David Owino

Founder & Managing Partner at Ascent

Panellist

David Owino is a Managing Partner with Ascent Capital Advisors, the exclusive adviser of Ascent Rift Valley Fund I & II (ARVF I & II) with combined commitments in excess of US$ 200 million. ARVF I & II are Mauritius registered private equity funds focusing on investing in small and medium size businesses (SMEs) in Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Rwanda.

Prior to founding Ascent, David worked with Centum for 13 years rising to become the Executive Director in charge of the private equity business division managing over US$180 million in assets.

A seasoned investment professional and governance expert with over 20 years’ experience David is a Certified Public Accountant of Kenya (CPA) and a Certified Public Secretary of Kenya (CPS). He is a member of the Institute of Directors-Kenya Chapter. Additionally, David is an independent director of Continental Reinsurance (Kenya), where he chairs the Investment Committee, Strathmore University, where he chairs the Finance Committee, Heri Limited, where he chairs the Investment Committee, and Funguo Investments Limited. He is also the Chairman of the East Africa Venture Capital Association (EAVCA) a body set-up to promote the aims of the private equity investment eco-system in East Africa and the Chairman of Amalgamated Chama Limited (ACL), the umbrella investment group for investment clubs in Kenya. Besides work David enjoys spending time with his young family who he says are his biggest supporters and are the key cornerstone of his professional career. He also participates in activities aimed at supporting families through a program for family development with the objective of fostering strong families for a better society, where he has been a moderator for more than 5 years.

He is a proud alumnus of Strathmore University, United States International University – Africa (USIU-A) and Lenana School.