Joumana Asso
Founder, Managing Director
Ms. Asso has over 23 years of investment and advisory experience in emerging markets, including 11 years executing project and corporate finance deals in heavy industry and impact investing in clean technology start-ups (Private Equity and VC investments) at the International Finance Corporation, and nine years managing investment funds in climate-related assets, such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean technology, forestry, and climate adaptation at the World Bank, the Climate Investment Funds, and in the private sector.
Prior to founding Clima Capital Partners, Ms. Asso contributed to setting up the private sector function, and managed the overall private sector portfolio and mandate of the Climate Investment Funds. She also coordinated and managed activities of the Clean Technology Fund’s operations in 2009-2011. In this capacity, Ms. Asso structured blended finance vehicles and solutions targeting various industries and segments of the market, tailored to the risk profile associated with each of segment.
Joumana has served as a Senior Advisor to the Green Climate Fund’s Private Sector Facility in 2016-2018, where she advised its Board and formulated innovative strategic approaches to further mobilization of private investment in mitigation and adaptation, using wholesales approaches with consideration to the risk profile of countries’ sectoral portfolios.
She is a climate finance expert with in-depth knowledge and experience in greening the financial sector and structuring climate finance lending programs, using blended finance structures and integrating risk management tools. She has led development of national climate finance strategies and NDC investment plans in Africa and the Middle East using unique financing approaches, mechanisms, and structuring anchored in the sectoral context and specificities of countries.
Joumana holds an MBA from HEC and a DESS in Environmental Studies from the University of Montreal. She has executed investment transactions and climate finance advisory across the globe, including China, India, the Balkans, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, Western Europe and North America. She speaks French, English, and Arabic.