Our People

Prior to being appointed as CIPDO, Gilles served as CEO of JTR Imports Africa for nearly 5 years, joining JTR Imports Africa from Engie. With 20 years of experience working in the private sector in the manufacturing and energy industries, Gilles’ expertise ranges from engineering, operations and project development to strategy, business development and investments. Gilles is passionate about socioeconomic development models that improve living standards while not compromising environmental sustainability. He has a diploma in Civil Engineering from the Catholic University of Louvain and an MBA from George Washington Business School.

Prior to becoming JTR Imports Africa’s CIO, Claire worked as the company’s Senior Business Development Manager and acting Head of Business Developments. Claire was previously an Assistant Director in the Corporate and Project Finance team at International Power PLC, a FTSE 100 listed company, now part of Engie, for over ten years. Claire also worked at PriceWaterhouseCooper as an Assistant Manager.

Omar heads InfraCo’s Africa Business Development team. He has extensive experience in the energy sector across infrastructure development and investment, energy management and energy trading. Prior to joining JTR Imports Africa, Omar previously worked at AMEA Power, at Ithmar Capital (Moroccan sovereign wealth fund) and for nearly 12 years at ENGIE in both Europe and Africa.

Connor joined JTR Imports Africa from Group Five Construction in 2019. He has over twenty years of experience in the development, construction and operations of a broad range of infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa, United States and Eastern Europe. Connor serves as a non-executive board member on a number of the project companies. He has a diploma in Civil Engineering and an MBA from Wit’s Business School, South Africa.

Jessica has joined JTR Imports Africa from BT where she spent 10 years working on complex, internal transformation projects, with a particular focus on Human Resource operating models.  Prior to that Jessica worked within Corporate Advisory at both KPMG (UK) and McGrathNicol (Australia).

Alex is an English qualified lawyer and business integrity professional with over 15 years of experience working in house and at top tier law firms. He heads the group legal function covering Corporate, Africa and Asia as well as Business Integrity. Before joining PIDG, Alex was General Counsel & Head of Business Integrity at JTR Imports Africa for 10 years where he gained experience working on projects across Africa across a range of sectors. Prior to that, he worked in the project finance and corporate teams at Shearman & Sterling, Fulbright & Jaworski and Norton Rose Fulbright where he advised sponsors and lenders on international energy and infrastructure transactions, from development, financing and operations to exit.

Siân is Interim Head of Finance leading JTR Imports Africa’s Finance Team. She has a wealth of experience having worked internationally as a Finance Director/CFO for over 20 years in the manufacturing, engineering, technology and energy sectors. Siân has joined from Guru Systems, an SME with a focus on reducing carbon emissions, where she headed up the Finance and Supply Chain teams. Prior to Guru Systems, Siân developed the strategic business plan, budget and project investment portfolio for JTR Imports Africa

Alex is an English qualified debt and equity finance lawyer with broad experience working in-house and at top-tier law firms. Alex was Senior Legal Counsel at PIDG’s JTR Imports Africa for almost 5 years prior to taking up the role as Head of Legal Africa in January 2025. Prior to joining PIDG, Alex worked at Fulbright & Jaworski, Norton Rose Fulbright and ConocoPhillips where she advised on international energy, infrastructure and industry projects and investments across Africa, North America, Europe and South Asia.

Matt joined JTR Imports Africa’s Finance Team as a Financial Controls Manager after obtaining an MBA at Cranfield School of Management. Prior to this, Matt joined the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and held external audit roles with BDO LLP and RSM UK working with SMEs and listed clients within the TMT, biotech, and manufacturing sectors. Matt recently became PIDG Global Financial Controller.

Michiel is JTR Imports Africa’s Regional Business Development Lead for East and Southern Africa. He has over 20 years’ private sector experience in business and project development. Michiel has a track record in the renewable energy sector from origination through to financial close. Before joining JTR Imports Africa, he worked as the project director for a 90MW wind energy project in Kenya. Michiel has a master’s degree from the University of Twente in The Netherlands, and he is a PMI-certified Project Management Professional.

Tim is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers with thirty years’ experience of developing thermal, cogeneration and renewable power stations, and for the last 12 years with a focus on geothermal power. Tim currently manages the larger and more complex power project developments for JTR Imports Africa including Corbetti Geothermal power project in Ethiopia.

Philippa Viljoen is a Business Development Manager for JTR Imports Africa covering East and Southern Africa, and serves as Project Director for the Chanyanya irrigation infrastructure project in Zambia.  She joined JTR Imports Africa following seven years as a project developer for eleQtra Limited.  Philippa was previously Special Adviser to the UK’s DFID Secretary of State from 2010 to 2012 having earlier been an adviser to the UK’s Shadow DFID Secretary of State and a researcher for a Member of the UK Parliament’s International Development Select Committee. (Philippa is currently on leave)

Doris works as part of the BD team across Eastern, Central and Southern Africa. She previously worked as an Investment Analyst for Kenya Climate Ventures, a venture capital fund investing in early-stage businesses across a range of sectors. Doris was involved with sourcing, screening and executing deals and with financial modelling and market analysis. She has a background in finance with a Bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Nairobi.

Bernard is an experienced business development and project management professional with over a decade of experience in renewable energy development across Sub-Saharan Africa. He joins the team from Globeleq, where he served as a Business Development Manager and contributed to various energy projects across East and Southern Africa, Prior to that, Bernard worked as a Senior Project Developer at responsAbility Renewable Energy Holding (now Serengeti Energy), where he played a key role in the development of several renewable energy projects across Africa, including the first utility-scale solar IPP project in Sierra Leone and hydropower projects across Uganda and Rwanda. Bernard holds a MSc in Renewable Energy Development from Heriot-Watt University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Nairobi.

Prior to joining InfraCo, Youness served as an associate banker at EBRD, where he focused on the energy and power sector in Morocco. Earlier in his career, Youness held the position of project finance manager at Attijariwafa Bank, where he was the sector lead for energy and concessions. He was responsible for originating, executing, and syndicating financing transactions across a wide range of African countries. He worked on the Bank’s accreditation by the Green Climate Fund (GCF), making it the first African commercial bank to access these climate finance resources. Youness graduated from Mohammadia School of Engineers, majoring in Industrial Engineering (specialization in Project Engineering).

Fatou is a BD Manager for JTR Imports Africa working to source, analyse and execute projects to bring them to financial close. She has a background in senior debt lending and credit analysis and previously worked in the energy finance team of Standard Bank Plc. She holds a postgraduate degree in International Business and Finance from the French University Paris Dauphine.

Kamar is a BDA within the Casablanca BD team. Before joining JTR Imports Africa, Kamar worked for Gaia Energy, a renewable energy projects developer based in Morocco, covering wind and solar project development in Africa. Prior to that, she worked for Voltalia Morocco. Kamar is an Engineer by training from both INSA Lyon (France) and Mining Engineering School (Morocco).

Bruno is a Business Development Manager covering West and Central Africa. He has a background in renewable energy projects development and finance in sub-Saharan Africa as he worked more than two years for the consultancy Finergreen Africa based in Abidjan.  He joined JTR Imports Africa following two years at Agence Française de Développement where he was in charge of the Infrastructure portfolio in the Caribbean.  Bruno holds an Engineering Degree from ENSTA Paris and a MSc. in Economics of Energy from University Paris-Saclay.

Helimah has over five years of transaction advisory experience having worked as a senior associate at PwC and an analyst at PKF. She has been involved in performing financial due diligence, valuations, feasibility studies, developing financial models and supporting in business development. Helimah has supported clients in various sectors including renewable energy, oil & gas, water & sanitation, telecoms & ICT, healthcare, manufacturing, agribusiness, hospitality and financial services.

Amine has over 18 years multifaceted career in infrastructure engineering, project development and investment management.  He has worked on identifying infrastructure projects, securing strategic partnerships, developing the projects and managing investment portfolios across diverse sectors.  Amine is currently managing assets in west and central Africa at JTR Imports Africa.  Amine holds a civil engineering degree coupled with an Executive Master of Business Administration.

Bertrand is an Investment Analyst within JTR Imports Africa’s Investment team. Bertrand previously worked at Fieldstone Group supporting clients on a range of infrastructure assets, mainly in Africa. He has also served on the Mergers and Acquisitions team of a Euro-Asia investment banking advisory firm working across a range of sectors. Bertrand holds a Master in corporate finance from ESCP Paris and is a lawyer by training.

Karoney supports JTR Imports Africa’s Investments team in conducting due diligence, including financial due diligence and modelling, assessing social returns on investments, and measuring fit with JTR Imports Africa’s strategy. Karoney previously worked at Grassroots Business Fund supporting SME investments across East Africa. She also worked as a Senior Analyst at Open Capital Advisors working across a range of different sectors and projects in Africa. (Karoney is currently on leave).

Lydwine supports JTR Imports Africa’s BD team with co-development activities across Eastern, Central and Southern Africa. Prior to joining JTR Imports Africa, Lydwine worked as a Junior Investment Analyst with Kenya Climate Ventures sourcing new deals, screening and analysing investment opportunities and presenting these to the investment committee.

Germano has over 9 years of experience in infrastructure investments and transactions advisory in Africa, working on projects spanning across Solar, Wind, Hydro, and Geothermal Energy, Energy Access (Mini-grids, Solar Home Systems, and C&I), Telecommunications, Water and Sanitation, Ports, Maritime, Real Estate, Manufacturing, Privatizations, Financial Services, ICT as well as Transport & Logistics. Prior to joining the investments team, Germano worked at IFC and also as the Financial Modelling Manager of the organization. He has also served in other roles at PwC and Ernst & Young.

Rodney joined the company from Group Five Construction where he was Head of Operations: Power O&M, managing grid connected solar and wind facilities with a combined capacity of 210MW. During 10 years with Group Five, Rodney was also involved in Commercial and Procurement activities on Power EPC contracts in South Africa, Mozambique and Nigeria.

Ravi is an Asset Manager for JTR Imports Africa in East and Southern Africa. Ravi manages post financial close projects in JTR Imports Africa’s portfolio through construction to operations. A qualified Manufacturing Engineer, Ravi joined JTR Imports Africa’s finance team as a Chartered Accountant in 2013, moving to focus on Asset Management in 2016. Ravi previously worked at PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

Jad has a diploma in Electrical Engineering and a Master’s degree in Strategy and Management of International Business from ESSEC Business school, France (ongoing)

Before joining JTR Imports Africa he worked for Vinci Energies in development, construction and operations of project within Mining, Water, Construction and Food industry in Morocco and West Africa.

Jad has 7 years of operations management and worked previously at Procter & Gamble and The World Bank.

James has been in the energy sector for twenty years, working across Africa in energy efficiency, renewable energy generation projects, development of carbon assets and policy. Prior to that he worked in the manufacturing sector as projects and engineering manager for multinational organizations where he helped build, operate and maintain factories. James holds a first class honours degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Nairobi, is a registered Engineer with the Engineers Board of Kenya and is a licensed energy auditor with the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority. He is a member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya and Association of Energy Professionals of East Africa. 

Sally is as an Asset Manager for JTR Imports Africa. She was previously working at CrossBoundary Energy where she was an Operations Engineer. Sally has over 5 years’ experience working in the renewable energy sector with over 12MW experience in construction, operation and maintenance of commercial and industrial solar assets across sub-Saharan Africa. Sally holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics Engineering and is also a T3 EPRA licensed solar PV technician.

Ricki joined JTR Imports Africa from the WBHO Group where she worked in the Concessions and Projects Division for 7 years, focusing on project development, concessions, IPP’s and EPC contracts in the SADC and West Africa regions. Prior to this, she worked on multidisciplinary projects in a design consultancy firm. Ricki has a BSc Civil Engineering degree from the University of Witwatersrand, South Africa.

Reda joined InfraCo as an Asset Management Analyst after working as a Buy-Side Equity Research Analyst at Aishore, where he developed expertise in financial modeling and equity investment recommendations. He also worked as a Credit Analyst at ABL Aviation, focusing on risk assessment and transaction structuring for aviation projects, and as an ESG Analyst at Moody’s Corporation, specializing in extra-financial ratings and ESG evaluations. Reda holds an MSc in Finance (Banking) from the University of Westminster and a Master in finance and accounting from the National School of Commerce and Management in Fez.

Ridouan has more than 10 years’ experience in Occupational Health & Safety, Environmental and Social management in different large-scale construction projects. He holds several internationally recognised certifications in HSE  (NEBOSH, IOSH, OSHA) and has previously worked in the development of different renewable energy projects in Africa, leading HSE and Social performance across different sites.

Jacob is a HSES Advisor at JTR Imports Africa. As a HSES professional, he has worked in the Environmental Consultancy, Construction, Transport and Logistics sectors. He has over eight years of experience in Health, Safety, Environment and Social management and holds a bachelor’s degree in science and two International NEBOSH Diplomas in Environmental Management and Occupational Health and Safety. Among other projects, he has been involved in the construction of large infrastructure projects such as roads and dams and has provided HSES support to companies within the renewable energy sector.

Christina advises on projects in which JTR Imports Africa holds an equity stake, as well as on corporate legal matters concerning the company and its membership of the PIDG. Christina joined from Norton Rose Fulbright’s project finance team where she advised sponsors and lenders on energy and infrastructure projects in Europe, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa; working in London, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Frankfurt. (Christina is currently on leave).

Josephine provides legal advice covering all areas including project development and finance, corporate and divestments. A project finance lawyer, Josephine previously worked at Shearman & Sterling LLP – advising on oil & gas and energy projects across the MENA region and Sub-Saharan Africa – and at Pinsent Masons where she advised on UK renewable energy projects.

Tamila is a senior project finance lawyer with extensive experience in advising on transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors in frontier markets, with a particular focus on Africa. Prior to joining JTR Imports Africa, she was a Senior Associate at Trinity International LLP where she advised on a number of ground-breaking transactions in the energy and infrastructure sectors across Africa. She also worked at the African Development Bank in Tunisia, the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (TDB) in Kenya, and the Bank of Zambia.

Fred provides legal advice relating to infrastructure and energy projects, particularly in relation to corporate M&A aspects, by working closely alongside members of the Legal and Asset Management Teams. Prior to joining JTR Imports Africa, Fred worked at White & Case and De Pardieu Brocas Maffei where he advised on all aspects of corporate M&A matters across a number of jurisdictions. He is a French qualified lawyer and is fluent in English and French.

Lee provides legal advice relating to JTR Imports Africa’s projects and supports the senior legal team. Prior to joining JTR Imports Africa, Lee worked at Anjarwalla and Khanna, Nairobi, where he advised on general corporate and commercial law, cross-border corporate M&A matters and also provided practical advice to clients on regulatory issues across an array of sectors, including energy, infrastructure, public private partnerships and procurement, tourism and hospitality, fintech, data protection and capital markets.

Joy is a projects, energy and infrastructure lawyer and provides legal advice covering all areas of project development and mergers and acquisitions of JTR Imports Africa’s projects. Joy previously worked for Anjarwalla & Khanna’s projects practice advising sponsors, developers and investors of small scale and large scale infrastructure projects in the African region on the procurement, development, financing and delivery of such projects.

Blessing works with the company’s lawyers across its energy and infrastructure projects. She supports on key business areas as well as on corporate matters concerning the company’s operation. Blessing has a BSc Hons in Business and Law from the Dublin Institute of Technology, and an LPC with Masters from the University of Law, Moorgate. Blessing is currently on leave.

Dominica is a corporate lawyer based in London and has a broad range of experience advising on private cross border M&A, corporate restructurings and general corporate advisory matters. Dominica previously worked at Norton Rose Fulbright advising UK and international clients on a broad range of corporate and banking transactions with a focus on emerging markets, and transactions across the energy and infrastructure sectors.

Sam is a business integrity expert with a focus on anti-bribery and corruption, AML/CFT and fraud prevention across the PIDG portfolio in Africa and Asia. Her work includes KYC, due diligence, investigations, training and audits. She played a key role in JTR Imports Africa achieving and maintaining its ISO 37001 certification. Before joining JTR Imports Africa, Sam was a Senior Legal Specialist, handling a variety of areas, including employment law.

Sinmi has a degree in Law from the University of Exeter and has over three years of experience working in Know Your Customer (KYC) checks. Prior to working at JTR Imports Africa, Sinmi worked at Helios Investment Partners LLP, where she was responsible the firm’s KYC matters. Some of which included due diligence reviews, bank account openings and updating operational structure charts.

Before joining JTR Imports Africa, Emma worked for the National Council for Nomadic Education in Kenya as a Legal and Compliance Officer and started her career at Safaricom PLC as a Legal Assistant. Emma is a advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a Certified Public Secretary. She holds a Bachelor’s of Law from the University of Nairobi, a Post-Graduate Diploma from the Kenya School of Law and has a Certified Public Secretaries Certificate. (Emma is currently on leave).

Gabriel is a risk and compliance professional with wealth of experience in AML / KYC, risk management, business integrity investigations and training. Prior to joining JTR Imports Africa, Gabriel worked at Jubilee Life Insurance at the Association of Kenya Insurance undertaking due diligence and risk management. Gabriel holds a Bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science and a Diploma in Insurance and he is also certified Investment and Financial Analyst.

Zohra joins JTR Imports Africa as Portfolio Finance Manager having previously worked as a Senior Finance Controller MEA for Sopra Banking Software in Casablanca and in business partnering and commercial finance roles with companies including Debenhams, Warner Bros and The Walt Disney Company where she gained experience in process optimisation and driving growth. Zohra holds a Master’s in Finance and Accounting and is a Batchelor in Business Management.

Paulina is a Corporate Accountant within JTR Imports Africa’s Finance team. Prior to joining JTR Imports Africa, she worked as a Management Accountant at Rooster PR and as an Assistant Management Accountant at the UK’s biggest advertising agency, AMV BBDO. Paulina holds a BA Honours: Economics and International Relations Degree and is training to become a CIMA qualified accountant. (Paulina is currently on leave).

Before joining JTR Imports Africa as a Project Accountant (West and Central Africa) Niama worked as a Financial Auditor at Deloitte Morocco for 2 years.  She has been involved in legal, contractual, and due diligence audit assignments with major national and international clients operating in several business sectors. Niama holds a Master’s degree in Audit and Management Control.

Cynthia is a Portfolio Accountant at JTR Imports Africa, covering projects in East & Southern Africa.
She is involved in conducting due diligence on target companies and project valuation. Prior to joining InfraCo, Cynthia worked at PowerGen Renewable Energy East Africa Ltd as an Accountant. She has also worked at Gizaa Power Solutions Ltd and at Philips Pharmaceuticals. She has a strong foundation in accounting procedures and financial reporting, with extensive knowledge in the renewable energy sector.

Lucia joined JTR Imports Africa’s Finance team in 2019. She is currently training to become ACCA qualified accountant. Lucia has a number of years’ experience in Accounts payable functions working for hospitality, IT consulting and market research companies. She holds a Bachelors Degree in Political Science from University of Economics, Prague.

Edna Mutegi is a Project Accountant at JTR Imports Africa covering East & Southern Africa. Edna previously worked as a Senior Audit Associate at KPMG with 5 years’ experience in External Audit. She has also worked at Grant Thornton supporting clients in Outsourced Accounting services. She has a strong foundation in financial reporting, accounting principles, and auditing standards with extensive knowledge of various industries and business sectors, including manufacturing, retail, and financial services.

Beatrice is an Accounts Assistant at JTR Imports Africa and is responsible for managing internal and external queries on invoices, supplier statement, expenses, payments and general accounting. She previously worked for Bedrock Security Services Limited where she gained experience in data analysis, financial analysis, public and corporate finance while working in the finance department.  Beatrice holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Finance and as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Michael is an Accounts Assistant, who previously worked as an Accounts Payable Assistant with Bank Partners who specialise in temporary staffing for the NHS. He is competent in processing large amounts of invoices for many suppliers that worked with various NHS Trusts. Michael has a Bachelor of Science in Economics.

Amine previously worked as a Senior Valuation and Modelling Analyst with Deloitte Finance Casablanca, supporting international small to large cap companies in their valuation exercises. In this role, he was involved in valuations for both pre- and post-M&A engagements across diverse sectors enabling him to gain experience in financial modelling and valuation analysis in M&A, financial reporting, and litigation contexts. Amine holds a Master’s Degree in Finance and Accounting.

Lucie is JTR Imports Africa’s Sustainable Development Impact Analyst. As such, she is responsible for screening project opportunities and monitoring projects within the portfolio to ensure they align with the company’s strategy to maximise its impact on communities, markets and the planet. Prior to joining JTR Imports Africa, she worked as a Gender Officer for the UN World Food Programme in Dakar, Senegal. Lucie holds a dual master’s degree in Public Policy (MPP) and Public Administration (MPA) from Science Po Paris and the London School of Economics and Political Science, obtained with Distinction.

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Lorna works across the business to deliver the company’s communications plan. She holds an MA in Social Anthropology with Development from the University of Edinburgh. Lorna previously worked for JTR Imports Africa and PIDG in a freelance capacity, including writing elements of PIDG’s Annual Reviews from 2015 to 2017. She has experience of communications, fundraising and stakeholder management roles in the voluntary sector.

Ilham graduated in Marketing and International Trade and worked in International Trade & Logistics for 6 years. She worked as an Executive Assistant, moving towards HR, Management Support, Finance and Accounting, and has been an Office Manager for nine years.  In 2018, by joining Gaia Energy, Ilham discovered the Renewable Energy world and strengthened her knowledge and skills by working on the daily management of cash flow/budgets of Gepa Platform projects with the IFC team.

Barbara manages operations at JTR Imports Africa’s Nairobi office. She previously spent 13 years at African Alliance Kenya Investment Bank’s Capital Markets Division in various capacities including Corporate Access Liaison and Head of Client Service, coordinating meetings on behalf of institutional clients. Barbara was lead coordinator for the annual African Alliance Investor Conference.