British International Investment (BII), the UK’s development finance institution (DFI) and impact investor, has appointed Vipul Prakash as Managing Director and Head of SMART Industries. Based in London and reporting directly to CEO Nick O’Donohoe, Vipul will oversee BII’s SMART Industries group (services, manufacturing, agribusiness, real estate and construction, technology and telecoms) which accounts for over a third of the DFI’s investment portfolio.
Vipul brings 30 years of experience from his extensive career at International Finance Corporation (IFC) where he worked until 2017. During his tenure there, he held a variety of roles across Asia, Africa and Latin America including Director of Global Coverage; Director of Manufacturing Agribusiness and Services-Asia-Pacific; Country Manager-India and Regional Manager, South Asia; Country Manager-Philippines; and Senior Investment Officer in the telecom division. Since leaving IFC he has been an independent consultant working on various projects in development finance. Vipul is also an Advisory Board Member at the Smithsonian Asia-Pacific American Center and a former Chairman of YPO Gold Baltimore-Washington.
On his appointment, Vipul said: “I am delighted to be joining BII. Its innovative approach to investing patient and flexible capital enables entrepreneurs and businesses to grow and drives sustainable impact across many countries. I am looking forward to working with this remarkable team, who like me, are all focused on increasing opportunities for people across the markets we invest in.”
Commenting on the appointment, Nick O’Donohoe, Chief Executive Officer at BII, said: “Vipul brings to BII a wealth of experience that will be instrumental in executing BII’s five-year strategy and achieving our core mission to invest capital to improve people’s lives. His leadership will ensure we continue to deliver productive, sustainable and inclusive impact across our markets.”
Vipul holds an MBA from the University of Maryland and a B. Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi.
British International Investment Media Contact: Michael Cash | mcash@bii.co.uk
