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Yvan joined Symbiotics in 2005. Prior to this, he worked for BlueOrchard Finance where he was the chief operations officer. Before this, he was a microfinance consultant in Peru and a small enterprise consultant in Western Africa and worked as a fund accountant at Capital International in Geneva. Yvan holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Geneva and a master’s degree in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics.

Before joining Symbiotics in 2006, Jérôme worked for Deloitte & Touche as a Financial Institutions Auditor and for Société Générale Investment Banking as a Regional Risk Project Manager in Hong Kong. He subsequently worked for three years as the Director of Initiative Development Ghana, a microfinance NGO, delivering credit savings and training services to urban poor in its capital, Accra. Jérôme holds an MBA from the ESSEC Business School in Paris.

Prior to joining Symbiotics in 2006, Daniel worked at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in various management positions in Rwanda, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, and finally as Deputy Head of Operations for Eastern Europe at ICRC’s Geneva headquarters. Daniel held different positions at Symbiotics, including Regional Manager for Europe and Asia, Head of the Research and Advisory Division and since 2013 as Head of the Investments Division. Daniel holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the Graduate Institute (IHEID) in Geneva and an executive MBA in Management and Corporate Finance from the University of Lausanne.

Vincent joined Symbiotics in 2007 first serving as an investment analyst covering Latin America and E. Europe and later for W. Africa. Previously, he worked for Nestlé, as a supply chain and operational project manager in S. America and E. Europe, as a logistician with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) supporting operations in Angola, Sudan and Russia and as a business consultant for IBM. Vincent holds a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.

David joined Symbiotics in 2014 as an investment manager and has held over the years various positions in relation with the asset management practice of the firm. An expert of portfolio strategy and asset allocation, David started his career in fund structuring and portfolio management. With experiences at Deutsche Bank, Credit Agricole, SocGen and Amundi, David built a solid track at the crossroads of asset management and investment banking in Europe. David holds an MBA in International Business from Thunderbird-Arizona State University and a master in Applied Mathematics from Ecole Polytechnique and EPFL. He is also a CFA charterholder.

María Peña is responsible for all the group’s legal, risk and compliance affairs. She joined Symbiotics in 2014. Prior to Symbiotics, María worked for over twelve years as an in-house legal counsel in the asset management industry at State Street Bank and Pictet in Geneva and Luxembourg. María holds a master in law from Universidad San Pablo-CEU, Madrid (Spain), a master in European Studies from Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium) and a Diplôme d’Etudes Juridiques et Economiques de l’Union Européenne from the Université de Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne, Paris (France).

Yannis joined Symbiotics in 2007 as a market research analyst and has held over the years various positions in relation with the portfolio management. After an intermezzo, working notably as risk manager for an Impact Fund, he rejoined Symbiotics in 2014 as a portfolio manager, before taking charge of the portfolio management team. Before Symbiotics, he held various functions in finance and development at the United Nations on Trade and Development, ILO and Capital International. Yannis holds a Master’s degrees in International Relations from the Graduate Institute in Geneva as well as a Master of Advanced Studies in Globalization, Social Regulation and Sustainable Development from University of Geneva and Lausanne. He is also Certified International Investment Analyst.

Since he joined Symbiotics in 2011, Mariano has held various positions at Symbiotics, among them Head of Technical Assistance and Development Finance, and Project Manager of REGMIFA. Mariano has a law degree from the Autonomous University of Madrid, Spain, and is a member of the Madrid Chamber of Lawyers. An experienced banker with over 30 years expertise, he has worked as an independent microfinance and SME consultant, as a regional coordinator for Latin America at ProCredit, and has held various senior manager positions within German and Spanish commercial banks.

Bezant joined Symbiotics in 2021, as the Head of Capacity Building in charge of the Technical Assistance Facility based in Cape Town.
Bezant has over 15 years’ experience in financial inclusion and the design and implementation of technical assistance programmes funded by renowned multilateral donors and focused on financial inclusion. His area of expertise includes product development and roll-out in themes such as affordable housing, social performance management and digital financial services for a wide range of financial service providers. He has an extensive experience working across emerging markets including in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Latin America. Bezant holds a Diploma in Banking and Finance, a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, and a master’s degree in Microfinance from the University of Bergamo.