Our Team

Justin is a social investment specialist with 20 years experience in supporting the deployment of private capital to create more and better jobs for vulnerable populations, often in fragile contexts. These investments have positively impacted hundreds of thousands of lives across a diverse range of countries in Africa and the Middle East. Prior to founding Innovest Advisory in 2015, Justin’s wide-spanning career history has included working for Youth Business International (patron HRH Prince of Wales) the United Nations Youth Employment Network (Chair UN Sec. Gen Kofi Annan) and Silatech Foundation (Chair former First Lady of Qatar and mother of the current Emir). He serves as a board member and adviser to a number of microfinance institutions and international charities engaged in supporting the livelihoods of low income communities. He is a non-executive director on the Guernsey domiciled $210 million impact investment fund, Partners Group Impact Investments(PGII).

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Michelle brings over 25 years of legal, corporate finance and fiduciary experience to impact investment Prior to joining Innovest in 2016, Michelle was a Senior Partner of a US law firm, specialising in corporate finance transactions, including initial public offerings, structured finance and M&A transactions. After relocating to the UK she established the UK subsidiary of a global legal and financial services firm serving international capital markets clients. Upon leaving commercial practice, Michelle served as an advisor and fiduciary of nonprofits and social finance initiatives, helping to facilitate the strategic deployment of philanthropic and social investment capital to achieve social change.

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Charlie is an analyst for Innovest Advisory, where his role focuses on research, analysis and drafting of publications and reports to inform advisory engagements. He also plays a key role in leading Innovest Advisory’s impact measurement and management offering. Previously, Charlie worked for the UK Government’s Low Pay Commission Secretariat, where he helped provide statistical evidence for their 2018 National Minimum Wage report. He has held a variety of finance and non-profit sector roles, including with a community development organisation in Ha Giang, Vietnam, and a stockbroking and investment manager in Guernsey. Charlie holds an Msc in Development Economics from the University of Sussex and a BA in History and Economics from the University of Manchester, where he represented the university in rugby and tennis and completed long distance events for charity.

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Ali studied BA International Studies at Leiden University, specialising in the developing region of South Asia. Ali has spent time studying in Pune, India with a particular focus on the experience of women within the political, economic and cultural space of India. Ali has experience working in both the private and public sector in Guernsey, the Netherlands and non-profit organisations in India. Ali supports the Innovest team in Guernsey in various capacities including project coordination, communication and client support.

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British and Zimbabwean national, born in Zimbabwe and educated in Scotland at the University of Edinburgh law school. Nele trained as a commercial lawyer with a silver circle law firm and now specialises in private equity, structured finance and general corporate and commercial law with an offshore magic circle law firm. He has a strong professional interest in impact investing and ‘re-purposing offshore capital’ towards impact investments in Africa. Nele has been involved in the design and execution of a number of impact investment corporate transactions and structuring in the African Agribusiness sector as well as being a founder of two African owned and operated social enterprises – one a specialist trade finance house for African agribusiness SMEs called Genesis and the other Moolah! a FinTech solution to support access to finance for Dairy farmers in Kenya. Nele also holds a Lean Six Sigma Leadership qualification from the University of Oxford and a Social Sciences (Hons) degree from Edinburgh Napier University.

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