Abraaj Capital announces three senior appointments

David Donaldson has been named the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and two key members of the firm, Jonathan Hall and Omar Lodhi, have been promoted to Executive Director.

Arif Naqvi, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Abraaj Capital, said: "I am very pleased to welcome David to the Abraaj family, and to recognise the dedication and achievements of both Jonathan and Omar. While these appointments reflect favourably upon these three individuals, they also serve to further underscore the institutionalisation of Abraaj."

He continued: "Our mission is to engineer success in the MENASA region and to provide risk-adjusted returns well above industry benchmarks. Continuing to achieve our goals requires the right human capital, which is why I am so proud of our diverse team of highly skilled financial specialists, who come from more than 20 nations."

David Donaldson, the new CFO at Abraaj Capital, has more than 20 years experience in finance and operational roles in investment banking in London, where he began his career with Salomon Brothers in 1986. He has worked for several Bulge Bracket Investment Banks engaged in Institutional Sales and Trading across a broad range of Equity and Fixed Income Cash and Derivative products. He also brings in-depth experience in managing and implementing large-scale technology and process change programs in London, New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Most recently, Donaldson was Chief Operating Officer at Piper Jaffray in London, the leading advisory bank to the small and mid-cap Healthcare and Biotechnology sector in the UK. He earned an MA in Jurisprudence from Oxford University and is an ICAEW Qualified Chartered Accountant.

Donaldson replaces Simon Davies, the previous CFO, who was recently appointed Chief Operating Officer at the firm.

Jonathan Hall and Omar Lodhi, who have both been promoted to Executive Director at Abraaj Capital, collectively provide nearly a quarter-century of experience in private equity, corporate finance and investment banking.

Hall, who joined the firm in 2002, is responsible for direct investments made by Abraaj and is on the board of several portfolio companies. He has previously worked for the Cupola Group in Dubai, HSBC in Hong Kong and PricewaterhouseCoopers in London and Tokyo. Hall holds a BA in Japanese Studies from Cambridge University.

Lodhi, who has worked in private equity and investment banking in the Middle East, Asia and Europe, is an Abraaj veteran responsible for the sourcing and closing of investment opportunities as well as post-acquisition portfolio management. Previously, he was with UBS in Hong Kong, where he focused on Asian Infrastructure Advisory and Telecom Investment Banking; and at UBS in London, where his primary responsibilities were in the areas of buyout and restructuring opportunities within the European telecom sector. Lodhi also worked at Citigroup where he was responsible for the firm's Islamic Banking activities in Asia.

Lodhi is a graduate of the London School of Economics, with an Honour's degree in International Trade and Development, and the holder of an MBA from Harvard Business School.