LeapFrog Investments has expanded its climate investment strategy team with three hires in Asia.
Saurabh Bajaj joins LeapFrog as director of investments, climate in Southeast Asia working on food-related investments globally, and will be based in Singapore. He brings more than 10 years of experience in food systems and agriculture, having joined from Proterra Investment Partners Asia, one of the world’s largest food and agriculture focused private equity firms, where he led deal origination in India and Southeast Asia.
Nimish Desai has more than 15 years of experience in sustainable investing and investment banking across alternative asset classes, including at Relativity Investment Management and mid-market firm Kitara Capital. He will be responsible for originating, executing and managing climate investments and portfolios across a range of sectors, and is based in Mumbai.
Akshi Sharma (pictured) brings experience in deal evaluation, execution and portfolio management, having previously worked with Relativity Investment Management and HSBC investment banking. She has worked across sectors including transport and mobility, climate tech, consumer and retail, health tech, and prop tech, and will also be based in Mumbai.
LeapFrog’s climate investment strategy focuses on companies providing green products and services that are already cost competitive in many emerging markets and enjoy enabling regulatory tailwinds. This includes sectors such as renewable energy, sustainable food, electric mobility and climate-smart housing and appliances.
The firm has also made a hire in London – Katherine Owens – who will be responsible for developing the firm’s climate impact focus and measuring LeapFrog’s contribution to climate action and adaptation. She brings more than 10 years of experience in ESG and sustainability, having previously worked with Ernst & Young’s climate change and sustainability services team in London and as head of impact and ESG at M-KOPA, a leading PAYG finance player in Africa.
Nakul Zaveri, partner and co-head of the climate investment strategy at LeapFrog Investments, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Saurabh, Katherine, Nimish, and Akshi to our growing team. Their diverse backgrounds and expertise across climate, impact investing, and financial services will be instrumental to the objectives of the climate investment strategy.”