OUR TEAM
EDDIE AHMED
Founder & Managing Partner
CLAUDE ACHCAR
Co-Founder & Partner
GARRY CHAN
Partner & CMO
Dr CINDY ERASMUS
Partner
BILL McDERMOND
Partner
MAAN EL-RAYES
Partner
Dr RIAD HARTANI
Partner
MITCH IMOTO
Partner
JEFFREY TIRMAN
Partner
BARBARA YAN
Partner
EDDIE AHMED
Founder & Managing Partner
- Global financial and insurance experience with a focus on digital innovation, living in USA, UK, Japan, Hong Kong, UAE, Singapore, Australia, Pakistan, Indonesia
- Most recently served as Chairman/CEO of MassMutual International managing businesses in insurance, asset management, venture investing, insurance technology
- Spent 17 years at Morgan Stanley with the last role being Chief Operating Officer for Asia
- Served as Citigroup’s Head of Technology and Operations for all employees and as Chief HR Officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa; Started professional career at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group
- Board appointments: Nippon Life Insurance Company Asia (Japan); NPX Capital (Korea); Essenlix Corporation (USA); Chinese University Hong Kong EMBA School (Hong Kong); Yunfeng Financial (Hong Kong); Temasek Management Services (Singapore); Human Capital Leadership Institute in (Singapore); Bank Handlowy (Poland); Citibank (Turkey)
- Education: 1) M.B.A., 2) BSc, Computer Science, 3) BA, International Relations (Tulane University)
CLAUDE ACHCAR
Co-Founder & Partner
- Over 30 years of Tech and strategic advisory experience and proven leadership skills
- Also the Founder and Managing Partner of Actel Consulting, a Tech advisory firm to investors, telecoms and clouds across sectors including TMT, AI, data, software and digital infrastructure
- Served as the Managing Director and Vice-President at Ciena, a networking systems, services, and software company, where he oversaw operations and led a team across APAC
- Began his career in applied AI Research in Montréal, followed by 11 years with Nortel Networks in various engineering, marketing, operations, and business development roles across North America, Europe, and Asia
- An acknowledged tech industry thought leader frequently invited as guest keynote speaker, judge, conference chair, or panel moderator at leading tech events worldwide
- A long-time Hong Kong resident and is a native French and Arabic speaker
- Education: 1) M.B.A. (McGill University), 2) B.Eng. & M.Eng. (Speech Recognition) (Ecole Polytechnique)
GARRY CHAN
Partner & CMO
- Global insurance experience; PR & Event Management experience with a particular focus on 3D/4D film and cinema development industry
- Currently a Senior Regional General Manager in YF Life; Led over 100 events
- Previously the Executive Producer for The Wolf of Wall Street, Jordan Belford talk show
- Achievements: Life Member of Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), achieving 12 consecutive years of MDRT, 5 years of COT
- Chairman – 1.28 Policy Donation concert, Lifecare Movement – Policy Donation, MDRT Day (Hong Kong & Macau); The Creatives & Program Chairman – The 30th anniversary of CUHK annual conference; The MDRT Hong Kong & Macau Membership Communication Committee; Executive committee – The Life Underwriters Association of Hong Kong; Member – The 5th Golden Age Foundation (2021)
- Education: 1) EMBA (Chinese University) 2) Bachelor of Art (University of Toronto)
Dr. CINDY ERASMUS
Partner
- With more than 25 years of experience in human resources and human capital management in multiple industries and countries, including the Middle East and Africa
- Collaborate with and support HR professionals and originations in key areas of human capital strategies, processes and projects
- Conference speaker sharing knowledge and collaborating to innovate and challenge
- Spent 17 years at Citigroup with the last role being HR Head for MENA and HR Transformation Lead for MEA
- Education: PhD in Neuro and Organisational Psychology with a speciality in Capability and Potential Assessment
BILL McDERMOND
Partner
- Co-Founder of Sagamore Spirit; a world-class proprietary rye whiskey manufactured in Baltimore, MD, USA; created company in 2012, with former Under Armour Performance, Inc., (UA-NYSE) partner, and current UA Chairman Kevin Plank
- Active investor in early stage and entrepreneurial ventures since 2010; deliberatively executing a strategy of investing in unique companies across a range of sectors to include high-growth companies across different stages (Seed, Series A & B, later stage/Pre-IPO)
- Was early partner and integral part of original team that created and built UA; a multi-national consumer product corporation; helped build the company from a small entrepreneurial venture into a publicly traded multi-billion dollar multi-national business
- Board appointment: University of Maryland Medical Center
- Education: 1) M.B.A. Baltimore, MD (Johns Hopkins University), 2) B.S. Nashville, TN (Vanderbilt University)
MAAN EL-RAYES
Partner
- Over 25 years of Tech and tech strategy, advisory, building and leading teams across geographies
- Partner at Actel Consulting, a Tech advisory firm to investors, telecoms and clouds across sectors including TMT, AI, data, software and digital infrastructure
- Regional leader in technology, marketing and P&L sales, for each of Nortel Networks and Cisco Systems across the portfolio, with theatre assignments based in Brazil, Montreal, Korea, Japan, Singapore and Dubai Started his career leading Telecom/IT systems engineering and deployment for Oil and Gas in Saudi Arabia with the C.C.C., the largest construction company in the middle-east
- Acknowledged tech industry advisor and coach in strategy and go-to-market, covering B2B, B2C, XaaS, Fintech, Blockchain and AI
- Entrepreneur and founder, as well as start-up coach for founders, angel investors and angel groups on funding, building teams, due diligence and deal-leading
- Dubai resident and is a native French and Arabic speaker
- Education: 1) M.B.A. (INSEAD), 2) B.Eng. (Telecom and Robotics, McGill), 3) Management (McGill)
Dr. RIAD HARTANI
Partner
- 25 years contributing to the development of leading edge digital and data technologies advising on strategic investments, and rolling out innovative technologies all over the world
- Co-founded and led teams in multiple technology startups and innovation labs primarily in the Silicon Valley, as well as various other technology hubs in Asia, Europe and Africa. This includes multiple Venture Capital-backed startups, with highly successful exits
- Advisor to numerous tech startup ventures from inception to growth stage, and a trusted advisor to governments, investment funds, regulators and global corporations, including some of the top ten tech companies and top ten tech investment firms in the world
- Partner with Actel Consulting, a Tech advisory firm to investors, telecoms and clouds across sectors including TMT, AI, data, software and digital infrastructure
- Earlier, held leadership roles in Fortune 100 and prestigious R&D centers primarily in the USA, Japan, Korea, Canada and France; contributions included the development of Internet, Wireless, Cloud, Cyber-security, Space-Internet, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence innovations
- Frequent invited chair/speaker at industry events and contributor to lead journals, patent/inventions holder, board member, angel investor, adjunct professor and invited lecturer at universities worldwide. Inducted into the “New Internet” Hall of Fame
- Lived and worked in diverse regions of the world gaining a broad understanding of cross-cultural technology management and business development
- Education: 1) Doctorate in Artificial Intelligence with highest honors (University of Paris), 2) Postdoctoral work (University of California, Berkeley), 3) Executive Business Education (Stanford Graduate School of Business)
MITCH IMOTO
Partner
- Almost 40 years of global financial industry experiences in the US and Japan and starting up new companies in asset management, life insurance and movie production/funding
- Currently the President and CEO of IMO-X Inc.
- Served as President/CEO of Nippon Wealth Life Insurance Company; Executive Officer of Metlife Alico Life Insurance Company, Mitsui Sumitomo Met Life Insurance Company; Director of Japan Wealth Management Securities, Asia Pacific Division at the New York headquarters, Smith Barney; CEO of North Stars Pictures, Global Wrap Consulting Group; Co-CEO of Mitsui Sumitomo Citi Insurance Company
- Also an Advisor of Nippon Wealth Life Insurance Company; Partner/Advisory Board Member of OZUMO Concept International; Member of Fukuoka Prefectural Education Promotion Council; Secretary of Fukuoka Association of Corporate Executives (Fukuoka Keizai Doyukai); Administration Office, Japan Academic Society of Financial Planning
- Board appointment: Director of Appointment Committee, Japan Association for Financial Planners; Outside Director of Institute for International Environmental Studies
- Education: 1) MBA in Finance (California State University), 2) Bachelor’s in English and American Literature (Komazawa University)
BARBARA YAN
Partner
- Most recently served as the Chief Administrative Officer of MassMutual International, based in Hong Kong; Founding member, spearheaded the creation of Hong Kong and Singapore business presence; Core executive member, pioneered the establishment of the insurtech business to commercialise Direct to Consumer (DTC) software solutions in Asia
- Worked for China International Capital Corporation (“CICC”) in the wealth management business leading the strategic planning and analysis function, and assisted in setting up the Global Family Office business
- Spent 12 years at Morgan Stanley (in Hong Kong and Shanghai) with the last role being the Head of HR Coverage for China supporting the Morgan Stanley China business platform grow substantially over the years
- Education: 1) M.B.A. (Fudan University and MIT Sloan), 2) BEc (Shanghai International Studies University)
JEFFREY TIRMAN
Partner
- A seasoned fund manager and international corporate executive with over 30 years of investment, turn-around and management experience
- Successfully executed several complex corporate transactions, including restructurings, turn-arounds, reorganizations and recapitalizations, both in a fund and as a direct investor
- Negotiated, executed and participated in numerous types of corporate transactions including capital investment projects, operational turn-arounds, asset rationalizations, corporate acquisitions and divestitures, administration, pooled asset purchases, management replacement, installation and reconfiguration of various types of financing facilities, as well as overall balance sheet refinancings
- Currently the CEO of KJK Sports S.A. (Luxembourg), Abri Advisors Ltd. (Bermuda, US and UK) and Elan d.o.o. (Begunje, Slovenia); the MScF Guest lecturer at the University of Lausanne on various corporate finance and restructuring related topics
- Previously the CEO of Abri SPAC I, Inc. (“ASPA”) (Delaware, US) and Talisman Capital S.A./Ltd. (Suisse and Bermuda) and CEO/Co-founder of Rhodium Capital Management (UK) Ltd. (London)
- Current and past board appointments: Board Member – all companies (3) held under KJK Sports S.A. and multiple Elan entities; the sole director – Abri Advisors Ltd
- Education: 1) M.B.A. (Tulane University), 2) BBA (University of Arkansas at Little Rock)
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We are experts in Disruptive technologies and AI software related to Fintech, Insurtech, Infrastructure and Data, in the Middle East and Asia. We provide advisory services to Boards & C-Suite executives and selectively make capital introductions.