Abraaj appoints diplomat as managing partner

Kito de Boer has joined The Abraaj Group as a managing partner. In 2014, de Boer was appointed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to become Head of Mission of the Office of the Quartet based in Jerusalem. Prior to this diplomatic posting, de Boer worked at McKinsey & Co.

PRESS RELEASE

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 18 September 2017: The Abraaj Group (“Abraaj” or the “Group”), a leading investor operating in global growth markets, today announced the appointment of Kito de Boer as Managing Partner.

Mr. de Boer has over 30 years’ experience across diverse geographies and sectors.

In 2014, Mr. de Boer was appointed by US Secretary of State John Kerry to become Head of Mission of the Office of the Quartet based in Jerusalem with a specific focus on the economic track of the Middle East Peace Process. Mr. de Boer assumed overall leadership when former Prime Minister Tony Blair stepped aside as Quartet Representative.

Prior to this diplomatic posting, Mr. de Boer spent 29 years with McKinsey & Co. based in London, New Delhi and Dubai. Mr. de Boer was one of the initial team of Partners that created the India Practice in 1993 and went on to found and lead the Middle East Practice in 1999 and the Global Government Practice in 2009. Mr. de Boer was Head of the Public and Social Sector Practice for EMEA from 2009 onwards.

Mr. de Boer will oversee Abraaj’s Impact Investing business and will spearhead the Group’s global efforts to deploy private capital as a means of tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges. According to the Business and Sustainable Development Commission, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) present at least US$ 12 trillion of investable opportunities and could create 380 million new jobs by 2030. Abraaj’s Impact Investing line of business is aligned to the SDGs and is currently focused on accessible healthcare and clean energy in growth markets.

Arif Naqvi, Founder and Group Chief Executive of The Abraaj Group said, “For us, investing with impact is core to the markets in which we operate. There is a real opportunity for businesses to positively address and deliver on the SDGs. Throughout his distinguished career, Kito has demonstrated both a commitment to these aspirations and a professional excellence that matches our own. I am confident his experience will help guide our goals to expand and grow this increasingly important line of business.”

Mr. de Boer added, “I am delighted to be joining Abraaj. To be relevant as a leader in the next era of Impact Investing is to be material. The challenge of funding the UN Sustainable Development Goals is one of scale. Meeting this funding challenge will demand an investment platform with the combination of scope to penetrate those geographies and sectors most in need of capital, performance credibility based on track record, and a values system that will nurture partnerships across the ecosystem of sectors – public, private, philanthropic and development. Not only is Abraaj preeminent – no other Firm has the relevant scope, credibility and values – but more importantly, it has the vision and will to demonstrate that high performing capitalism can and must do good in addition to doing well.”

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About The Abraaj Group
The Abraaj Group (“Abraaj”) is a leading investor, purpose-built for operating in the growth markets of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Turkey. Employing over 300 people, Abraaj has over 17 offices spread across five regions with hubs in Dubai, Istanbul, Mexico City, Nairobi and Singapore. The Group currently manages c. US$ 11 billion across targeted investment strategies.
Abraaj has realized US$ 6.3 billion from over 80 full exits, and Funds managed by the Group have made over 170 investments across a range of sectors including consumer, energy, financials, healthcare and utilities. The Group is committed to the highest environmental, stakeholder engagement and corporate governance standards and is a signatory to the United Nations-backed Principles for Responsible Investment and the United Nations Global Compact. Abraaj’s founder, Arif Naqvi, was appointed to the United Nations Global Compact Board by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2012 and to the Interpol Foundation Board in 2014.