AVCA appoints Dorothy Kelso to research team

The African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association has appointed Dr. Dorothy Kelso, as director, head of strategy and research. Kelso, a Ghanaian native, joins AVCA with 15 years of research, strategy and private equity experience gained at organisations including EY, Coller Capital, IE Consulting, the IMF and Incisive Media.

PRESS RELEASE

The African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Dorothy Kelso, as Director, Head of Strategy and Research.
Dorothy, a Ghanaian native, joins AVCA with 15 years of research, strategy and private equity experience gained at organisations including EY, Coller Capital, IE Consulting, the IMF and Incisive Media.
Most recently, Dorothy was an Associate Director in the private equity strategic market intelligence team at EY in London, and a core member of the EY team who worked with AVCA to produce the annual AVCA and EY African Private Equity Exits Study. The second edition of the Study, ‘Broadening horizons: How do private equity investors create value’, was launched this year at the 11th Annual AVCA Conference in Lagos, Nigeria.
Prior to EY, Dorothy spent five years heading up the research team at Coller Capital, a global private equity secondaries firm, and before that worked for a boutique private equity strategy consulting firm that advised clients on all aspects of the industry including fundraising and deal execution. Dorothy will be responsible for driving AVCA’s critical industry research agenda, for the benefit of both AVCA members and the private equity and venture capital industry in Africa.
Responding to her appointment, Dorothy Kelso said, “I’m very pleased to be joining the AVCA team at a time when AVCA and the industry are experiencing such strong momentum. The global focus on Africa as the ‘last frontier’ is placing even greater importance on AVCA’s work as an independent and in-depth voice and provider of information on the private investment landscape in Africa. I look forward to applying my insight and experience to support expanding this even further.”
Commenting further, Michelle Kathryn Essomé said, “We are delighted to have someone of Dorothy’s calibre and experience on board. I’m very confident that her industry acumen will be invaluable to AVCA, and most importantly, to our members and industry stakeholders.”
For more information, please contact:
Sara Firouzyar/Tessa Wilson
Gong Communications
+44 (0)20 7935 4800
avca@gongcommunications.com
Notes to Editors
About AVCA
AVCA aims to promote and catalyse the private equity and venture capital industry across Africa. Its members span private equity and venture capital firms, institutional investors, foundations and
endowments, international development institutions, professional service firms and academia – all united by a common purpose: to be part of the African growth story.
AVCA endeavours to deliver its mission through four key pillars: building a Knowledge Centre for members and the industry; facilitating Networking opportunities and thought leadership events; Advocating on behalf of the industry to policymakers, regulators, and investors; and by providing Training to investors and emerging fund managers on the asset class and best practice.
Together with a network of experts and collaborators across Africa and beyond, AVCA represents the voice of the pan-African industry in discussions with governments, regulators, lawmakers and the media.
www.avca-africa.org | www.avcaconference.com
@AVCA_Africa