The Team

Nicolas is Scipion Capital’s Founder and CIO. He oversees the investment processes for all of the firm’s strategies and is responsible for the development of all new products.

Nicolas has over three decades of experience in trade finance. After beginning his career with Credit Suisse in Switzerland, he worked at Midland Bank Plc’s Trade Finance subsidiary in Lausanne and London before joining Citicorp Investment Bank in London covering EMEA structured trade finance in 1984. He left Citibank in 1992 as CEO of their West Africa Head Office in Dakar having been headhunted to start DOC Finance, a merchant bank based in Geneva focused on trade finance in Emerging and Frontier Markets.

He returned to Africa seven years later as CEO of Standard Bank’s Congo-Kinshasa subsidiary, before joining Standard Chartered Grindlays in Switzerland two years later. Nicolas then spent 4 years with Barclays Private Bank in Switzerland managing a portfolio of African clients before setting up Scipion Capital.

Nicolas holds an MBA from Instituto de Empresa in Madrid, is Chairman of AIM-listed Symphony Environmental Technologies Plc, and served as a Court Magistrate in Switzerland for many years. Nicolas is also a member of the Advisory Board to Global Trade Review, a leading Trade Finance industry publication.

Paul Chief Risk Officer assesses the trade finance deals that go before Scipion’s Investment Committee as well as the on-going monitoring of the current deal book. Paul also responsibility for managing a number of trades with a strong emphasis on Borrower engagement. With more than 30 years of experience in trade finance, his career has focused on identifying, structuring and closing trade facilities that meet the financing needs of commodity traders and producers.

Paul joined Scipion from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Europe Ltd (SMBC) where he was an Assistant General Manager in the Structured Trade and Commodity Finance Department.

Prior to SMBC he was for a number of years Director of Metals and Mining, Commodity Finance at West LB.

Paul is a senior and respected figure within the Trade Finance community, he brings to Scipion his cradle to grave experience and distinguished track record gained in a number of major international banks. He is Scipion Capital Ltd.’s Risk Officer and a member of Scipion’s Investment Committee.

Cobus is Scipion’s Regional Head for Southern Africa and Group Agronomist. Based in Gaborone, Botswana Cobus project manages Scipion’s multi-layered agri-businesses.

Cobus began his career in the early 2000s as a farm manager in the Viljoenskroon district of South Africa, where he managed both the cattle and broiler business as well as over-sighting the farms planting programme of sunflower, sorghum, soya beans and peanuts. Having gained experience at this large commercial farm, he returned to the family farm to oversee upgrades on its poultry operation, comprising 81,000 chickens and on its cereal business. The latter involved a specific focus on crop cultivation over 900 hectares.

Cobus focused on soil fertilisation and yield potential, and the growth cycle in terms of weed control, plant health and pest control. He converted the farm to a “no-till” system in 2011.

In 2015 Cobus moved to North Pretoria to manage a large-scale piggery, before relocating his family to Gaborone to take up his role at Scipion. Cobus is a specialist in: crop production, no-till precision farming, pig, poultry and dairy production, agricultural business management and project planning and management.

Cobus graduated in 2001 from Agricultural College, Potchefstroom, and in 2011 obtained B. Technologie agricultural management – Cum Laude from Central University of Technology, Free State.

Dona joined Scipion recently and is a chartered accountant qualifying in 2012. She has worked for a number of years as a Finance Manager in private sector Accounts Departments. Dona is experienced in bookkeeping, payroll, producing annual and management accounts and VAT returns.
Dona works closely with Scipion’s CIO and Head of Operations on the accounting and operational aspects of both the management company and investment vehicles.

Dona is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants. Originally from Uganda, Dona moved to Britain in 2000 and is fluent in Luganda and English.

Peter acts as an external member of Scipion’s Investment Committee. He is an experienced risk and general management professional, with an expert knowledge of international trade and commodity finance. He began his career in Lloyds Bank International, holding management positions in Brazil, the UK, Spain, the Netherlands and France. He then joined Allseas SA as a member of the management team and financial director, gaining experience in the raising of debt finance in the offshore energy industry. This was followed by a move to the Russian Federation where Peter was the managing director for AIOC Corporation, a leading US commodity and financial services house with significant presence in the CIS.

He subsequently returned to banking and risk management, holding senior executive positions in Fortis Bank and ABN AMRO, resident in the Netherlands. Experience of regulation was gained in his role as Director of Risk and Finance at The Pensions Regulator, before he again reverted to banking as a statutory Board member for Amsterdam Trade Bank, where he was Chief Risk Officer responsible for the legal, compliance , and risk management functions.

Peter read history at Queens’ College, Cambridge, and is married with two children. He speaks several European languages.