As an ex-banker with 24 years' experience in Energy, Infrastructure, Project financing, M&A and PPP internationally, Umer is an executive business leader and investment professional who has led businesses/teams in various environments.
He has been integrally involved in or led nearly 30 transactions to financial close/execution, with an aggregate deal value of over USD13bn. He spent the first 12 years of his career in London as a project finance principal banker (debt and equity) lending to and investing in projects (including having been a Director at Barclays, where he spent 7 years), having started his career at Goldman Sachs IBD in M&A advisory. Over the last decade or so, he has focused on emerging markets while being based in the Middle East, spending several years in advisory (including being Head of Deloitte’s P&IF advisory team across the region), and before returning to being an equity principal, at SNC-Lavalin Capital as VP of EMEA, and then at Equitix / Rakiza, before joining Capton.
Umer is an engaging public speaker and is regularly asked to speak at industry conferences. As a leading industry figure, he has twice been invited to preside on the judging panel for IJ Global’s annual awards for the Middle East & Africa. In addition, since 2017 Umer has been a Board Member of the International Project Finance Association's (IPFA) Middle East Branch Council.