Leadership

Meet the Team

Our people and their commitment to creating value for our stakeholders drive our success. Our ~200 person team, which includes 90+ investment professionals, brings deep institutional experience drawn from a wealth of backgrounds.

Khalifa Al Suwaidi

Khalifa Al Suwaidi

Managing Partner

Seif Fikry

Seif Fikry

Managing Partner

Murtaza Hussain

Murtaza Hussain

Managing Partner

Khalifa Al Suwaidi

Khalifa Al Suwaidi

Managing Partner

Khalifa Al Suwaidi is a Managing Partner at Lunate and brings over 23 years of experience to the firm. In his position as Managing Partner, he oversees Lunate’s fund investments, partnerships and strategy and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee, Supervisory Committee and Board of Directors.

Prior to co-founding Lunate, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Growth Fund, managing more than US$35 billion in assets primarily across private market strategies. Previously, he held the position of Group Chief Investment Officer at ADQ. He has also held several senior managerial positions at Mubadala Investment Company and Abu Dhabi National Chemical Company.

In addition to his role as a Managing Partner at Lunate, Khalifa is Chairman, Non-Executive Director at Agthia Group, Vice Chairman, Non-Executive Director at Abu Dhabi Ports (AD Ports) and Vice Chairman, Non-Executive Director at TAQA.

Khalifa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University in the United States. He also has an Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration with Distinction from Zayed University.

Seif Fikry

Seif Fikry

Managing Partner

Seif is a Managing Partner at Lunate and brings over 27 years of experience to the firm. Seif oversees Lunate’s public markets strategy and operations and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee, Supervisory Committee and Board of Directors.

Prior to co-founding Lunate, Seif served as the Chief Executive of Chimera Capital, where he was responsible for managing over US$16 billion of assets across multiple strategies and the launch of over 12 ETFs listed on local stock exchanges. Seif has both founded and helped manage multiple financial services companies, including EFG-Hermes, Chimera Capital and Afkar Capital, the first FSRA regulated entity in ADGM.

Seif is a graduate of the American University in Cairo.

Murtaza Hussain

Murtaza Hussain

Managing Partner

Murtaza is a Managing Partner at Lunate and brings over 19 years of experience to the firm. He oversees Lunate’s direct and co-investments and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee, Supervisory Committee and Board of Directors.

Prior to co-founding Lunate, Murtaza served as the Chief Investment Officer at ADQ, responsible for several of the firm’s landmark transactions and oversaw investments of over US$25 billion across the M&A and alternatives platform. Murtaza was previously a senior member of a global emerging markets private equity firm.

In addition to his role as Managing Partner at Lunate, Murtaza is a Board and Investment Committee member of E& Capital. He is also a Board Member of Aramex PJSC and Sagard Holdings. He previously served as a Board Member and Chair of the Investment Committee of ADC, the UAE’s first special purpose acquisition company that successfully merged and is presently traded as E7.

Murtaza holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting from McGill University.

Our Team

Mazhar Abid

Mazhar Abid

Partner

Ankit Agarwal

Ankit Agarwal

Principal

Amer Al Ameri

Amer Al Ameri

Partner

Saif Al Hammadi

Saif Al Hammadi

Principal

Wael Al Hashimi

Wael Al Hashimi

Partner

Hadi Al Rashid

Hadi Al Rashid

Principal

Khalifa Al Suwaidi

Khalifa Al Suwaidi

Managing Partner

Sultan Al Marzooqi

Sultan Al Marzooqi

Director

Ahmed Altanani

Ahmed Altanani

Director

Carolyn Ang

Carolyn Ang

Director

Ayman Anwar

Ayman Anwar

Senior Principal

Dhanush Arjun

Dhanush Arjun

Director

Mridul Ashok

Mridul Ashok

Partner

Alain Bacos

Alain Bacos

Director

Faris Badri

Faris Badri

Principal

Silvia Barbarino

Silvia Barbarino

Principal

Oliver Butler

Oliver Butler

Director

Ilias Catsaros

Ilias Catsaros

Director

Joseph Cha

Joseph Cha

Senior Partner

Samir Chaibi

Samir Chaibi

Senior Principal

Anup Cherian

Anup Cherian

Partner

Georgios Christou

Georgios Christou

Vice President

Andrew Chvatal

Andrew Chvatal

Partner

Mihai Danila

Mihai Danila

Senior Principal

Felipe De La Rosa

Felipe De La Rosa

Director

Clement Deydier

Clement Deydier

Principal

Sherif Elhalawany

Sherif Elhalawany

Director

Alok Elias

Alok Elias

Principal

Seif Fikry

Seif Fikry

Managing Partner

Andre Forsterling

Andre Forsterling

Director

Rami Francis

Rami Francis

Principal

Aseem Gupta

Aseem Gupta

Director

Mohamed Hafez

Mohamed Hafez

Partner

Nils Hagerstal

Nils Hagerstal

Director

Chris Harran

Chris Harran

Director

Matthew Holland

Matthew Holland

Director

Peter Howley

Peter Howley

Senior Partner

Timothy Huijts

Timothy Huijts

Director

Murtaza Hussain

Murtaza Hussain

Managing Partner

Eric Janowak

Eric Janowak

Director

Fabian Jeske

Fabian Jeske

Director

Yousry Kassem

Yousry Kassem

Partner

Mirian Khalaf

Mirian Khalaf

Partner

Vani Kalai

Vani Kalai

Director

Ahmed Khalil

Ahmed Khalil

Partner

Francisco Loranca

Francisco Loranca

Senior Principal

Jason Loveless

Jason Loveless

Senior Partner

Caesar Maasry

Caesar Maasry

Director

Naush Malik

Naush Malik

Partner

Aqib Masood

Aqib Masood

Senior Principal

Al Mawji

Al Mawji

Director

Omar Mehanna

Omar Mehanna

Director

Malik Mehr

Malik Mehr

Director

Alexander Mills

Alexander Mills

Partner

Aziz Moolji

Aziz Moolji

Senior Partner

Kawtar Mouadine

Kawtar Mouadine

Vice President

Hariganesh Muralidharan

Hariganesh Muralidharan

Principal

Paul Nauss

Paul Nauss

Partner

Nabeel Qadir

Nabeel Qadir

Senior Partner

Karim Radwan

Karim Radwan

Partner

Federico Rapetti

Federico Rapetti

Principal

Sherif Salem

Sherif Salem

Partner

Zirajuddin Shahabuddin

Zirajuddin Shahabuddin

Director

Naheed Sheikh

Naheed Sheikh

Partner

Jack Simkin

Jack Simkin

Director

Anton Sorokin

Anton Sorokin

Principal

Karim Souid

Karim Souid

Director

Sanjay Surana

Sanjay Surana

Principal

Kateryna Taousse

Kateryna Taousse

Director

Christophe Terrin

Christophe Terrin

Principal

Alice Tissot

Alice Tissot

Director

Nader Toutoungi

Nader Toutoungi

Principal

Lipin Unnikrishnan

Lipin Unnikrishnan

Director

Naveen Valsan

Naveen Valsan

Senior Principal

Katarina Vitkova

Katarina Vitkova

Principal

James Weir

James Weir

Director

Bo Zhao

Bo Zhao

Senior Principal

Mark Zhukovsky

Mark Zhukovsky

Director

Alexander Zhuravlev

Alexander Zhuravlev

Director

Mazhar Abid

Mazhar Abid

Partner, Head of Finance

Mazhar is a Partner and the Head of Finance at Lunate where he is responsible for overseeing the firm’s financial and regulatory reporting, budgeting and financial risk management.

He brings over 20 years of experience to the firm. Prior to Lunate, Mazhar served as Chief Financial Officer at Chimera Capital and was Group CFO at Tawazun Group.

Mazhar is a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Pakistan.

Ankit Agarwal

Ankit Agarwal

Principal, Partnerships

Ankit is a Principal in the partnerships team at Lunate, responsible for establishing and managing strategic partnerships on behalf of the firm. 

He has more than eight years of experience. Prior to Lunate, Ankit was a Vice President in the venture capital team at Chimera Capital. He previously worked in BDA Partners’ investment banking team.  

Ankit holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Warwick. 

Amer Al Ameri

Amer Al Ameri

Partner, Head of Venture Capital

Amer is a Partner and Head of Venture Capital at Lunate.

He is an experienced investment professional, having served as Head of Venture Capital & Technology at ADQ. Amer also has extensive expertise in the technology industry and is a board member at several leading technology companies.

Amer is a CFA Charterholder and holds an MBA from the University of Oxford.

Saif Al Hammadi

Saif Al Hammadi

Principal, Partnerships

Saif is a Principal in Lunate’s partnerships team, responsible for overseeing investments across private equity funds and real assets.

Prior to joining Lunate, Saif held various roles at ADG and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority for over nine years.

Saif holds a Bachelor of Science in Management & Accounting and Finance from the University of Manchester.

Wael Al Hashimi

Wael Al Hashimi

Partner, Co-Head of Private Equity

Wael is a Partner and Co-Head of Private Equity at Lunate, with over 16 years of experience.

Prior to Lunate, Wael was a Director in ADQ’s alternative investment and M&A team. Previously, he worked at Alcazar Capital and Dubai International Capital.

Wael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics with Business Management from Queen Mary University, an MBA from American Intercontinental University London and has completed the ADQ Executive Leadership Program with London Business School.

Hadi Al Rashid

Hadi Al Rashid

Principal, Private Equity

Hadi is a Principal in Lunate’s private equity team, focusing on growth and buyout investments.  

Previously, Hadi worked in the technology investment banking team at Deutsche Bank in San Francisco.  

He holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo in Canada and an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. 

Khalifa Al Suwaidi

Khalifa Al Suwaidi

Managing Partner

Khalifa Al Suwaidi is a Managing Partner at Lunate and brings over 23 years of experience to the firm. In his position as Managing Partner, he oversees Lunate’s fund investments, partnerships and strategy and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee, Supervisory Committee and Board of Directors.

Prior to co-founding Lunate, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of Abu Dhabi Growth Fund, managing more than US$35 billion in assets primarily across private market strategies. Previously, he held the position of Group Chief Investment Officer at ADQ. He has also held several senior managerial positions at Mubadala Investment Company and Abu Dhabi National Chemical Company.

In addition to his role as a Managing Partner at Lunate, Khalifa is Chairman, Non-Executive Director at Agthia Group, Vice Chairman, Non-Executive Director at Abu Dhabi Ports (AD Ports) and Vice Chairman, Non-Executive Director at TAQA.

Khalifa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from California State University in the United States. He also has an Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration with Distinction from Zayed University.

Sultan Al Marzooqi

Sultan Al Marzooqi

Director, Fund Finance

Sultan is a Director in Lunate’s fund finance team where he leads finance funding and operation activities.

He has over 13 years of work experience. Prior to Lunate, Sultan held senior roles at ADQ, Mubadala and ADNOC.

Sultan holds an MBA from the Canadian University in Dubai.

Ahmed Altanani

Ahmed Altanani

Director, Private Equity

Ahmed is a Director in Lunate’s private equity team, responsible for contributing to the execution of the firm’s private equity direct investments strategy. He brings over 22 years of experience to the firm.

Prior to Lunate, Ahmed served as an Investments Director in ADQ’s alternative investments and M&A team, where he led several strategic and financial investments for ADQ in the food and agriculture, financial services, life sciences, and energy transition sectors. Before joining ADQ, Ahmed gained almost two decades of investing, operating and restructuring experience in private equity and industry across developed and growth markets.

Ahmed holds an MBA from London Business School.

Carolyn Ang

Carolyn Ang

Director, Legal

Carolyn is a Legal Director at Lunate and brings more than 18 years of experience to the firm. She works with the private equity team on M&A transactions across a range of sectors and jurisdictions.

Prior to Lunate, Carolyn worked on M&A at several top-tier international firms across Singapore, the UK and the Middle East.  

Carolyn has a Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences in Political Science and European Studies from the National University of Singapore and a Bachelor of Laws. She is qualified to practice law in England, Wales and Singapore.

Ayman Anwar

Ayman Anwar

Senior Principal, Private Equity

Ayman is a Senior Principal in Lunate’s private equity team, focusing on co-investments and direct investments.

He has over 15 years of experience. Prior to Lunate, Ayman held senior positions at ADQ and Perella Weinberg Partners.

Ayman holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Business from Concordia University.

Dhanush Arjun

Dhanush Arjun

Director, Private Equity

Dhanush is a Director in Lunate’s private equity team, responsible for executing the firm’s direct private equity investment strategy. 

He brings over 15 years of experience to the firm. Prior to Lunate, Dhanush worked as a Director at Chimera Capital. Previously, he held roles at Channel VAS, Waha Capital, The National Investor, and KPMG. 

Dhanush holds an MBA from INSEAD and is a Chartered Accountant.  

Mridul Ashok

Mridul Ashok

Partner, Director of Investment Operations

Mridul is a Partner and Director of Investment Operations at Lunate, responsible for managing the firm’s private and public investment operations.

He brings over 15 years of experience to the firm. Prior to Lunate, Mridul held senior positions at Chimera Capital and Northern Trust.

Mridul holds an MBA from Bangalore University.

Alain Bacos

Alain Bacos

Director, Finance

Alain is Director of Finance at Lunate where he oversees overall financial planning, processes and strategy development.

He brings over 13 years of experience to the firm. Prior to Lunate, Alain was Head of Finance at Chimera Capital.

Alain holds a Bachelor's degree in International Business from Kingston University.

Faris Badri

Faris Badri

Principal, Private Equity

Faris is a Principal in Lunate’s private equity team.

Prior to Lunate, Faris held roles at ADQ and PwC, working in buy-side, portfolio management and transaction advisory.

Faris holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the American University in Dubai and is a CFA Charterholder.

Silvia Barbarino

Silvia Barbarino

Principal, Private Equity

Silvia is a Principal in Lunate’s private equity team, responsible for executing the firm’s private equity direct investment strategy.

Prior to Lunate, Silvia worked in investment banking at Bank of America.

Silvia holds a Master’s degree in Finance from Bocconi University.

Oliver Butler

Oliver Butler

Director, Private Equity

Oliver is a Director in Lunate's private equity team, responsible for executing the firm's private equity direct investments strategy.

Oliver has over 18 years of experience in private equity, private equity-backed businesses and M&A. Prior to Lunate, he was Chief Strategy Officer at Moneycorp, a private equity backed international payments specialist. Previously, he was a Senior Principal at Carlyle.

Oliver holds a Master of Arts in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University.

Ilias Catsaros

Ilias Catsaros

Director, Head of Communications

Ilias Catsaros is the Head of Communications and responsible for Lunate’s communications strategy, overseeing media relations, digital and social media, internal communications, and events and sponsorships.

Before joining Lunate, Ilias worked at BNP Paribas for close to two decades, most recently as Head of Marketing & Communications Americas, based in New York. Ilias started his career as a media relations and investor relations consultant in London.

Ilias has a Bachelor’s degree in Human Sciences from Oxford University, a Master’s degree in Finance from London Business School and an MBA from Warwick Business School.

Joseph Cha

Joseph Cha

Senior Partner, Fund Investments & Partnerships

Joseph is a Senior Partner in the fund investments and partnerships team at Lunate and brings over 20 years of experience to the firm. He is also a member of the firm’s Investment Committee.

Prior to joining Lunate, Joseph was Chief Investment Officer at Abu Dhabi Growth Fund, Managing Director at South Korea’s sovereign wealth fund, Vice President at Carlyle Buyout Group, and Senior Associate at the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs.

Joseph is a graduate of the Wharton School.

Samir Chaibi

Samir Chaibi

Senior Principal, Partnerships

Samir is a Senior Principal in Lunate’s partnerships team, responsible for executing the firm’s strategic partnerships across asset classes.

Prior to Lunate, Samir worked in investment banking, private equity and growth equity/venture capital across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the US, with firms such as Lazard-Natixis, Citigroup, Al Rayan Investment, STRIVE, and Insignia Ventures Partners. Samir also helped build and successfully exited two technology companies: DocEx Legal and Allevi.

Samir holds an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School.

Anup Cherian

Anup Cherian

Partner, Director of Compliance

Anup is a Partner and Director of Compliance at Lunate, where he plays a key role in managing the firm’s global compliance, fund launches and regulatory requirements.

He has over 15 years of experience in compliance, anti-money laundering (AML) and fund administration. Prior to Lunate, Anup held senior roles at Chimera Capital, Afkar Capital and Northern Trust.

Anup is a Certified AML Specialist and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Bangalore University.

Georgios Christou

Georgios Christou

Vice President, Trading

Georgios is a Vice President in Lunate’s trading team, responsible for trade execution.

He brings more than 20 years of experience to the firm. Prior to Lunate, Georgios held senior positions at Chimera Capital, Emirates Investment Bank and Citibank where he built his experience by trading regional and global markets across multi-asset class products.

Andrew Chvatal

Andrew Chvatal

Partner, Head of Legal

Andrew is a Partner and Head of Legal at Lunate where he oversees all legal matters pertaining to Lunate’s investment activities. He brings over 20 years of experience to the firm.

Prior to Lunate, Andrew served as the Chief Legal Officer of ADG. Previously, he held senior roles at an emerging markets private equity firm, as well as at leading law firms in New York, specialising in leveraged buyouts and other private equity transactions.

Andrew holds a Bachelor’s degree from Boston University and a JD from Georgetown University.

Mihai Danila

Mihai Danila

Senior Principal, Credit

Mihai is a Senior Principal in Lunate’s credit team, responsible for leading transactions across the capital structure.

He has over 15 years of experience. Prior to Lunate, Mihai was a Vice President at BlackRock in London and an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs.

Mihai holds an MBA from INSEAD.

Felipe De La Rosa

Felipe De La Rosa

Director, Public Markets

Felipe is a Director in Lunate’s public markets team where he is responsible for overseeing investment management across asset classes.

He has over 15 years of experience. Prior to Lunate, he was Chief Investment Officer at Zurich-based General Invest.

Felipe holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Patricio Lumumba University and an Executive MBA from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford.

Clement Deydier

Clement Deydier

Principal, Credit

Clement is a Principal in Lunate’s credit team, responsible for executing the firm’s direct and co-investments strategy.

Prior to Lunate, Clement was a Vice President at HPS Investment Partners in the European private credit team based in London, investing across the capital structure. Before joining HPS, Clement was with Goldman Sachs in the principal investment area (PIA) team, where he started his career. He has also held positions in the private equity team at Cinven and the TMT M&A team at Lazard.

Clement holds a Master’s degree in Management from Audencia Business School.

Sherif Elhalawany

Sherif Elhalawany

Director, Head of Information Security

Sherif is a Director and Head of Information Security Management at Lunate where he oversees information and cyber security. 

Prior to Lunate, Sherif worked for leading financial institutions, including the Egyptian Stock Exchange and CIB Egypt.  

Sherif is an alumnus of IMD University and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Ain Shams University. 

Alok Elias

Alok Elias

Principal, Private Equity

Alok is a Principal in Lunate’s private equity team, where he is responsible for executing private equity direct and co-investments, as well as select public investments.

He has over 10 years of experience. Prior to Lunate, Alok held positions at ADQ, Standard Chartered Private Equity and The Abraaj Group.

Alok holds a Master’s degree in Management from the University of London and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Delhi.

Seif Fikry

Seif Fikry

Managing Partner

Seif is a Managing Partner at Lunate and brings over 27 years of experience to the firm. Seif oversees Lunate’s public markets strategy and operations and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee, Supervisory Committee and Board of Directors.

Prior to co-founding Lunate, Seif served as the Chief Executive of Chimera Capital, where he was responsible for managing over US$16 billion of assets across multiple strategies and the launch of over 12 ETFs listed on local stock exchanges. Seif has both founded and helped manage multiple financial services companies, including EFG-Hermes, Chimera Capital and Afkar Capital, the first FSRA regulated entity in ADGM.

Seif is a graduate of the American University in Cairo.

Andre Forsterling

Andre Forsterling

Director, Co-Head of Private Equity Funds

Andre is a Director and Co-Head of Private Equity Funds at Lunate, responsible for executing the firm’s private equity fund-of-funds investment strategy.

He brings over 17 years of experience to the firm. Prior to Lunate, he held senior positions at ADG and the UAE’s General Pension and Social Security Authority, where he helped establish the private equity, private credit, infrastructure, and real estate portfolios. He also worked at Auda International and MEAG in Germany.

Andre holds a joint Master’s degree in Business Administration and Computer Engineering from the Technical University of Berlin.

Rami Francis

Rami Francis

Principal, Credit

Rami is a Principal in Lunate’s credit team, responsible for executing the firm’s direct and co-investments strategy.

Rami brings over 13 years of experience to the firm. Prior to Lunate, he worked at ADQ, Waha Capital and HSBC.

Rami holds a Bachelor of Arts in accounting from the American University in Cairo.

Aseem Gupta

Aseem Gupta

Director, Private Equity

Aseem is a Director in Lunate’s private equity team, responsible for executing the firm’s private equity direct investments strategy.

He brings over 19 years of experience to the firm. Prior to Lunate, Aseem held roles at ADQ, Waha Capital and Deutsche Bank.

Aseem holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from the Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University.

Mohamed Hafez

Mohamed Hafez

Partner, Head of Capital Markets

Mohamed is a Partner and Head of Capital Markets at Lunate where he oversees the promotion of ETFs and the overall rigour of Lunate’s ETF ecosystem.

He brings more than 18 years of experience to the firm. Prior to Lunate, Mohamed held senior positions at Chimera Capital, EFG-Hermes, Union National Bank, and Al Rajhi Capital.

Mohamed holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business from the American University in Cairo.

Nils Hagerstal

Nils Hagerstal

Director, Partnerships

Nils is a Director in Lunate’s partnerships team where he is responsible for the firm’s GP stakes strategy.

He brings over 17 years of experience to the firm. Prior to Lunate, Nils worked at a number of private equity funds in London and Abu Dhabi, having started his career at Rothschild and Merrill Lynch.

Nils holds a Master’s degree from EDHEC Business School.

Chris Harran

Chris Harran

Director, Legal

Chris is a Director in Lunate’s legal team, responsible for legal oversight of the full scope of investment and asset management of the firm and has over 20 years of experience.

Prior to Lunate, Chris held legal counsel roles at ADQ and a MENA-focused investment bank. Previously, he worked in the US, UK and with offshore law firms, including Dechert LLP and Dewey & LeBoeuf LLP.

Chris holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics from the University of Stirling, a Master’s degree in Business and Finance from the University of Bristol and CPE and LPC from the London College of Law.

Matthew Holland

Matthew Holland

Director, Head of Treasury & Capital Markets

Matthew is a Director and Head of Treasury & Capital Markets at Lunate and brings more than 20 years of experience to the firm.

He is responsible for overseeing treasury operations, cash and liquidity management, financial risk management, and capital markets and funding activities. Prior to Lunate, Matthew held senior positions at ADQ, Mubadala and Citigroup in both Australia and the UK.

Matthew holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from La Trobe University, Melbourne, and a Graduate Diploma of Applied Finance & Investment from the Securities Institute of Australia.

Peter Howley

Peter Howley

Senior Partner, Chief Legal Officer

Peter is a Senior Partner and Chief Legal Officer at Lunate, bringing over 20 years of experience to the firm. Peter oversees all aspects of Lunate’s legal and company secretarial functions.

Prior to Lunate, Peter held senior positions, in-house and in private practice, including General Counsel at ADQ and General Counsel and Company Secretary at Waha Capital.

Peter is admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales, holds a certificate in legal practice from Nottingham Law School and an LLB, Law with European Law from the University of Leeds.

Timothy Huijts

Timothy Huijts

Director, Co-Head of Private Equity Funds

Tim is a Director and Co-Head of Private Equity Funds at Lunate, responsible for executing the firm’s private equity fund-of-funds investment strategy.

Prior to Lunate, Tim held various roles at ADG and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, spending a total of nine years in Abu Dhabi before joining Lunate.

Tim holds a joint Master of Science and Management degree from the Rotterdam School of Management.

Murtaza Hussain

Murtaza Hussain

Managing Partner

Murtaza is a Managing Partner at Lunate and brings over 19 years of experience to the firm. He oversees Lunate’s direct and co-investments and is a member of the firm’s Investment Committee, Supervisory Committee and Board of Directors.

Prior to co-founding Lunate, Murtaza served as the Chief Investment Officer at ADQ, responsible for several of the firm’s landmark transactions and oversaw investments of over US$25 billion across the M&A and alternatives platform. Murtaza was previously a senior member of a global emerging markets private equity firm.

In addition to his role as Managing Partner at Lunate, Murtaza is a Board and Investment Committee member of E& Capital. He is also a Board Member of Aramex PJSC and Sagard Holdings. He previously served as a Board Member and Chair of the Investment Committee of ADC, the UAE’s first special purpose acquisition company that successfully merged and is presently traded as E7.

Murtaza holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Accounting from McGill University.

Eric Janowak

Eric Janowak

Director, Head of Tax

Eric is a Director and Head of Tax at Lunate and brings over 19 years of experience to the firm.

Prior to Lunate, Eric was a Managing Director with KPMG US in New York and London, where he focused on tax structuring for asset managers and sovereign investors. Prior to KPMG, he was in-house tax counsel at Ares Management in Los Angeles, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority and Bank of America Merrill Lynch in London.

Eric holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Wisconsin – Madison and a JD from Marquette University Law School. Eric is a U.S. qualified attorney and a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin.

Fabian Jeske

Fabian Jeske

Director, Legal

Fabian is a Director in Lunate’s legal team, responsible for structuring, negotiation and execution of transactions across the capital structure.

He brings over 15 years of experience in private markets to the firm. Prior to Lunate, Fabian was General Counsel of Investments at Partners Group, based in Switzerland and London.

Fabian holds a dual degree in Law and Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen (HSG) and is a Swiss Attorney-at-law.

Yousry Kassem

Yousry Kassem

Partner, Head of Trading

Yousry is a Partner and Head of Trading at Lunate, responsible for building the firm’s trading capabilities and executing trades across markets and asset classes.

Yousry brings more than 18 years of experience to the firm. Prior to Lunate, Yousry was Head of Trading at Chimera Capital, having spent many years in financial services roles at EFG Hermes, Al Ramz Capital and Mashreq Bank.

Yousry holds an Executive MBA from Bradford University’s School of Management.

Mirian Khalaf

Mirian Khalaf

Partner, Co-Head of Private Equity

Mirian is a Partner and Co-Head of Private Equity at Lunate where she is responsible for investing third party capital across various private equity strategies globally.

Mirian has over 17 years of experience in private equity and investment management. Prior to Lunate, she held senior positions at Chimera Capital and Waha Capital.

Mirian holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the American University of Beirut.

Vani Kalai

Vani Kalai

Director, Head of Human Capital

Vani is a Director and heads the human capital function at Lunate.

Prior to Lunate, she worked in various financial services firms such as Bank Vontobel, PIMCO, Bank of New York Mellon, Russell Investments, Goldmans Sachs, and Barclays Capital based in Singapore, London, New York, and Seattle. Her experience spans investment banking, asset management, wealth management, and private equity.

Vani holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a double major in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from Curtin University.

Ahmed Khalil

Ahmed Khalil

Partner, Head of Information Technology

Ahmed is a Partner and Head of Information Technology at Lunate where he oversees cybersecurity and digital strategies.

Prior to Lunate, Ahmed worked at EFG Hermes, managing IT across 11 countries.

Ahmed holds a Bachelor of Business Management from Helwan University, Cairo, Egypt and is pursuing an Executive Certification in Technology and Operations from MIT.

Francisco Loranca

Francisco Loranca

Senior Principal, Venture Capital

Francisco is a Senior Principal in Lunate’s venture capital team, responsible for executing the firm’s direct investments in venture capital and growth.

Prior to Lunate, Francisco was a Senior Investment Manager at Prosus, specialising in fintech investments globally in growth and venture capital.

Francisco has also worked as an investment banker in the Financial Institutions Group at Credit Suisse. He holds an MBA from INSEAD.

Jason Loveless

Jason Loveless

Senior Partner, Operations

Jason is a Senior Partner at Lunate and is responsible for overseeing finance, tax, treasury, fund operations, compliance, and risk.

He has over 24 years of experience in asset management, including nine years with Northern Trust, followed by roles at several asset management firms.

He is a member of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA).

Caesar Maasry

Caesar Maasry

Director, Head of Investment Research

Caesar is a director and Head of Investment Research at Lunate and brings close to 20 years of experience to the firm.

Prior to joining Lunate, Caesar led emerging market and cross-asset research at Goldman Sachs in New York. He is also a regular contributor to CNBC’s Squawk Box and Bloomberg’s Daybreak programmes.

Caesar holds a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in International Studies and Economics with a concentration in Finance, respectively, from The University of Pennsylvania and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.  

Naush Malik

Naush Malik

Partner, Co-Head of Credit

Naush is a Partner and Co-Head of Credit at Lunate, responsible for direct and co-investments across credit strategies.

Prior to Lunate, Naush built and led lending businesses at Chimera Capital, First Abu Dhabi Bank and SCB Principal Finance. He began his 22-year leveraged finance career at CSFB in London and New York.

Naush holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Imperial College London.

Aqib Masood

Aqib Masood

Senior Principal, Capital Allocation

Aqib is a Senior Principal in Lunate’s capital allocation team, focusing on asset allocation and portfolio construction.

Prior to Lunate, Aqib held positions at ADG, ADQ and PwC.

Aqib holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and is a CFA Charterholder.

Al Mawji

Al Mawji

Director, Head of Internal Audit 

Al is a Director and Head of Internal Audit, responsible for leading Lunate’s internal audit and assurance strategies.

He brings 25 years of experience to the firm. Prior to Lunate, Al spent the 10 years as Chief Internal Auditor at Brookfield Asset Management, based out of New York and London.

Al is a Chartered member of the Institute for Internal Auditors.

Omar Mehanna

Omar Mehanna

Director, Client Solutions

Omar is a Director in Lunate’s client solutions team where he is responsible for raising third party capital.

Omar has over 20 years of experience in private equity and investment banking. Prior to Lunate, he held senior positions at ADQ, Abu Dhabi Investment Office, NBAD, HSBC, and Bank of America in the UAE and London.

Omar holds a Master of Science in Management from RCSI, Ireland and a Bachelor of Science in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics from the London School of Economics. He is a Chartered Accountant, having qualified from PwC London.

Malik Mehr

Malik Mehr

Director, Credit

Malik is a Director in Lunate’s credit team, overseeing deal sourcing, evaluation and execution.

He has over 17 years of experience in credit and special situations. Prior to Lunate, Malik worked at Sandglass Capital and Spinnaker Capital in London. He was a member of the special situations committee at Spinnaker.

Malik holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government from Dartmouth College and is a CFA Charterholder.

Alexander Mills

Alexander Mills

Partner, Co-Head of Credit

Alex is a Partner and Co-Head of Credit at Lunate, responsible for direct and co-investments across credit strategies.

Prior to Lunate, Alex held senior positions at ADG and ADIC where he focused primarily on financial services and credit strategies.

Alex is a Chartered Accountant (ICAS, UK) and has a Master’s degree in Engineering from the Buenos Aires Institute of Technology.

Aziz Moolji

Aziz Moolji

Senior Partner, Direct & Co-Investments

Aziz is a Senior Partner at Lunate, overseeing direct and co-investments. He also serves as a member of the firm’s Investment Committee.

With more than 25 years of expertise in private equity and investment banking, Aziz began his career at Goldman Sachs’ Investment Banking division before advancing to a senior role at Merrill Lynch. Before joining Lunate, Aziz held the position of Executive Director in the M&A and Alternatives team at ADQ and was a senior member of a global emerging markets private equity firm.

Aziz holds dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and Management from MIT and an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Kawtar Mouadine

Kawtar Mouadine

Vice President, Capital Markets

Kawtar is a Vice President in Lunate’s capital markets team, responsible for developing the ETF business through distribution and building a robust ecosystem.

Prior to Lunate, Kawtar spent eight years working in the ETF sector in London and Paris at Lyxor Asset Management and Amundi.

Kawtar holds a Master’s degree in Finance from Paris Dauphine University.

Hariganesh Muralidharan

Hariganesh Muralidharan

Principal, Private Equity

Hariganesh is a Principal in Lunate’s private equity team, responsible for executing the firm’s private equity direct investment strategy.

Prior to Lunate, Hariganesh gained over 12 years of experience in positions at Chimera Capital, Abu Dhabi Ports, KPMG, and PWC.

Hariganesh holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Madras and Leadership Certification from London Business School. He is a Chartered Accountant.

Paul Nauss

Paul Nauss

Partner, Head of Compliance

Paul is a Partner and Head of Compliance at Lunate, responsible for the oversight and management of the firm’s compliance and regulatory matters.

He brings over 20 years of experience to the firm. Prior to Lunate, Paul held senior positions in New York, London, Tokyo, and Abu Dhabi, in leading firms, including Abu Dhabi Growth Fund, Carlson Capital, Goldman Sachs, and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

Paul holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from West Virginia University.

Nabeel Qadir

Nabeel Qadir

Senior Partner, Strategy

Nabeel is a Senior Partner at Lunate and brings over 21 years of experience to the firm. He is responsible for Lunate’s strategy, including investment strategy and client solutions. He is also a member of the firm’s Investment Committee.

Prior to joining Lunate, Nabeel served as Chief Strategy Officer of Abu Dhabi Growth Fund, helping manage more than $35 billion in assets primarily across private market strategies. Previously, Nabeel worked on the buy-side and sell-side across global private and public markets in M&A, investment management and investment research.

In addition to his role as Senior Partner at Lunate, Nabeel serves as a Non-executive Director of Emirates Steel Arkan.

Nabeel holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business from York University, Toronto and is a CFA Charterholder.

Karim Radwan

Karim Radwan

Partner, Head of Strategic Partnerships

Karim is a Partner and heads strategic partnerships at Lunate. He is responsible for developing key relationships across various asset classes.

Prior to Lunate, he served as Chief Investment Officer of Chimera Capital and Executive Director of MENA Investments at RIMCO. Karim brings over 22 years of experience to the firm, including senior regional positions in corporate and investment banking.

Karim holds an MBA from London Business School.

Federico Rapetti

Federico Rapetti

Principal, Partnerships

Federico is a Principal in Lunate’s partnerships team, focused on growth-stage and fund investments.

Prior to Lunate, Federico held investment roles at Prosus and Naspers.

Federico holds a Master of Science in Business Administration from the University of Amsterdam and a Bachelor’s degree from Bocconi University.

Sherif Salem

Sherif Salem

Partner, Head of Public Markets

Sherif is a Partner and Head of Public Markets at Lunate, overseeing the firm’s ETF business.

Prior to Lunate, Sherif acquired more than 20 years of investment experience at EFG-Hermes, National Bank of Abu Dhabi and Invest AD.

Sherif holds a Master’s degree from Henley Business School and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the American University in Cairo.

Zirajuddin Shahabuddin

Zirajuddin Shahabuddin

Director, Finance

Ziraj is a Director in Lunate’s finance team, overseeing FP&A, management reporting, policies, finance change management, and the IFRS desk.

Prior to Lunate, Ziraj acquired 20 years of experience in financial services, alternative assets and M&A, working at ADG, Atlas Mara, Investcorp, and KPMG.

Ziraj holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Madras and is an FCCA holder.

Naheed Sheikh

Naheed Sheikh

Partner, Head of Human Capital Operations

Naheed is a Partner and Head of Human Capital Operations at Lunate, responsible for providing operational and strategic support to achieve business objectives.

Naheed brings over 20 years of experience to the firm. Prior to Lunate, she held senior strategic human capital roles at prominent firms, including Anglo-Gulf Trade Bank, HUB71 and Abu Dhabi Financial Group, as well as PwC in Qatar and Canada.

Naheed holds a Bachelor's degree in Human Resources from Sheridan College and a Bachelor's degree in Statistics and Economics from Lahore College for Women University.

Jack Simkin

Jack Simkin

Director, Head of Talent Acquisition

Jack is a Director and Head of Talent Acquisition at Lunate. He is responsible for leading hiring across all the firm’s functions and geographies.

Prior to Lunate, Jack was a Managing Director at an executive search firm focused on alternative investments.

Jack holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Sports Science from Brunel University.

Anton Sorokin

Anton Sorokin

Principal, Partnerships

Anton is a Principal in the partnerships team at Lunate, serving as a member of the GP stakes team.

Anton has almost a decade of investment experience. Prior to Lunate, he was Vice President in the private equity team at Chimera Capital.

Anton holds a Bachelor of Science in Business and Management Studies from the University of Bradford.

Karim Souid

Karim Souid

Director, Private Equity

Karim is a Director in Lunate’s private equity team, responsible for direct investments and co-investments with a focus on general consumer and business services.

Karim has 20 years of experience in private equity. Prior to Lunate, he held senior positions at Chimera Capital, Swicorp and European investment firm Wendel.

Karim holds an MBA from INSEAD and a French Grande Ecole degree from HEC Paris.

Sanjay Surana

Sanjay Surana

Principal, Private Equity

Sanjay is a Principal in Lunate’s private equity team, responsible for executing buyout, private equity and growth investments.

Before joining Lunate, Sanjay worked at ADG, the International Finance Corporation and Premji Invest. He worked in offices across Hong Kong, Washington DC and India, focusing on developed and Asian markets.

Sanjay holds an MBA from London Business School and is a CFA Charterholder.

Kateryna Taousse

Kateryna Taousse

Director, Head of Credit Funds

Kateryna is a Director and Head of Credit Funds at Lunate where she oversees the firm’s credit fund investments.

With almost 20 years of experience, Kateryna has held several senior positions, including Head of Credit Hedge Fund Manager Research within the equities and active investments department at Abu Dhabi Investment Council. Previously, she worked at Pacific Alternative Asset Management.

Kateryna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Bryn Mawr College and an MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Christophe Terrin

Christophe Terrin

Principal, Corporate Strategy

Christophe is a Principal in Lunate’s corporate strategy team, focused on portfolio performance and management.

Prior to Lunate, Christophe held roles at ADQ and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.

Christophe holds a Master’s degree in Business from Kedge Business School and is an ACCA holder.

Alice Tissot

Alice Tissot

Director, Trading

Alice is a Director in Lunate’s trading team, responsible for trading fixed income instruments.

She brings over 13 years of experience to the firm. Prior to Lunate, Alice was head of the credit portfolio, algo and ETF trading team at Deutsche Bank in London, having spent many years in both the rates and credit divisions.

Alice holds a Master’s degree in Management and a Master of Science in Financial Markets from EDHEC business school.

Nader Toutoungi

Nader Toutoungi

Principal, Private Equity

Nader is a Principal in Lunate’s private equity team, responsible for executing the firm’s private equity investment strategy. He brings over 10 years of experience to the firm.

Prior to Lunate, he held roles at ADQ, CI Capital and IFC, working in buy side, investment banking and development finance.

Nader holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the American University in Cairo.

Lipin Unnikrishnan

Lipin Unnikrishnan

Director, Finance

Lipin is a Director in Lunate’s finance team, responsible for proprietary investments.

Prior to Lunate, Lipin was the Head of Finance at Chimera Capital.

Lipin is a Fellow Chartered Accountant and holds an Executive MBA from the Indian School of Management & Studies.

Naveen Valsan

Naveen Valsan

Senior Principal, Partnerships

Naveen is a Senior Principal in Lunate’s partnerships and GP stakes team.

Prior to Lunate, Naveen held roles as Investment Manager and Vice President at ADQ and Swicorp respectively.

Naveen holds an MBA from Georgetown University and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering from the University of Toronto.

Katarina Vitkova

Katarina Vitkova

Principal, Fund Investments

Katarina is a Principal in Lunate’s fund investments team, responsible for executing the firm’s private equity funds investment strategy.  

Prior to Lunate, Katarina was an Investment Manager at ADQ and a Vice President at Delta Partners, a specialised TMT advisory and investment firm.  

Katarina holds a Master’s degree in International Management from ESADE and a Bachelor's degree from Bocconi University.  

James Weir

James Weir

Director, Legal

James is a Director in Lunate’s legal team.

His experience spans international firms and in-house roles across the Middle East and US.

He earned his JD, cum laude, from American University, Washington College of Law, and his BS from Georgetown University.

Bo Zhao

Bo Zhao

Senior Principal, Venture Capital

Bo is a member of Lunate’s venture capital team, responsible for direct investments in venture and growth stage technology.

Prior to Lunate, Bo spent over a decade working in private equity, venture capital and M&A in New York, London and the Middle East at leading investment firms, including ADQ and PIF.

Bo holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and is a CFA Charterholder.

Mark Zhukovsky

Mark Zhukovsky

Director, Rewards & Analytics

Mark is a Director in the human capital team at Lunate where he oversees rewards and analytics.

Before joining Lunate, Mark worked for four years at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, building up the talent and reward analytics team. Prior to that, he was a Director at the Aon Center for Innovation and Analytics in Singapore.

Mark graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and a Chartered Enterprise Risk Analyst (CERA). In addition, he holds various certifications in cloud computing and data science.

Alexander Zhuravlev

Alexander Zhuravlev

Director, Private Equity

Alexander is a Director at Lunate, focusing on direct and co-investments in the private equity team.

Alexander has over 16 years of experience in private equity and asset management across the healthcare, pharmaceutical, consumer, and infrastructure sectors. Prior to Lunate, Alexander held leadership positions in RDIF and Chimera Investment.

Alexander holds an Executive MBA from INSEAD.

Who We Are

Who We Are

A private markets-focused alternative investment manager.

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Investment Strategies

Investment Strategies

Seeking to generate superior risk-adjusted returns for clients.

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