Ariya Capital LLP - Founder and Chief Executive Officer
http://www.ariyacapital.com

United Kingdom (London)

Herta von Stiegel is Founder and CEO of Ariya Capital Group, a Botswana- and London-based private equity firm focusing on sustainable investments in Africa.

An international executive with a consistent track record of building profitable highly regulated structured finance businesses, she held senior positions at Citibank and JP Morgan and, until 2005 was Managing Director at AIG Financial Products, the financial services division of American International Group Inc. A US tax lawyer by training, Mrs. von Stiegel practiced law prior to becoming a banker specialising in international taxation and mergers and acquisitions. She holds a Juris Doctor degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Michigan, a Masters of Law degree in Taxation from New York University School of Law, a B.A. from Andrews University and completed the Executive Program in Corporate Finance at the London Business School. She is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and New York.

She serves on several boards in the corporate and not-for-profit sectors, including Camco International (a market leader in climate change solutions with significant operations in China, Africa and the US) and Opportunity International, a global microfinance organisation with multiple financial services subsidiaries. Mrs. Von Stiegel serves on the board of The Committee of 200 (www.c200.org), where she chairs the C200 Foundation board, is a member of the Women's Leadership Board of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government (www.hkswomensleadeshipboard.org ).

In July 2008, Mrs von Stiegel led a multi-national and multi-ability team to climb Africa’s highest mountain – Mount Kilimanjaro. Despite the climbers’ physical challenges, sixteen of the twenty-eight climbers (almost sixty percent) reached the top – a significantly higher result than the usual statistic of 35 percent of climbers who reach the summit. She co- produced the film “The Mountain Within” and is currently writing an inspirational leadership book about her experiences on the mountain which parallels the successes and challenges of the climb with her business experiences.

A popular and highly sought-after speaker, Mrs von Stiegel has been featured on CNBC Europe, Fox News, the BBC, SA FM (South African radio), BBC Radio 4 and financial print media, including the Financial Times.