average approximately 20%.