Luc Rigouzzo

Managing Partner

Biography

Luc Rigouzzo is Managing Partner of Amethis.

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

Prior to co-founding Amethis, Luc Rigouzzo was, from June 2006 to December 2010, the CEO of Proparco, the French Development Financial Institution specialized in long-term sustainable investments to the private sector in emerging countries. He redefined the company’s strategy by focusing on infrastructure and financial services in Africa, capital investments for SME’s in the Mediterranean and renewable energy in Asia. He designed and successfully achieved with his team an ambitious 5-year business plan that transformed Proparco into a leading institution in its sector: including the launching of a 300 million Euro capital increase of the company in May 2008, the achievement of a very strong growth of the company and results, while controlling the risks. In the meantime, the company has put in place a development, social and environmental impact assessment tools to all its operations.

Luc Rigouzzo, who holds degrees in both agronomy and finance, began his career in Mexico. He devoted the first 14 years of his career to project finance in the agribusiness and food sectors of emerging countries. Initially at Agence Française de Développement and Proparco field offices (Ivory Coast, Cameroun), then at headquarters. Then Luc Rigouzzo went on to join the Agribusiness Department of the International Finance Corporation, financing projects (expansion programs, restructurings, syndications, privatizations, start-ups) in Latin America and Africa. He realized numerous transactions (equity investments, mezzanine and long term loans) in the agricultural sector, and the food industry.

Luc Rigouzzo re-joined the AFD Group in 2000 as the deputy director for the Mediterranean department. In 2001 he led the team in charge of redefining the Group’s strategy. Finally, from 2002 to 2006, he created and led the department of non-sovereign, private and financial sector, structuring and developing AFD’s activities in the infrastructure and banking sectors (sub-sovereign project-finance, risk guarantee, Public Private Partnerships, innovative microfinance schemes, financial engineering and environmental loans). He was also Member of the AFD Executive Committee and Chairman of the Board of European Development Finance Institutions (EDFI), a group of 17 bilateral institutions which provide long-term finance for private sector enterprises in emerging economies. In 2011, he was Chief of Staff of the French Ministry for Development before founding Amethis.

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 board member of Amethis management and advisory company for the funds and for Amethis West Africa (Cote d’Ivoire), NSIA (Cote d’Ivoire), Velogic (Mauritius) and for Ramco (Kenya). He is also a Board member of AVCA (African Venture Capital Association), “Danone communities” and member of the investment committee of Investisseurs et partenaires (I&P).