Jan Cherim is Chair of the MicroVest Investment Committee and the SEAF Global Credit Committee, and serves as Vice-Chair of SEAF for the EMEA region, based in our Amsterdam hub.  He has been active as an emerging markets financier, adviser and investment specialist for more than 30 years, based in London, Amsterdam, and Asia. He has served clients worldwide and has deep first-hand expertise in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean.  He has been a Director of various SEAF Funds in East and Southeastern Europe for over 10 years and is a co-founder and Chair of the Supervisory Board of the SEAF-sponsored SME fintech business FACTS based in East Africa. He has advised many banking institutions on SME and supply chain financing issues, as well as risk management. He has been a Director or Board adviser to banks in Angola, Indonesia, Nigeria, Russia, Thailand, Taiwan, and Qatar.

During 17 years at ING, Jan was a Management Committee member of ING’s Wholesale International unit, Country Manager in Thailand, Regional Manager for Africa, Global Head of products & services for Financial Institutions, and initiator and Director of several emerging markets investment units (Poland, Thailand, China). In 1998, he restructured ING’s specialised banking advisory practice for emerging markets, launching the business that became Financial Access following its SEAF-backed management buy-out in 2006. Prior to joining ING in 1990, Jan worked at S.G. Warburg & Co. in London (now UBS Investment Banking) and the World Bank in Washington.

Jan was educated at Johns Hopkins University and the London School of Economics.