Luc Rigouzzo has over 30 years of experience in investing in emerging market companies.

Before co-founding Amethis, Luc Rigouzzo was, from June 2006 to December 2010, CEO of Proparco, a French development finance institution specializing in long-term, sustainable investments in emerging countries. He redefined the company’s strategy, focusing on infrastructure and financial services in Africa, SME investment in the Mediterranean and renewable energy in Asia. Together with his team, he designed and successfully implemented an ambitious 5-year development plan that transformed Proparco into a leader in its sector, with a capital increase of 300 million euros in May 2008 and strong growth in the company’s results, while controlling risks. At the same time, the company has introduced tools to assess the social, environmental and development impacts of the projects it finances.

Luc Rigouzzo, a graduate in agronomy and finance, began his career in Mexico. He devoted the first 14 years of his career to project financing in the agribusiness and agri-food sectors in emerging countries. He was initially based in the local offices of the French development agency and Proparco (Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon), then at head office. Luc Rigouzzo then joined the agribusiness department of the International Finance Corporation, financing projects (expansion programs, restructuring, syndications, privatizations, start-ups) in Latin America and Africa. He has completed numerous transactions (equity investments, long-term debt and mezzanine) in the agricultural and agrifood sectors.

Luc Rigouzzo returned to AFD in 2000 as Deputy Director of the Mediterranean Department. In 2001, he led the team responsible for redefining the Group’s strategy. Between 2002 and 2006, he created and headed the Structured Finance and Financial Sector Department, structuring and developing AFD’s activities in the infrastructure and banking sectors (non-sovereign public project financing, risk guarantees, public-private partnerships, innovative microfinance projects, financial engineering and environmental lending). He was also a member of AFD’s Executive Committee and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the European Development Finance Institutions (EDFI), a group of 17 bilateral institutions providing long-term financing to the private sector in emerging economies. In 2011, he was Chief of Staff to the French Development Minister, before founding Amethis Finance.

Luc Rigouzzo wrote several papers regarding development economy and finance in Africa through publications such as Field Actions Science Reports, La Tribune, Le Nouvel Economiste, L’Express, African Banker.

Luc Rigouzzo is a member of the boards of Amethis West Africa (Côte d’Ivoire), NSIA (Côte d’Ivoire), Velogic (Mauritius) and Ramco (Kenya). He is also a board member of AVCA (African Venture Capital Association) “Danone communities” and a member of the investment committee of Investisseurs et partenaires (I&P).