The African Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (AVCA) has appointed Vicki Fuller, Chief Investment Officer of the New York State Common Retirement Fund (CRF), to its Advisory Council.
In addition, Sev Vettivetpillai, Partner at the Abraaj Group, has been appointed to AVCA’s Board of Directors.
Fuller is responsible for developing and implementing investment strategies to ensure that New York State's Common Retirement Fund remains one of the best-funded and best-managed public pension plans in the United States. She earned her MBA from the University of Chicago and her BSBA from Roosevelt University in Chicago. She was named one of the most powerful African Americans on Wall Street by Black Enterprise. She has also received special recognition from the Financial Women's Association – Woman of the Year Award in 2014, National Association of Securities Professionals – New York Chapter – Wall Street Hall of Fame, the SEO Reginald F Lewis Achievement Award, and Chief Investment Officer Magazine's "Power 100". A Certified Public Accountant, Fuller was with Alliance Bernstein for nearly 30 years, most recently as a Managing Director.
Vettivetpillai is a Partner at The Abraaj Group, where he is responsible for their sector-focused funds including healthcare, real estate and energy Infrastructure, as well as leading the efforts on launching new products and strategies. He has more than 20 years of experience in the growth markets private equity arena, with extensive experience in the areas of strategic investment management, fundraising, deal structuring, valuation, due diligence and portfolio management. He is a CFA charter holder with a BEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering from Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine. Sev is one of four permanent members of the Investment Committee, responsible for approval of all Abraaj investments across the platform. In addition, he is Chairman of the Abraaj Partners Council and a Member of the Board of Directors. Vettivetpillai joins other distinguished members of the AVCA Board, currently chaired by Hurley Doddy of Emerging Capital Partners.
Fuller says: “My introduction to, and involvement with AVCA has been transformational for me. Since joining, we have increased our commitments, and are looking to do even more. Needless to say, I am deeply committed to the goal of attracting higher levels of private capital to Africa and I am delighted to be joining the Advisory Council to help drive this objective.”
Vettivetpillai adds: “We have been investing in Africa for over two decades now and consequently, have built a deep expertise and unshakeable confidence in the opportunities and rewards that exist in this market. I look forward to working closely with the other members of the Board of AVCA to realize our common mission of promoting Africa as an investment destination.”
Michelle Kathryn Essomé, Chief Executive Officer of AVCA, says: “We are delighted to welcome Vicki to our Advisory Council, and Sev to our Board. We look forward to their guidance and counsel as we continue to champion private investment in Africa.”
