Jan Albert Valk 2017 Speaker

Founder/Managing Director

Accelerator Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa

Biography

Mr. Valk started his career in banking at ABN AMRO and ING in the Netherlands, where he worked in corporate banking and SME banking, with clients spread throughout Europe. He subsequently moved to FMO, the Dutch development bank, where he focussed on financial services for SMEs through microfinance, leasing and private equity/venture capital funds throughout Africa. He then spent 9 years at the Alios Finance Group, of which the last 8 years as group CEO. Alios Finance is Sub Sahara Africa’s largest leasing company, is present in 10 African countries, and has a strong focus on SME clients all around Africa. Under his tenure, the group attracted new financiers and expanded into new countries in Anglophone Africa. Mr Valk has extensive experience in financial services in Africa, in areas such as operational management, HR, fundraising, credit and strategy. He has been a Board member of more than 10 financial services companies in Africa.  Mr Valk has an MA in International law from the University of Utrecht and the University of East London, as well as an MBA from the Rotterdam School of Management and IESE in Barcelona, Spain.