Actis, an investor in sustainable infrastructure, has appointed Neda Vakilian as global head of its Investor Solutions Group (ISG) arm.
Vakilian brings almost 20 years of experience to the role, at what was previously known as the Investor Development Group.
Vakilian is based in London and will be responsible for leading Actis’ capital raising initiatives and strategic investor programs.
Her experience includes a combination of infrastructure sector expertise and strategic oversight, which she brings to the firm’s capital raising team.
She will take over the role from Neil Brown, who is stepping back within Actis to focus on working directly with investors.
As the new leader of the ISG, Vakilian will play a key role in building and managing relationships with investors and delivering the strategic growth ambitions of the firm.
She has previously worked across private capital markets, business development, and fundraising.
Expansion plans
Before joining Actis, Vakilian was co-head of capital solutions and investor relations for Amber Infrastructure. In this role, she was responsible for sales, client servicing, and product development, and was an investment committee member and board director across strategies.
Prior to this, she worked at Macquarie Capital and the Green Investment Bank (now the Green Investment Group) where she was responsible for raising what was, at the time, the largest renewables fund in Europe.
She began her career as a solicitor, working at Clifford Chance and SJ Berwin in the private equity, fund formation teams.
Torbjorn Caesar, senior partner at Actis, said: “As Actis continues to grow from strength to strength, expanding its footprint worldwide, we welcome Neda to lead our capital raising efforts.
“She brings technical expertise, enthusiasm, and real belief in the value of sustainable infrastructure as the future.”
Vakilian, global head of Investor Solutions Group at Actis, added: “Creating long-term value with sustainability at the core drives Actis’ investment strategy and I look forward to working with our limited partners to realise these goals as global economies are increasingly looking towards sustainable infrastructure solutions to meet decarbonisation goals.”
In 2022, Actis saw substantial growth and high levels of deal activity, as well as expansion into new markets by opening an office in Tokyo and launching its first Central and Eastern European platform.
Following what it said was “a successful year”, Actis is now entering into a new stage of its growth and development, according to the company.
Its aim is to secure new investment opportunities to “further drive its objective of facilitating the energy transition by investing in sustainable infrastructure worldwide”.
