Shobo, Vaes, Jarratt Joins InfraCredit Board of Directors

InfraCredit has appointed Ms. Vivien Shobo to its Board of Directors as an independent non-executive director, effective 29 January 2021.

InfraCredit is backed by the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority(NSIA), private infrastructure development group companies GuarantCo and InfraCo Africa, KfW Development Bank, Africa Finance Corporation(AFC) and African Development Bank(AfDB).

The company also appointed Chief Executive Officer of InfraCo Africa, Gilles J. Vaes, and Chief Investment Officer of InfraCo Africa, Claire Jarratt, to its Board of Directors as non-executive directors representing InfraCo Africa’s equity investment in InfraCredit.

Shobo is the Chief Executive Officer of FVS Advisory Partners.
Before this, she was the Chief Executive Officer of Agusto & Co, Nigeria’s foremost credit rating agency, a position she held for over a decade, until December 2019.

She has extensive experience as well as macro knowledge of the industry. Shobo previously served on several Securities and Exchange Commission’s Committees. She was the Chairperson of the Association of Credit Rating Agencies of Nigeria from inception in 2010 to December 2019.

Shobo has a B.sc (Hons) from the University of Benin, Nigeria, and an MBA (Finance) from the Manchester Business School, UK. She is also a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) and is a frequent speaker at domestic and global African capital market conferences.

On the other hand, Vaes is an energy specialist, with a rare blend of business and investment strategy skill sets. He has over two decades hands-on experience in the energy sector, working with some of the largest energy providers in Africa, Asia and Europe.

On her part, Jarratt is finance and investment management specialist, with over two decades of impressive career, spanning audit and assurance, corporate and project finance, M&A, deal origination and investment management.

Speaking on the appointment of Shobo, the Chairman, Board of Directors, InfraCredit, Mr. Uche Orji, said: “After a diligent search and rigorous process, on behalf of fellow directors, I am excited to welcome Ms. Vivien Shobo to the Board of InfraCredit as an independent non-executive director.

“Vivien is a renowned risk management and capital market professional, with over three decades hands-on experience in credit risk management, financial advisory and assurance. Her strong knowledge of the Nigerian markets and governance practices would be invaluable to InfraCredit as we grow the business and deepen our mission of unlocking long term capital for infrastructure development in Nigeria.”

Also commenting, the Chief Executive of InfraCredit, Mr. Chinua Azubike, said: “Ms. Shobo comes with a rich experience in risk management and corporate governance, having worked successfully with large and mid-cap corporates across varying sectors.

“She brings on-board her independence and complementary skills, which should strengthen our Board’s oversight, as we diligently execute our strategies to create value for all stakeholders.
“Given its prominent role in Nigeria’s infrastructural development, I am extremely delighted to join the InfraCredit’s Board and contribute my own quota to nation building”, said Shobo.

Also commenting on Vaes and Jarratt, Azubike, said: “Messrs. Gilles and Claire are great additions to our board, as they bring invaluable global and regional experience in infrastructure finance, thus enhancing our Board’s oversight and enriching our governance.

“My colleagues and I, who run the day-to-day business of InfraCredit, excitingly look forward to working closely with both Executives of InfraCo Africa, particularly through the different Board Committees, as we continue to leverage best-in-class governance in growing our business and building sustainable value for all stakeholders.”