Company - BlueOrchard (2024)

Peteris the Chairman and former CEO of Swiss-basedBlueOrchard Finance, one of the leading asset management companies in the field of Impact Investing, which he joined in 2011. Peter demonstrated his entrepreneurial competencies in various positions; including CEO of the Swiss-listed bank, Vontobel Private Bank, CEO of Harcourt Alternative Investments, a global leader in alternative investments, and managing partner at PwC. Furthermore, his former board positions include Chairman of EFG International, Vice-Chairman of Deutsche Bank Switzerland, and board member of Liechtensteinische Landesbank.

Peter also serves today as Chairman of the Swiss-listed bank,Graubündner Kantonalbank (GKB), as Vice-President of theROKPA International Foundation, and as a member of the Innovation Management & Entrepreneurship Committee ofBrownUniversity, Rhode Island.

Besides lecturing at various business schools, Peter is a frequent speaker at governmental and public events. As co-author, he has published the bestsellerSmall Money – Big Impactas well asPower to the Poor. Additionally, Peter published This is My Story in collaboration with National Geographic.

Peter is extensively involved in affirmative action across various areas dear to him, such as supporting underserved communities, providing access to education, and empowering women globally.

Peter joined Schroders in March 2013 and is Group Chief Executive, based in London. He was appointed to the Board of Schroders plc in May 2014. Prior to his current role he was Global Head of Investment.

Before joining Schroders, Peter was Chairman and CEO of RWC Partners. From 2004 to 2006, he was Global Chief Investment Officer of Deutsche Bank’s various asset management businesses. Peter began his career at Schroders, and later spent time at JP Morgan/Flemings, as a Portfolio Manager.

Peter is the Chairman of the Investment Association Board and Advisory Council. He sits on theTakeover Paneland is a member of the Board of Directors of FCLT and the Prime Minister’s Financial and Professional Services’ Business Council. He is a member of the Advisory Board of CityUK and the International Business and Diplomatic Exchange. He is widely engaged in improving diversity and inclusion across financial institutions.

Michèle is Director of the Institute of Law & Economics at the University of St. Gallen and Adjunct Professor of ‘Organizational Control and Governance’. She also serves as an independent board member of various companies.

Previously, she was Visiting Professor for ‘Banking and Insurance’ at the School of Management at Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi in Milan, Visiting Professor at WU Wirtschaftsuniversität in Vienna, Assistant Professor at the Institute of Accounting at the University of Zürich and Visiting Scholar at the Department of Business Strategy and Policy at Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management in Beijing, P.R. China. Moreover, she worked in the assurance and advisor business services with Ernst & Young Ltd., in banking and finance as well as in the hotel industry.

Michèle holds a Ph.D. in Management, summa cum laude, and a M.A. in Risk Management and Financial Services from the University of St. Gallen.

She speaks German, English, French, and Italian fluently and has basic knowledge in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.

Karine was appointed as Schroders Global Head of Product and Marketing in January 2022 as well as retaining her position as Head of Europe since 2018, responsible for business across EMEA.

She is a member of the Schroders Group Management Committee. In addition, she is a Director of Schroder Real Estate (France) and a member of the Supervisory Board of Schroders Capital Management (France). She is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Schroder Investment Management (Switzerland) AG. Karine joined Schroders in 2014 as Country Head France. She is also a Board member of the APECI.

She was the Head of France at J.P. Morgan Asset Management from 2005 to 2014 and was also a member of the Executive Committee of J.P. Morgan Chase Bank France and a member of the European Country Heads Committee. She was the Head of Institutional and Wholesale division at J.P. Morgan Asset Management from 2000 to 2005.

She was a Senior Sales – Institutional Clients at Société Générale AM from 1998 to 2000 after spending 4 years at Paribas Asset Management.

Georg joined Schroders in May 2019 assuming the newly-created role of Global Head of Private Assets. He is responsible for developing the firm’s private assets expertise on a global scale, drawing on over 20 years of experience. He is also a member of the Group Management Committee.

Most recently Georg was the Chief Executive Officer of HQ Capital, a private equity and real estate investment group based in Frankfurt and New York. Previously, Georg was at UBS and The Boston Consulting Group.

Georg studied business administration at the University of St. Gallen and Stockholm School of Economics and holds a PhD and a master’s degree from the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Philipp is Chief Executive Officer of BlueOrchard. As CEO, he leads the executive and extended management team and has executive oversight of the firm’s client and business areas, including strategy and resource management. Prior to that, Philipp held the position of Head Investment Solutions, heading the Global Investment Committee, and overseeing the portfolio management and asset allocation of all funds and mandates. Philipp joined BlueOrchard in 2018 from Partners Group, where he worked for ten years in Switzerland and the UK, most recently as Senior Vice President of Investment Solutions.

Philippholds an MBA from ETH Zurich and a Master’s degree in Law from the University of Zurich.

Maria Teresa is responsible for the Public Private Partnership (PPP) funds under BlueOrchard’s management and impact practice. Maria Teresa joined BlueOrchard in 2008 as Chief Investment Officer.Previously Maria Teresa worked as Senior Banker in the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development financial institution team both in London and Central Asia. Prior to that she worked for the Asian Development Bank in Manila and was an ODI Fellow in Africa.

Maria Teresaholds a M.Phil degree in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies at Sussex University and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Florence.

Normunds leads BlueOrchard’s private debt investment team globally. Before joining BlueOrchard, Normunds worked for 18 years with the World Council of Credit Unions, where he held a variety of Chief of Party and Project Management positions and performed multiple short-term consultancy assignments in Central and Eastern Europe, and Asia.

Normunds’ academic research at the University of Liverpool focused on microfinance for micro-entrepreneurs and small businesses in Sri Lanka.

Michael is Head Investment Solutions at BlueOrchard. In this function, he is heading the Global Investment Committee and overseeing the portfolio management and asset allocation of BlueOrchard’s funds and mandates as well as the development of product solutions. He has over 20 years of in-depth knowledge and extensive experience in public and private markets investment management and design and development of product and investment solutions. Prior to joining BlueOrchard, Michael held several management positions at Partners Group as Head Group Internal Audit and Co-Head Structuring Services in Switzerland and UK.

Michaelis a CFA Charterholder and holds a Master in Banking & Finance from the University of Zurich.

Before joining BlueOrchard,Sevara worked for 15 years with the USAID and ADB, where she held a variety of managerial positions. She worked on development projects focusing on reforms of the banking system and the development of microfinance in Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. She has been a board member of the Credit Union Association and a number of credit unions in Uzbekistan.

Sevarahas graduated from the Tashkent Finance University with a Bachelor’s degree in Banking.

Ernesto has over 20 years of experience in financial markets. He has worked in M&A advisory, structured credit and investment management in a number of institutions including Goldman Sachs and HSBC in London, Towers Watson and Credit Agricole CIB.

He holds an MBA from IE Business School and is a CFA charter holder.

Martin is responsible for BlueOrchard’s corporate development activities. In his role, he drives strategic growth initiatives and facilitates innovation and new products. Prior to BlueOrchard, Martin was a project manager with a leading international management consulting firm advising clients in the energy and transportation sectors on strategic topics.

Martinis a CFA® charterholder. He holds a Master’s degree in Energy Science and Technology from ETH Zurich and wrote his Master’s thesis at UC Berkeley.

Veronika has over 20 years of experience in emerging markets and impact finance. She was appointed Head of Impact Management in 2022. Previously, she was Head of Risk Management and member of the investment origination team, responsible for the regions in Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean, as well as other countries in Africa and Asia. She has been a voting member of various BlueOrchard committees, including the Risk, Investment, and Impact Committees.

Prior to joining BlueOrchard, Veronika worked at an international credit rating institution in Latin America and at a European bank on the derivatives pricing project team.

Veronika is an economist and holds an MSc in Economic Development from the University of Glasgow.

Yann is the Deputy Chief Credit Officer at BlueOrchard Finance. He joined BlueOrchard from ProCredit Group where he worked for 13 years in management of ProCredit banks in Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. He has served on board of directors of ProCredit Ghana and Banco ProCredit in Colombia and has extensive experience in SME finance, among others having developed programs for agricultural and green finance in Mozambique and Colombia. Apart from his managerial positions, he has been involved in setting up a professional training institution in Africa and was teaching in Latin America and Germany on various finance related topics.

Yannhas completed a Master’s degree in Economics at the Institute of Political studies in Paris (Sciences-Po), after having earned the Diploma from the same institution. He previously completed undergraduate studies in Economics and Sociology at Goethe University in Frankfurt.

Patricia is Head of Finance at BlueOrchard, supervising all the financial tasks and tax requirements of the company. Patriciahas over 20 years of experience in financial accounting, tax reporting, payroll and audits for multinational companies with subsidiaries in various jurisdictions.

Patriciais a Swiss Certified Public Accountant.

Before joining BlueOrchard,Sébastien worked in Paris for nine years for Réunica, a major French institutional investor. He was responsible for portfolio management, asset-liability management, asset allocation and mutual fund selection in multiple asset classes.

Prior to this, he held various roles at Caisse d’Epargne des Alpes in Grenoble for two years in the asset management team.Sébastientravelled by bicycle for two years on the American continent from Alaska to Patagonia to meet MFIs and microfinance customers on the way.

Sébastienholds a Masters Degree in Management from Grenoble Graduate Business School and is a Certified International Investment Analyst (CIIA).

Alessandra is responsible for the fund management of BlueOrchard’s blended finance mandates and relationships with development finance institutions. In her role, she is involved in the creation of new blended finance structured investment strategies and technical assistance facilities, from design to implementation. Alessandra has ten years of experience in advisory and impact investing in emerging and frontier markets with previous roles at Innpact and Accenture.

Alessandra holds a Master of Science in Management from Bocconi University and a bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Organizations from University of Ferrara.

Ebony joined BlueOrchard in 2014 and was appointed Chief of Staff in 2023. In her new role, she will support BlueOrchard’s executive management team and board of directors in the areas of strategy and culture. In her previous position, Ebony was BlueOrchard’s Head of Investor Relations for the past seven years. Before joining BlueOrchard, Ebony worked at Hyposwiss Privatbank AG.

Ebony holds an Executive Master of Business Administration from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and IE Business School in Madrid.

Matt oversees the risk management, legal and compliance departments of BlueOrchard. He joinedthe company from from impact investment pioneer Root Capital, where hebuilt the in-housecounselfunction anda comprehensive framework for the management of legal and operational risk. He previouslyserved as Special Counsel to the Division of Trading and Markets at the US Securities and Exchange Commission at its Washington headquarters. Among the few lawyers specialized in impact investment, he has been closely involved in the efforts to develop a specialized field of legal practicein this emerging field.

Mattbegan his career as an adviser on domestic and international policy for a senior Member of theUSCongress.Anattorney at law since 2008, he holds a Doctorate of Jurisprudence (J.D.) from Northeastern University School of Law and a B.A. in History from the College of the Holy Cross.

Tahmina is responsible for overseeing all communication activities at BlueOrchard, including brand management, PR, content development, and social media.

She began her professional career as a parliamentary affairs manager and later transitioned to the Office of the Managing Board at a development bank that specializes in providing credit and financial services for underserved markets and populations in Germany.

Tahmina holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from the University of Bonn and a PhD in International Politics from the University of Konstanz.

Sascha has over 20 years of experience in emerging markets, banking and finance. Before joining BlueOrchard, he established an investment fund in Georgia, the pioneer in collective real estate investments. He resides in Tbilisi since 2007, where he initially served as CFO and later as CEO of ProCredit Bank Georgia and subsequently as Deputy CEO of Bank of Georgia. Prior to that, Sascha held various senior executive positions in a German Technology Group, which focused on international development and investment.

He serves on a volunteer basis as Chairman of the German Business Association (DWV) in Georgia. From 2015 to 2017, Sascha was also elected by the Parliament as an independent Board Member of Georgia’s Financial Supervision Agency (FSA).

Saschahas a background in finance and business administration and was awarded with an honorary doctoral degree, affirmed by the German Ministry of Education and Science.

Lisa has been in the field of impact investing for more than 20 years, focusing on both financial and social impact assessments in inclusive finance. She is currently Chair of BlueOrchard’s Credit Rating Committee and a member of the company’s private debt Credit Committee. Prior to working in impact investing, Lisa was as a Portfolio Manager in Emerging Markets fixed income asset management. After that, she followed with a year of volunteer work at microfinance institutions in Peru and Mexico. She then began working with BlueOrchard in 2005, managing the Investment Team.

Lisa holds a Master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) in New York and a BA in History and Economics from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.