Akshay Grover
Founder | AMADI
Akshay Grover is a former investment banker and private equity investor turned business leader focused on Africa. Over the last 2 decades Akshay has advised or held a principal position in 20+ telecom, solar power infrastructure and technology business’s across India, ME and Africa and closed transactions north of USD2.0billion.
Akshay recently turned entrepreneur and has set up AMADI (the word has its origin in the Igbo tribe in Nigeria and means to “unleash or set free” for growth and expansion.) AMADI will focus on Advisory and Special Situations in Africa.
Prior to AMADI, Akshay was Group CEO at Cellulant, a pan African Fintech payments business backed by TPG. Under his leadership, Cellulant has built the continent’s most extensive payment platform with integrations into 250+ banks and 60 MNOs - and growing each day. The business operates in 19 countries in Africa and processes cUSD12 billion payments and cross border remittances annually.
Before Cellulant, Akshay held multiple C-level positions at iSON, a diversified group with a presence in 30+ countries and 25,000+ employees in the MEA and Asia Pacific region. iSON was headquartered in Dubai, UAE. During his stint at iSON, he evangelized iSON Towers, created a JV with Zamil group focused on solar power production in India, led the restructuring of its technology business, enabled multiple rounds of private equity and debt capital raises to fund the iSON’s expansion across 30+emerging markets. iSON was backed by leading ME and African focused investors – Zamil, Dhabi group, Satya Capital, Gulf Capital and Africinvest.
Prior to iSON, Akshay spent 10+ years in investment banking at Ernst & Young and leading investments at the USD4bn+ TMT investment arm of Dubai Holding.
Akshay is deeply passionate about supporting entrepreneurship and skill development in Africa. He is the President of TiE Africa, an not for profit organisation that promotes and supports entrepreneurship globally, is on a number of advisory boards for start-ups and skill development organizations and is a prolific angel investor in the region.
Akshay currently lives in Nairobi. He grew up in different cities across India and has traveled and worked across 80+ countries.
