Nizar Al-Bassam
Nizar Al-Bassam has over 20 years' experience in financial markets. He Co-founded Centricus in 2016.
Nizar was previously Head of Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) for Capital Markets & Treasury Solutions, Sales, Origination, Investment Banking and Commercial Banking at Deutsche Bank. He was responsible for the origination and distribution of all capital market products, including fixed income and equity securities, foreign exchange, as well as corporate finance, global transaction banking, lending and liability management.
Nizar was a member of various governance and management committees at Deutsche Bank, including Global Capital Markets & Treasury Solutions Executive Committee, Global Emerging Markets Management Committee and the European Corporate Finance Management Committee.
Dalinc Ariburnu
Dalinc Ariburnu has over 30 years of financial services industry experience. He Co-founded Centricus in 2016.
Previously, Dalinc was a Senior Partner and Global Co-Head of Fixed Income, Currency and Commodity (FICC) Sales and Structuring at Goldman Sachs. Dalinc served as a member of Goldman Sachs' European Management Committee, Securities Division Global Executive Committee and Firmwide Partnership Committee. Dalinc also served as the Captain of Firmwide Partnership Committee for the selection of the 2014 Global Partner Class for the Investment Banking Division. Dalinc represented Goldman Sachs as a Board Member of the Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities Markets Standards Board (FMSB).
Prior to joining Goldman Sachs in 2009, Dalinc was Global Head of the Emerging Markets Group at Deutsche Bank and a member of the Securities Division Global Executive Committee. Dalinc joined Deutsche Bank in 1999 when they acquired Bankers Trust Company, where he had worked since 1993.
Dalinc serves as the Chairman of CIFC, a global credit asset management firm with $45bn under management.
Halil Emecen
Halil Emecen has over 25 years of experience in financial markets and investment banking. He is a specialist in structured finance and investment solutions.
He was previously at Goldman Sachs where he was Head of Coverage for Turkey and Central Eastern Europe in the European Financing Group. Prior to that, Halil was the Head of Securities for Goldman Sachs' Middle East and Africa business based in Dubai. At Goldman Sachs, he was mainly responsible for originating and structuring transactions for global strategic investors. Earlier in his career, Halil led the global markets business for Turkey and Israel at Deutsche Bank. Prior to Deutsche Bank, he worked at ABN AMRO Bank and Credit Suisse. He has extensive knowledge and experience of derivatives products, project finance and infrastructure investments.
Halil holds an MBA specializing in Finance from the University of New Haven, USA and a BS in Business Administration from Bogazici University, Turkey.
Sir Sajid Javid
Sir Sajid Javid is a Partner at Centricus. He is a highly accomplished and experienced leader with a distinguished career in public service and business.
He has served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the United Kingdom and is a current member of the British Parliament, first elected in 2010. Sajid has served as Secretary of State (Chief Executive) of six UK Government Departments, including the Treasury and Home Office, where he skilfully navigated some of the most challenging issues the UK has faced in recent years.
Prior to his public service, Sajid had a remarkable two-decade career in international investment banking, working in New York, London and Singapore. He gained extensive experience in the financial industry, which helped him develop a deep understanding of global markets, investment and risk management.
Sir Sajid is a highly respected and influential leader with a wealth of experience in both the public and private sectors. He has consistently demonstrated his ability to help lead organisations, tackle complex issues, make tough decisions, and deliver results.
Hugh Nineham
Hugh Nineham is the Chief Counsel to Centricus. Hugh has 40 years’ experience as a lawyer in private practice, working principally in the areas of M&A and securities regulation.
He was formerly a partner at McDermott Will & Emery, where he was head of the firm’s London office and European practice, and before that was a partner at Lovells (now Hogan Lovells), heading their corporate practice for many years. He has lived and worked in New York and Hong Kong, as well as London. He held leadership and management roles at both firms. As a practising lawyer, he was responsible for major client relationships in the financial services, media and industrial sectors, advising on significant transactions of different types and across a range of geographies.
Hugh is a solicitor qualified in England & Wales. He holds a Master of Arts degree from Cambridge University where he studied law.
Emma Parkinson
Emma is a Centricus Partner, responsible for strategic project execution. She is a lawyer by background with experience in structured and asset finance, M&A, capital markets and asset management.
Emma started her career at Allen & Overy, working in both the London and Paris offices before moving to Goldman Sachs to oversee the investment management division’s EMEA lending business and client solutions group.
Emma is a qualified solicitor in England & Wales and holds a BA Hons in International Relations and a Masters in Law.
Josh Purvis
Josh Purvis is the Chief Operating Officer of Centricus Group and Chief Executive Officer of Centricus Asset Management. He has 20 years of finance industry experience working in banking and consulting across Europe, North America and Asia.
Most recently, he was the Global Chief Operating Officer for the Securities Division’s Equities business at Goldman Sachs, based in the London office. He previously held Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff roles across the global equities and FICC franchises. Prior to joining Goldman Sachs in 2007, he was a Principal at Booz Allen Hamilton (subsequently Booz & Company) in their financial services consulting practice where he served clients globally across broad strategic mandates.
Josh holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from Queen’s University in Canada. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for the Bader College and Herstmonceux Castle Estate.
Garth Ritchie
Garth Ritchie has over 25 years' of experience in financial markets across the globe. He joined Centricus in June 2020 and leads the firm's Capital Markets and Advisory business.
Previously, he was President of Deutsche Bank and Head of the Corporate & Investment Bank (CIB).
Garth joined Deutsche Bank in 1996 as an associate in the bank’s Johannesburg office, and went on to hold senior management positions across the investment bank. He became a member of the Global Markets Executive Committee in 2009 as Head of Equities and held a range of leadership positions across the division. In January 2016, he was appointed to the Management Board with responsibility for the bank’s Markets division. In 2017, he became Co-Head of the newly created CIB. One year later he became its sole Head and was appointed as President.
He serves on the Board of Directors of Callsign and Arqit Quantum.
Garth holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Port Elizabeth in South Africa.
Ram Thothadri
Ram Thothadri has over 20 years’ experience in financial markets based between London and Dubai.
His most recent role was at Deutsche Bank as the Co-Head of Financing & Solutions Group for Central and Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa (CEEMEA) regions. Prior to that, Ram was the Head of Corporate Finance & Capital Markets Coverage for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In this role, he was responsible for the origination and distribution of all capital market products, including fixed income and equity securities, foreign exchange, as well as corporate finance, lending and liability management across the region. At Deutsche Bank, Thothadri was a member of the CEEMEA Management Committee and the Middle East & Africa Executive Committee.
Ram received an MBA from IIM, Bangalore and holds a B. E (Honors) in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from BITS, Pilani.
Tamara Williams
Tamara Williams is a Partner and Chief Financial Officer of Centricus Group, and has over 20 years' experience in the set up and administration of a wide range of both offshore and onshore fund structures.
During her time as Head of the Private Equity Division of Sanne Group, a leading alternative asset administration business providing corporate governance, financial and investor reporting and regulatory compliance across a range of asset classes and jurisdictions, Tamara was instrumental in establishing Centricus’s presence in Jersey and providing continuous support to its growth.
Tamara is a Chartered Certified Accountant.
Cory Abdalla
Cory Abdalla joined the Private Equity team at Centricus in 2021 and has over 3 years of finance experience.
Prior to Centricus, Cory worked as an analyst at The Yucaipa Companies where he focused on financial modelling and investment analysis with an emphasis on real estate and hospitality assets. He has also completed an internship at Lion Capital in London.
Cory holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where he majored in Finance.
Boyd Cuthbertson
Boyd Cuthbertson joined Centricus Asset Management in 2015 as Chief Financial Officer, with decades of experience in financial and treasury management, risk, corporate governance, audit and controls.
More recently, Boyd ran his own consultancy business for nine years, providing financial and governance support. For part of this period, he was Chief Financial officer to two AIM-listed mining exploration companies. He was Head of Risk and Compliance at Old Mutual plc, where he established a risk and compliance department following Old Mutual’s listing on the London Stock Exchange. Boyd was a Managing Director at Bankers Trust responsible for the European Internal Audit function before transferring into a governance role, prior to which he was Deputy General Manager of Audit and Compliance at Nomura Bank International, where he established the Internal Audit and Compliance function for the Bank and Nomura International securities. He began his career at Salomon Brothers.
Boyd qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1982 through Ernst & Young. He holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from the University of Zimbabwe.
Samantha Garner
Sam Garner has over 20 years’ extensive experience as a lawyer across a range of industries: Banking & Finance, Corporate, Commercial, Technology, Digital Media & Television.
Sam began her legal career in Acquisition Finance as a solicitor in London and Paris with global law firm Dentons and subsequently Addleshaw Goddard, acting on behalf of lenders, investors or acquirer/vendor companies. Sam has also been retained as Legal Counsel for several UK-listed plcs, Santander plc (retail & wholesale banking), The Paragon Group of Companies plc (buy-to-let mortgage & consumer finance), Allied Healthcare (part of Saga plc – UK’s leading homecare provider), Maverick Television (all3media group – a BAFTA award winning TV and media production company).
Sam has advised companies and investors on a wide range of M&A and other corporate and commercial legal matters with a strong emphasis on the commercial reality of business.
Anthony Kelamis
Anthony Kelamis joined the Private Equity team at Centricus in 2017 and has over eight years of finance experience.
Prior to Centricus, Anthony worked as a Summer Associate with Saudi Aramco's Legal Department where he was seconded to the Aramco Trading Company, Saudi Aramco's wholly-owned trading subsidiary. He was also a Summer Associate with CMS Cameron McKenna in the Energy Practice Group in London, United Kingdom. Anthony began his career with Macquarie in Toronto, Canada.
Anthony holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from McGill University and a Bachelors of Laws (LLB) Honors from City, University of London. He holds both a Masters of Laws (LLM) specializing in International Business and Juris Doctorate (JD) from the Boston University School of Law. At Boston University, he was awarded the Faculty Award for Academic Accomplishment. Additionally, he has completed the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.
He also serves as the London Branch President for Trinity College School (TCS), an independent boarding school and day school located in Ontario, Canada.
Malcolm Schutte
Malcolm Schutte joined the Advisory and Private Equity team at Centricus in 2023 and has over 7 years of financial services experience.
Prior to joining Centricus, Malcolm worked as an associate for Oceanrock, a South African financial services consulting firm with UK Private Equity and Corporate Finance clients. During his tenure, Malcolm worked on both buy-side and sell-side mandates, where he focused on financial modelling, valuation and investment analysis. Malcolm began his career with JTC Group, a financial services firm listed on the LSE.
Malcolm holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa where he majored in Finance.
Dandy Sulit
Dandy Sulit has over 10 years' experience in financial services - across private equity, debt, real estate and corporate finance.
Prior to joining Centricus, Dandy worked in fund administration for 8 years where he was responsible for providing fund accounting and fund administration services to key players in the private equity and debt space. Dandy also worked with KPMG in the Channel Islands and Ernst and Young in the Philippines for 6 years, gathering a wealth of experience in the private equity, real estate and corporate finance sectors.
Dandy holds a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy, qualified as a Certified Public Accountant (Philippines) in 2004 and obtained his Certificate in Internal Audit in 2007.
Markus Thomas
Markus is the Senior Executive Officer of Centricus Limited in Abu Dhabi (ADGM) and has over 15 years’ experience across finance and capital markets.
Previously, Markus helped build several key institutions in Abu Dhabi’s ecosystem including the Abu Dhabi Investment Office and the Abu Dhabi IPO Fund where he built, led, and served on the Executive Committee of investment verticals overseeing over $2bn in capital.
Prior to serving the Government of Abu Dhabi, Markus headed the Capital Markets Advisory business for an Abu Dhabi based and owned financial institution following senior roles in merchant and investment banks in London and Zurich. He started his career in Credit Suisse’s Investment Banking Division focusing on M&A and ECM.
He holds Master’s degrees in Finance and International Management from the London School of Economics & Political Science, the University of St. Gallen and the Stockholm School of Economics.
Sir John Chipman
Sir John Chipman KCMG is a Senior Adviser to Centricus. He is also the Executive Chairman of The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) and an international adviser on geopolitical risk.
During his 30-year tenure as Director-General and Chief Executive of the IISS he guided the organisation to become the world’s premier institute providing facts and analysis on international security issues and made it an important strategic actor taking it to the centre of the international relations stage. He developed the IISS role as a convener of vital inter-governmental summits, including the Asia-Pacific IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, and the Middle East IISS Manama Dialogue.
He speaks regularly to business audiences on political risk, regional security, and global trends. He is the author of two books and numerous articles and opinion pieces. His article in the September 2016 Harvard Business Review entitled ‘Why Your Company Needs a Foreign Policy’ has been influential in alerting businesses to the need to treat geopolitical opportunity and risk at the Board level.
He has served on a variety of international advisory boards and has advised businesspersons and companies in the defence, private equity, asset management, telecommunications, commercial shipping, insurance, extractive mining, oil, and gas sectors, as well as advanced technology industries.
Sir John was appointed a Knight Commander of The Most Distinguished Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in HM The King’s Birthday Honours in June 2023 for ‘Services to International Peace and Security.’