Doug Lacey - Partner
Doug has 30 years of executive experience in insurance. He is former Divisional Chief Executive at African Life, responsible for business operations of insurers in South Africa, Botswana, Kenya, Zambia, Tanzania, and Ghana with nearly $1 billion market capitalization. In South Africa, he oversaw one of the largest microinsurance operations in existence, with 1.6 million beneficiaries. In these roles, Doug variously managed research, business planning, regulatory approvals, product development, financial and administration systems, recruitment, processes and procedures, and logistics. Over three decades, Doug has held a variety of senior positions, including COO of Group of Swiss Re Life and Health Southern Africa.
Gary Herbert - Partner
An actuary by training, Gary co-founded Investment Solutions, South Africa's largest multi-manager with $18 billion under management. He was also Joint Managing Director of Alexander Forbes Financial Services, a major provider of financial and risk management services in South Africa and the UK, and was appointed to the Board of the Alexander Forbes Group. Gary managed the retirement fund administration, consulting and actuarial services, investment consulting, financial planning, business technology and e-business divisions. In recent years, he has focused on private equity deals. He serves as Vice-Chairman of the Jewish Helping Hand, a leading nonprofit social services organization.
Dr. Andrew Kuper - President and Founder
Andy founded LeapFrog, the world’s first microinsurance fund, in January 2007. Hailed by President Clinton as the “Insurer to the Poor”, the fund targets strong investment returns while reaching 25 million vulnerable people in Africa and Asia with life-changing financial services. Backed by leading banks, funds, reinsurers, and microfinance investors, LeapFrog is the largest dedicated investor in microinsurance worldwide. The team’s investment strategy has been recognised by The Financial Times, Bloomberg, Fast Company, and many global leaders as opening up a new frontier for microfinance and alternative investment.
Andy is a serial entrepreneur and investor in emerging markets, and a former Managing Director of Ashoka – which has financed and connected over 2500 social entrepreneurs in 70 countries. He has also authored two books on globalization and governance, Democracy Beyond Borders (Oxford) and Global Responsibilities (Routledge). Born and raised in South Africa, Andy was educated at Harvard and WITS and holds a PhD from Cambridge, where he was supervised by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen. According to The Economist Innovation Summit, “By pioneering a new asset class and raising $100m for it amid the global financial crisis, Mr Kuper has sought to change the way we invest as individuals, institutions and societies”.
Andy is a serial entrepreneur and investor in emerging markets, and a former Managing Director of Ashoka – which has financed and connected over 2500 social entrepreneurs in 70 countries. He has also authored two books on globalization and governance, Democracy Beyond Borders (Oxford) and Global Responsibilities (Routledge). Born and raised in South Africa, Andy was educated at Harvard and WITS and holds a PhD from Cambridge, where he was supervised by Nobel laureate Amartya Sen. According to The Economist Innovation Summit, “By pioneering a new asset class and raising $100m for it amid the global financial crisis, Mr Kuper has sought to change the way we invest as individuals, institutions and societies”.
Dr. Jim Roth - Co-founder and Partner
Jim is a leading expert in the global microinsurance sector. Formerly, he was Vice President of The Microinsurance Centre, ILO Chief Technical Advisor on microinsurance in India, and consultant to multinational insurance companies such as AIG and Allianz and banks such KFW and ADB. Jim has sourced and negotiated deals with microinsurance distribution networks; he has developed partnerships between commercial insurers and MFIs/NGOs; and he has trained over 50 leaders of MFIs to sell microinsurance. Jim led the 100 Country Landscape Report on Microinsurance and co-authored the manual on Making Microinsurance Work for MFIs. Jim holds a PhD on microfinance from Cambridge.
Dominic Liber - Partner
Dominic has played a leading role in microinsurance for a decade. In 2001, he co-founded Quindiem Consulting, a firm of actuaries, statisticians and insurance consultants, at the forefront of microinsurance. He has developed products, pricing, risk management and reinsurance strategies for microinsurers, insurers, and reinsurers internationally and led the development of policy manuals for insurance regulators in Zambia, Malawi, Namibia and Botswana. His work has focused on microfinance, microinsurance, HIV & AIDS and underserved markets for the last ten years. He was the Convenor of the AIDS Committee of the Actuarial Society of South Africa for the last two years. Dominic co-authored the 100 Country Landscape Report on Microinsurance, as well as health risk management and microinsurance manuals for MFIs.
Stéphane Chatonsky - Partner
Stéphane has over 15 years’ experience in private equity, investment banking and strategy across Europe and Asia Pacific. His career includes posts at Lazard Frères & Co, working on IPOs and privatisations; McKinsey & Co, focused on financial services and telecommunications; Macquarie Bank, managing private equity transactions and development of green-field companies; and Telecom New Zealand, driving Group M&A and Investments.
Building on this track record, Stéphane established his own practice, investing with or advising private equity funds, family offices and their portfolio companies on deal sourcing and structuring, due diligence, transaction management, business planning and performance improvement. He led or was centrally involved in over 20 private equity transactions. Stephane teaches Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Valuation as an adjunct at two leading Australian business schools. He holds an MBA from Wharton.
Building on this track record, Stéphane established his own practice, investing with or advising private equity funds, family offices and their portfolio companies on deal sourcing and structuring, due diligence, transaction management, business planning and performance improvement. He led or was centrally involved in over 20 private equity transactions. Stephane teaches Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Valuation as an adjunct at two leading Australian business schools. He holds an MBA from Wharton.
Tom Brunner – General Counsel
Tom is widely recognized as one of “America's Leading Business Lawyers” (Chambers USA; Best Lawyers in America; Lawdragon; Who's Who) and one of “the World's Leading Insurance and Reinsurance Lawyers” (Legal Media Group; International Who's Who of Business Lawyers).
He also serves as Chair of the Insurance Practice at Wiley Rein LLC.
Over 25 years, Tom has been counsel to numerous insurers and insurance industry organizations – including on mergers and acquisitions, professional liability, and reinsurance – and overseen due diligences and regulatory compliance in international insurance PE transactions. He was lead US counsel for Winterthur Insurance in its successful “baseball arbitration” concerning its sale of two insurers, a $800 million award. Tom has been founding counsel for several industry groups. He holds a J.D. from Yale and an A.B. cum laude from Columbia University.
Over 25 years, Tom has been counsel to numerous insurers and insurance industry organizations – including on mergers and acquisitions, professional liability, and reinsurance – and overseen due diligences and regulatory compliance in international insurance PE transactions. He was lead US counsel for Winterthur Insurance in its successful “baseball arbitration” concerning its sale of two insurers, a $800 million award. Tom has been founding counsel for several industry groups. He holds a J.D. from Yale and an A.B. cum laude from Columbia University.
Nina Schuler – Director of LeapFrog Labs
Nina is the Director of LeapFrog Labs, a grant-funded technical assistance facility that works with companies to address key challenges in expanding the quality and reach of microinsurance products. Previously, at the World Bank, Nina advised governments in Uganda, Malawi, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Swaziland and Eritrea on local governance and HIV/AIDS investments.
In Indonesia, Nina was seconded by GTZ to help manage an innovative $50 million multidonor trust fund. In Sri Lanka, with the Asia Foundation, Nina engaged government, academic, and business leaders to address key stumbling blocks to local and regional business development. Nina’s roles have also included leading an innovative project to tackle fraud in grantmaking, and serving as an expert on urban poverty, decentralization, HIV/AIDS, and local economic development. Nina, who is both a German and an American national, holds an MSc from the London School of Economics.
In Indonesia, Nina was seconded by GTZ to help manage an innovative $50 million multidonor trust fund. In Sri Lanka, with the Asia Foundation, Nina engaged government, academic, and business leaders to address key stumbling blocks to local and regional business development. Nina’s roles have also included leading an innovative project to tackle fraud in grantmaking, and serving as an expert on urban poverty, decentralization, HIV/AIDS, and local economic development. Nina, who is both a German and an American national, holds an MSc from the London School of Economics.
Ingo Weber - Non-Executive Member of the Investment Committee
Ingo brings more than 20 years of international experience in M&A, Private Equity and Strategy in the insurance and financial services industries. Most recently, he was responsible for global corporate development activities at Swiss Re.
He spent many years with GE Capital in a variety of leadership roles, including leading the Business Development/M&A activities for GE Insurance Solutions across Europe and Asia. Prior to that, he served as Investment Director for Softbank`s European Venture Capital fund and as Co-Head of a Swiss-based financial services company. He started his career in Arthur Andersen's Financial Institutions Group and Corporate Finance team, after earning a Masters Degree in Business Administration and Finance. Ingo is CFO and COO of a listed financial services firm and board member of a German insurance company.
He spent many years with GE Capital in a variety of leadership roles, including leading the Business Development/M&A activities for GE Insurance Solutions across Europe and Asia. Prior to that, he served as Investment Director for Softbank`s European Venture Capital fund and as Co-Head of a Swiss-based financial services company. He started his career in Arthur Andersen's Financial Institutions Group and Corporate Finance team, after earning a Masters Degree in Business Administration and Finance. Ingo is CFO and COO of a listed financial services firm and board member of a German insurance company.
Seth Meisel - Non-Executive Member of the Investment Committee
Seth Meisel is a Principal at Bain Capital. Over nearly 10 years at the firm, he has evaluated hundreds of opportunities and
executed transactions totaling over $10 billion in enterprise value. Recent transactions include a $3 billion acquisition Sensata
Technologies which has major operations in the United States, The Netherlands, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, China, and Korea
and a $125 million initial public offering of Innophos which now trades on the NASDAQ exchange.Prior to Bain Capital, Seth was a manager at Oliver Wyman (then Mercer Management Consulting) where he
focused on financial services, insurance, and private equity advisory.
His financial services and insurance experience includes product design of property-casualty insurance, life insurance, and annuity products. He serves LeapFrog in his personal capacity. Seth is an honors graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School.
His financial services and insurance experience includes product design of property-casualty insurance, life insurance, and annuity products. He serves LeapFrog in his personal capacity. Seth is an honors graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Business School.
LeapFrog Team and Investors
