Our Organisation

PCH – Nigeria

Suren Abeywickrema is Vice President and Country Head, Nigeria at Arise IIP. His seasoned, vast, and versatile portfolio encompasses 30+ years of Management experience, including 22 at Director and CEO levels, from the FMCG, Shipping, Construction, Manufacturing, Agriculture, and Retail industries, in Africa, South & East Asia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, and more. Suren’s professional footprint spans Maga Engineering (Pvt) Ltd., Brandix Group – Phoenix, MBf Carpenter Group, Al Ghurair Group, Capital Maharaja Group – Tuffline, and Reckitt Benckiser, to mention a few. In addition, he has held prestigious board positions at recognised companies such as McLarens Holdings, McShaw Automotive Ltd, and WR Carpenter (PNG) Group. Suren holds a Master of Business Administration degree in International Business, a Postgraduate degree in Marketing, and is a Chartered Management Accountant. He has been awarded the Fellow status of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), UK, and is also one of select Fellows of the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing. Furthermore, he is a Chartered Marketer of CIM, UK.

PCH – Gabon

Gaurav Aggarwal is Profit center head of Gabon Special Economic Zone (GSEZ). He holds 18 years of professional experience and in depth knowledge of leadership, execution and delivery. In his last role he was serving as CFO of GSEZ S.A where he was instrumental in managing over all profitability, capex decision, fund infusion, compliances and project financing. He started his journey in Gabon since 2018 as CFO of GSEZ airport for Brownfield and Greenfield airport project. Before joining Arise Group, he worked with India's top listed companies like Tata Sons, Bharti Airtel Ltd and GMR Airport Limited. He has worked on international assignment in Kenya and Philippines with his previous organizations. He is holding degree of chartered accountancy from ICAI and graduated from Delhi University. Married to Mrs. Renu Aggarwal (CFA and MBA finance) and father of 2 children.

Director – Logistics Value Chain

Jesper Boll is presently the Director of Logistics Value Chain at Arise IIP. Prior to this role, he was workig as the Chief Operating Officer of Arise IIP, responsible for the daily operation of all business units across the Arise IIP portfolio. Jesper has extensive international experience (Europe, Asia, Africa, and Middle East) of leading companies as well as portfolios of businesses with a proven record of turnarounds and profitable growth through organic growth, acquisitions, and business partnerships. Prior to taking up the position as COO, Jesper Boll was a C-suite executive responsible for the global growth strategy of UAE-based Gulftainer Group. Before that, he acted as Managing Director for APM Terminals in Southern and Eastern Africa with responsibility for managing 10 business units across 7 countries. From 2000 to 2011, Jesper Boll was assigned by AP Moller Group to various leadership roles within Finance and Business Development in Europe and Asia, among others Business development Director and Regional CFO. Apart from his MSc degree in Economics and Finance from Denmark, Jesper has continued his studies with various courses and executive programs from, among others, IMD. He lives in Dubai with his wife and three daughters.

Country Manager – Congo-Brazzaville

Shailesh Barot is the Country Manager of Arise Congo-Brazzaville. He comes with 24 years of working experience. He is a seasoned techno-commercial professional with overarching responsibilities encompassing Project lifecycle management; Project monitoring, development, budging, schedule, and control; Management of Special Economic Zone; Responsible for Profit and Loss; Export-Import, Supply Chain Management & Shipping/Logistics; Vendor Development, Procurement & Contract management; 24x7 Operation & maintenance issues; Government Liaising and follow up; ERP System Implementation; All Commercial operation of the company; and Conflict resolution and crises management.

Country Manager – Benin

Letondji Beheton currently serves as Deputy Managing Director of SIPI-BENIN SA (Glo-Djigbé Industrial Zone). Prior to his appointment at SIPI-BENIN SA, he was the Director of Investment Promotion and Communication at APIEx between 2018 and 2021, as well as a Senior Advisor to the President of the Republic of Benin between 2017 and 2021. He was responsible for the promotion of the Republic of Benin as a business-friendly destination, and the attraction of investors to Benin. His portfolio at APIEx also included the promotion of Benin exports on international markets. He has contributed to bringing multinational corporations involved in the transformation of agricultural products to Benin. As a Senior Advisor to the President of the Republic of Benin, Letondji brought insights and his extensive experience in the corporate world and the US Government to policy crafting that made the Government of Benin more efficient in its mission. He advised the President of the Republic of Benin on a wide variety of topics ranging from agriculture, tourism, industry, healthcare to vocational and technical training. Prior to joining the Government of Benin, Letondji held senior positions with various institutions among which Bank of America, and the United States Department of Treasury. Letondji holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Business Administration from the University of Maryland and a certificate from the Bank of America Executive leadership program, as well as several other certificates and distinctions for outstanding achievements throughout his professional career.

Business Development & Project Manager – Rwanda

Arnab Bose is a highly accomplished professional serving as the Managing Director for Rwanda since 2022. In his current role, he spearheads the sustainable construction, operation, and development of the Special Economic Zone while also overseeing the business development of various value chains for Arise IIP in Rwanda. Hailing from India, Arnab holds a degree in Electrical Engineering and has a strong finance background from MIT Sloan. Throughout the past decade, Arnab has been an integral part of Arise, contributing significantly to the development of infrastructure projects, such as industrial zones and rural electrification in Gabon. He has also played a vital role in the business expansion efforts of Arise across multiple countries in Africa. Arnab's deep expertise lies in project feasibility, origin development, and financing. He leverages his extensive knowledge to provide valuable guidance to governments and development finance institutions on sustainable development and the structuring and execution of public-private partnerships (PPPs). With his broad skill set and wealth of experience, Arnab Bose continues to drive impactful and sustainable development initiatives in Rwanda and beyond.

Advisor (Africa) – AIIP CEO

Roselyne Chambrier is presently the advisor to AIIP CEO. She is also the Country Head for Arise in Côte d’Ivoire since September 2018. In 2020, following the reorganization of Arise, she has become Chairwoman and CEO of Arise Ivoire. Roselyne joined Olam in Gabon in 2012. In 2016, she was appointed as Business Development head and led the business strategy, brand awareness and growth of the platform by vetting new partnerships and licensing opportunities in Africa. In 2017, Roselyne was instrumental in identifying the opportunity of San Pedro’s port development plans for ARISE, enabling the company to secure its first infrastructure deal outside Gabon, a €131 million 35-year concession through the joint venture TIPSP. She was appointed Managing Director of TIPSP in 2018, thus supervising the ongoing construction phase planned for delivery in 2021. She capitalized on her strong momentum to sign in 2020 a concession agreement with Côte d’Ivoire for the development of industrial economic zones in 3 locations (Abidjan, Ferkessedougou and San Pedro). Roselyne graduated from the ESCP Europe Grande Ecole program with a Master’s in International Management. She originally started her career as an investment banker, and has previously served at global companies including HSBC, Capgemini or BGFIBank group. In her previous roles at Olam in Gabon she started as risk and financial analyst, before becoming head of communications.

Country Manager – DRC

Head of Project – Finance

Sanjay Dey is the Head of Project Finance & Treasury and brings sound experience in Project Finance & Corporate Finance of more than two decades. During his career, he has been involved in the financing of large-scale infrastructure projects, mining projects, power generation projects, electric mobility projects and iron & steel projects. Apart from financing projects, he has had considerable exposure to private equity sector and have raised large capital for Greenfield and Brownfield Projects. Additionally, he has expertise in reorganizing stressed assets through Special Situations Funds. In his earlier tenure, he worked as the Executive Vice President – Finance of Punj Lloyd Limited, a listed multinational and major EPC player in the core infra sector. He holds a degree from ICSI, India.

Global Head – Strategic Partnerships, Marketing & Sales

Nikhil Gandhi is the Global Head of Strategic Partnerships, Marketing & Sales for Arise IIP businesses, leading the charge in establishing strategic alliances, partnerships, and joint ventures with global investors across our SEZs. With a global team spread across China, Vietnam, India, France, UAE, Nigeria, Tanzania, and various SEZ marketing offices in Africa, Nikhil ensures the successful implementation of these initiatives. Prior to joining Arise, Nikhil held esteemed leadership positions including CEO of TikTok India, Middle East & Africa, Global COO of MX Player & Times Group, and VP of Walt Disney. With a focus on consumer tech businesses, digital marketing, brand management, and business development, Nikhil brings a wealth of expertise to his role. He is a proud alumnus of The Wharton School, where he obtained a Master's degree in Business Management with a specialization in data analytics.

Cluster Director IV (Togo, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Senegal)

Munish Gupta is is the Cluster Director IV, based out of Ghana. Munish comes with 27 years of rich experience including strategy formulation, financial planning, trading, profit center management and executing corporate strategy. Munish has on-the-ground Africa experience, which includes working in Francophone Africa. He established new business operations successfully in Togo / Mali / Niger / Burkina from scratch and developed the Rice Trading business from nascent stages to a substantial business in West Africa. A Chartered Accountant and Cost Accountant by education, he chooses to pivot into business roles when he joined Olam. He started his career with Indian Oil Corporation in India in finance and his last stint has been with Olam where he worked for more than 16 years in various capacities i.e. in-country management to trading roles.

Chief Human Resources Officer – ARISE Group

Pawan Jain is a Vice President and the current Head of Human Resources for the West Africa Region at Olam International, a company he joined in 2017 as HR Director for Olam Gabon. Pawan has an extensive track record in creating business value through organizational and talent-based strategies. He has extensive experience in working in diverse, complex, and global environments. Prior to joining Olam, Pawan was the Human Resources Business Leader at Cairn India Ltd, between 2011 and 2017. Pawan had joined Cairn India Ltd after having worked for 7 years as Senior Manager in Human Resources for Jubilant Life Sciences Ldt, where he started his career in 2004. Pawan holds an Executive Masters in Coaching and Consulting for Change run jointly by the Saïd Business School (University of Oxford), and HEC Paris, a degree he obtained in 2021. Prior to that, Pawan had graduated from the Xavier Institute of Social Service in 2004.

Chief Information Officer – ARISE Group

Vinodanand Jha is Senior Vice President of Information Technology and Administration at Olam, as well as Chief Information & Technology Officer at ARISE. He is primarily responsible of the implementation of digitalization and automation strategies at ARISE IIP, ARISE IS and ARISE P&L. Vinodanand has accumulated over 21 years of professional experience in leading and driving technological change across three continents (Asia, Europe, and Africa). He has intervened across a large variety of sectors, including banking, capital markets, steel, power, agriculture, large scale sustainable forestry operation, and on infrastructure verticals comprising integrated Special Economy Zones, ports, logistical operations, airports, road development, among others. This extensive experience has allowed Vinodanand to take part in the growth story of Arise from its foundation, and across the three verticals by which it operates. Vinodanand holds a master’s degree in Computers and Mathematics from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT Delhi) and has completed various management courses form Ivy League Business Schools, namely Harvard and Yale. Having worked for Olam and Arise for 9 years in Africa, Vinodanand is currently based out of Dubai. He is happily married and loves running, music, gardening and exploring the world.

PCH – Togo

Director General Adjoint (Calabar, Cross River State project, Nigeria)

Kundan Kumar has 25 years of extensive working experiences in conceptualization, planning, development, construction, management, and business operation of the large format Public-Private Partnership-Greenfield Projects in Asia and West-Africa with Industry Leaders apart from strategy and policy recommendation as core to the professional feats. He is an Associate Member of Town Planners of India. He completed postgraduation in Environmental Planning from School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi and Executive Management Mentoring Program from Harvard Business School with Mahindra & Mahindra Group where he successfully steered and groomed new business opportunities in different origins. Also, as a planner, he was critically associated in the strategic planning for the regeneration of New Delhi, an envisioned development plan in the Delhi Master Plan 2025 AND formulation of Strategies and Policies of India in 2005 which formed the basis of all environmental compliances in India. Key Association with Developments like Navi Mumbai SEZ (INDIA), Maha-Mumbai SEZ (INDIA), and Mahindra World City, Jaipur (INDIA), Gabon Special Economic Zone, Nkok (GABON) and Glo-Djigbe Industrial Zone (BENIN).

Deputy Director General – PICP

Feasibility & Design Officer and Country Manager – India

Atreyee Mitra leads the Design & Project Feasibility Team in Arise IIP and is the Country Manager for Arise in India. She has spent the last 17 years in the field of project development & infrastructure design for industrial zones, SEZ and mixed-use developments across Africa & Asia. Prior to joining Arise, Atreyee worked with Louis Berger Consulting, Egis India and Voyants as the Head of the Urban Planning & Development departments, extensively involved in the design, planning and implementation of multi-sectoral SEZs, residential and commercial area developments as well as city level interventions as part of the Smart City mission in India. Atreyee is an Architect-Planner by profession and holds Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Environmental Planning degrees from the School of Planning & Architecture (SPA), Delhi, the premier design institute of India.

Head - Cashew Business

Tejhash R Modh is the Business Head of Cashew at Arise IIP. He is responsible for developing and implementing business plans and budgets. He is also responsible for building required teams for factory operations, sales, marketing, and distribution to achieve Arise IIP’s desired business goals for Cashew Nut business. Tejhash is having 23 years of experience in technology, operations, project management, trade, and sales & distribution of Agri commodities with a specialized knowledge base of Raw Cashew Nut and Cashew Kernel. He is a seasoned executive for various Cashew processing facilities’ greenfield projects.

Cluster Director I (Gabon, DRC, ROC, Cameroun)

Kumar Mohan is the Cluster Director for the Forestry Value Chain. He oversees the expansion of forestry value chain footprint across the Congo basin including Gabon, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo.

Advisor (Africa) – AIIP CEO

Kristine is a serial entrepreneur, an impact investor and an advisor to influential leaders across Africa. She's the founder multiple companies like ENTREPRENARIUM", a not-for-profit organization that mobilizes philanthropic capital to provide business support and seed funding to African women entrepreneurs and KN&Partners, a boutique consulting firm that offers tailor-made services to selected clients in the political and business spheres. Prior to these Kristine has worked on various advisory and project management assignments throughout Africa with organizations like Performance Group & Hill & Knowlton. Kristine has completed her General Management Program from Harvard and been nominated among the Top100 Most Influential Women in Africa (Forbes Afrique 2020) and the Top100 Who Transform Africa (Financial Afrik 2019).

Associate Vice President, Arise IIP

Amandine Ogouebandja is the Deputy General Manager of the Arise Group in Gabon who is responsible to support corporate affairs, liaison and government interface. She manages relations with the Gabonese government to ensure that the group's new projects become a reality. Additionally, she plays a leading role in flagship projects such as the birth and development of the ZES, the Seed program, the commissioning of Ports, the construction of a Hydrocarbons depot and the Dry Port (ICD). Previously, Amandine was associated as DGA for SAG, a fundamental project of the Gabonese State whose goal is to build the Transgabonaise, an 828 km long road linking Libreville to Franceville. Graduated with a Masters degree in Business Administration, Finance major in 2009 from Nova Southeastern University, she began her career in Gabon as an Advisor to the Ministry of Economy, Business, Tourism and Industry for two years. With her keen knowledge of business, Amandine has worked for the group for more than 12 years, holding the positions of Deputy General Manager SAG, Head of Marketing & Sales / Project Manager at Olam, then at GSEZ as Head of Corporate Affairs. Recently, she actively participated in the project of the construction of solar panels, SOLEN. In 2011, Amandine received the Award for "Best employee of the year worldwide Olam", as well as that of "Positivity Award". In 2022 she also received the ‘Happy Chapie award’ because she embodies joy and positivity around her. Married and living in Libreville, she is the founder of the NGO "Forgotten Angels", which brings comfort to orphans.

Chief Finance Officer – Arise IIP & Arise IS

George Olaka is Chief Financial Officer of Arise IIP and Arise IS, alongside being a Non-Executive Director at MainOne. Until November 2020, George served Africa Finance Corporation’s (AFC) Head of Portfolio Management, where he was responsible for managing AFC’s investment portfolio and providing on-going monitoring, evaluation, and reports to AFC’s senior management on investee companies. Prior to this, George served as Business Performance & Product Controller at AFC, where his responsibilities included full financial management of AFC Equity. There, he achieved the setup of a product control unit within the Financial Control Department to oversee Treasury activities and coordinate Treasury and Investment Divisions valuations. George has over 15 years of product control management experience. George has also worked at the Emirates National Bank of Dubai and Standard Chartered Bank. George is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and has a bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Accounting from Kenyatta University (Nairobi), an MSC in Economic Policy from the University of London, and an MBA (Global MBA) from the Manchester Business School.

Cluster Director II (Chad, Rwanda)

Jacky Riviere is Senior Vice President at Olam Agri and is Country Director in Chad. He has worked with Olam for 8 years, including 6 years in Chad. Jacky has a strong management background, with senior experience in Africa in industrial sectors such as timber, cotton and textiles. He has excellent strategic appreciation and long-term vision, with the ability to develop and implement sophisticated plans that explicitly support the needs of the business. Autonomous and independent, Jacky sets objectives and targets and leads by example, with a collaborative approach and with his personal qualities he engages, motivates and encourages others through change.

Chief Strategy Officer – ARISE IIP & IS

Alain Saraka is an expert Investment and Project Development professional with more than 15 years of combined experience in Audit, Commercial and Investment Banking, Private Equity, and Infrastructure Project Finance. Alain has accumulated sizeable international experience in these industries, especially in Côte d’Ivoire, France, Nigeria, and Gabon. Throughout his career, he has also supervised projects in Switzerland and North America. Since 2014, Alain has been holding various Vice-Presidency and Executive roles in the Infrastructure Development industry, focusing on the management of ports and logistic operations, but also of economic and industrial zones. Alain currently sits on several Boards of Directors. He is a Board of Director on the HKB toll road (Côte d’Ivoire) and holds the Chairmanship on the Board of Directors of Aéroport de Libreville (Gabon) since 2020. Alain is a native French speaker and is fluent in English. He studied in France where he graduated in Economics & Capital Markets from the University of Lille and obtained a Master’s in Financial Analysis from Reims Management School.

PCH – Furniture business

Gianni Sharrouf leads the company’s furniture business, with responsibilities for developing the furniture manufacturing cluster within Gabon Special Economic Zone (GSEZ), and in countries where the company operates. He also oversees the development of the company’s own furniture brand: Akiba – African Wood Furniture. In his previous roles with Arise IIP, he served as General Manager in various Dubai-based furniture trading companies, importing, distributing, and retailing high-end design brands from Europe and the US. He holds a master’s degree in Business Administration and Marketing Management from USJ, Beirut – Lebanon and a master’s degree in Hotel Management from SIST, Rome – Italy. He is currently based between the UAE and Gabon.

Country Manager – Arise IIP Gabon and PCH – Airport business

Cluster Director III (Benin, Nigeria)

Jasveer Singh is the Cluster Director for Togo, Benin, Cote d'Ivorie and Senegal offices of Arise IIP. Prior to this, he was working as the Chief Development Officer at Arise. He is a development expert specializing in economic diversification and job generation through industrialization. He has deep knowledge of the development of large-scale industrial ecosystems and is credited in his 25 years of professional life with conceptualization and implementation of multiple large-scale Industrial Zones, Special Economic Zones, Free Trade Zones, Logistics Hubs, Investment Corridors, Growth Poles, and Regional Hubs in Asia and Africa. He strongly believes in incorporating Circularity and Sustainability principles in the development strategy from the inception and making them the USP of the project.

Chief Risk Officer – Arise IIP & Arise IS

Mr Swaminathan Kumaraswami is the Chief Risk Officer for Arise IIP Managing Office, Dubai. He previously held the position of Country Finance Controller for Olam International Ltd in Gabon where he headed the Finance function of 4 new businesses (including Palm, Rubber and Fertiliser & Project Graine) with investment of over $2.4 billion. He promotes a close relationship between Olam and the Republic of Gabon based on mutual advantage and sustainable development. With over 26 years of experience, he is a Chartered Accountant by profession and has been with Olam in Nigeria and in Gabon. During the course of his career, Mr Swamy also served in multinational companies like Dunlop India Ltd as Senior Manager in Finance. He began his work in Africa in 1997 and accumulates an added experience of over 10 years in Textile, Packaging and the Soap Manufacturing Industry within Nigeria.

Chief ESG Officer – Arise Group

Bhavin Vyas is the Chief ESG Officer of Environmental and Social Governance (ESG), in charge of ensuring the sustainability of company operations and the creation of shared value for all stakeholders whilst protecting ARISE’S environment and ecosystem services, across the three ARISE verticals. With professional expertise in developing industrial economic zones, and managing the subsequent construction projects, Bhavin’s experience spans various types of industrial sectors, such as roads, airports, agribusiness activities, oil and gas, mining, ports, and hydropower. Bhavin has worked in more than 25 countries across Europe, Asia, Middle East, and Africa. 20 years of professional experience have provided Bhavin with a detailed understanding of environmental and social risks and a knowledge of the positive benefits private investment can generate. Bhavin’s ESG experience covers ESIAs, the preparation and implementation of SEPs, Resettlement Action Plans, Social Investment, Human Rights IA, and Social Due Diligence. Bhavin has excellent working knowledge of the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Policies, IFC Performance Standards, EBRD’s Performance Requirements and AfDB’s Performance Requirements. Prior to joining ARISE, Bhavin worked for AECOM, URS, ERM, Mott McDonald in United Kingdom in Environment & Social development, Environment and Social safeguard auditing, disaster management, urban planning, poverty reduction, urban development, resettlement planning, community development, participatory planning, livelihood studies and migration.

Chief Procurement & Contracts Officer – Arise Group

Amiya Verma is the Chief Procurement & Contracts Officer for Arise IIP, directly reporting to the CEO. His main objective is to establish and oversee a Central Procurement function for the company. Amiya is responsible for strategic negotiations, supplier portfolio analysis, qualification and consolidation, as well as implementing top-notch procurement systems and controls. With 30 years of experience in global and domestic sourcing, SCM operations, and sub-contracting, Amiya has worked with renowned companies like L&T, Holcim, Asian Paints, and Case New Holland. He is known for his innovative thinking and has led various global and regional projects, developing and implementing SCM strategies to reduce procurement costs and ensure compliance. Previously, Amiya headed procurement and supply chain for the Bullet train Project at L&T and held positions in SCM for Buildings and Factories Vertical and Central Procurement in L&T for over 7 years. He has been involved in prestigious EPC projects such as the Statue of Unity, MTHL, Mumbai Coastal Road, and Motera Stadium. Before L&T, he worked as Sr. Vice President- Operational Procurement and Regional Category Manager at Lafarge-Holcim, with expertise in sourcing and contracting strategies both domestically and globally. Amiya is a strong advocate of value engineering and has extensive knowledge of worldwide purchasing systems and sustainable procurement programs. His additional responsibilities include risk mitigation, demand forecasting, inventory management, budgeting, and mentoring his global procurement team. Amiya holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, a Grad Dip in Materials Management, and an MBA.

General Counsel – Arise Group

Laetitia Yuinang is a highly experienced legal professional with almost 20 years of experience in the private and public sectors. She holds a degree in business law from Aix-en-Provence and has had a stellar career trajectory. Laetitia started her career at Deloitte before moving on to work in the oil sector with Total and Addax (a subsidiary of Sinopec group). After eight years as legal head for Olam in Gabon, she took on the role of special legal advisor to the President of Gabon at the Gabonese Presidency. Laetitia recently joined Arise IIP Dubai Office, where she heads a department of 25 legal and paralegal experts. Her team is responsible for drafting, reviewing, and negotiating PPP/concessions/framework agreements, providing legal support in project finance transactions, and drafting and reviewing vendor contracts. They also manage pre-litigation and litigation matters and engage external legal counsel when necessary. With her wealth of experience and legal expertise, Laetitia is a true leader, mentor, and trailblazer in the legal profession.