Executive Managing Director, Operations

Matthew is an Executive Managing Director and co-founder of Ifria as well as other cold chain logistics companies including FPT SA and Khmer Cold Chain. He is a Cold Chain specialist with over 15 years’ experience as an operator, investor, and advisor. Matthew is a serial entrepreneur who has launched companies in Europe, North Africa, West Africa, North America, and Asia. He has catalyzed over USD 150 million into emerging markets since 2012. His professional career in the Cold Chain began in 2003 as a founder of a frozen food manufacturing and distribution start-up in Germany where he built a business servicing 3,500+ points of sale before exiting the company. He has a proven track record of experience in Cold Chain operations, development, agricultural trade logistics, and fund raising in multiple emerging markets such as Morocco, Senegal, Benin, Kenya, Ethiopia, Cambodia, among others. Matthew holds an MBA from Kellogg school of Management. He communicates at a professional level in English, German and French an speaks also Arabic.

Executive Managing Director, Technical Operations

Manuel C. Kabana is an Executive Managing Director at Ifria. He is a Cold Chain specialist with over 30 years’ experience. He is a board member at different international Cold Chain companies such as Friopuerto Investment (Mexico, Morocco and Uruguay) and formerly with Frigoscandia in Europe. He is the president of CK & Associates Consulting, SL in Barcelona. He is Vice president of the board of directors at International Association of Refrigerated Warehouses (IARW) and Chairman of the Logistics Committee at GCCA Europe in Brussels, both within Global Cold Chain Alliance (GCCA) in Washington DC. Manuel has also been Vice president & Treasurer at the European Cold Storage and Logistics Association (ECSLA) in Brussels and a board director and Vice president of the Spanish Association of Cold Storage, Logistics & Distribution Enterprises (ALDEFE) in Madrid. He is fluent in English, Spanish and German, with knowledge of Italian and Portuguese. 

Project Manager

Maha is a Project Manager at Ifria. Throughout her 8-year career, Maha has managed and contributed to multiple projects in the areas of Cold Chain, entrepreneurship, access to capital, and fund evaluation. Maha served as a junior project manager in the development of FPT SA. She worked also as as a program manager in the development of an investment fund called “Fundamental Growth Partners”. Maha holds a M.Sc. in project management from the University of Westminster in London and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Al Akhawayn University in Morocco. Maha speaks fluently Arabic, French and English

Executive Director, Investment

Samir is an Executive Director and co-founder of Ifria. He is a development finance and investment specialist with 22 years’ experience in Infrastructure, Investment & SMEs. He has a strong exposure in North and West Africa acting as Investment Banker (9 years at Société Générale Paris & Casablanca where he managed landmark transactions including cross borders Mergers & Acquisitions), as an Real Estate Developer in North Africa, Managing Director of an Infra fund (Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF), a USD 100 Million fund co-managed by Attijari and ECP with international and regional Limited Partners such as European Investment Bank, Kuwait Investement Authority etc.., performing a net 13% IRR in 6 years time), Managing Director of a EUR 20 Million ESCO fund (with institutional investors such as AXA) and as Managing Director of DEVFIN (his own advisory shop) where he advised African Development Bank for energy transactions and investment but also KFW, Agence Francaise de Developpement, EU, European Bank for reconstruction and development, United Sate Trade and Development Agency, ENABEL, United Nation Environmental Program etc... for local and regional projects. Samir holds an MBA from a leading French business school. He is fluent in English, French, Arabic and speaks Spanish.

Executive Director, Impact Investment & Development Programming

William is an Executive Director and co-founder of Ifria as well as the parent investor of FPT SA. He has more than 20 years of experience in the Middle East and Africa, focused on risk capital financing in frontier markets advisory mandates for development finance institutions like European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and International Finance Corporation as well as development agencies like USAID. He has advised on and provided regional expertise support on partnership and investment structuring of cold logistics infrastructure development for North and West Africa. He has a strong experience providing local management services for a green energy/sustainable energy financing facility in the Maghreb. William holds a BA from Vassar College in Diplomatic History, an MA from Indiana University in Islamic History, and an MA in International Economics and Finance from Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (JHU – SAIS). He is fluent in English, Arabic and French.