Nadia Nikolova assumes leadership role at responsAbility in July

Nadia Nikolova assumes leadership role at responsAbility in July

Nadia Nikolova has been appointed as the new CEO of Zurich-based impact investor responsAbility, effective from September 2025. Nikolova joins from Alliance Global Investors, where she was head of direct lending, managing private credit teams across Europe and Asia with over €11 billion in assets under management.

Throughout her career, Nikolova has demonstrated a strong background in private markets. She spent more than a decade at Allianz Global Investors, working in private markets across infrastructure debt, credit, and real assets. In 2019, she established the sustainable and impact credit investment team at Allianz Global Investors, scaling blended finance strategies and co-investing with development finance institutions. Nikolova has successfully raised over €4.5 billion in capital and launched an impact private credit strategy focused on small-cap impact companies in Europe.

responsAbility, acquired by M&G in 2022 and managing about €5.6 billion in assets, focuses on financial inclusion, climate finance, and sustainable food as its key impact themes. The firm sees India as a "key engine for innovation and opportunity" in emerging markets across these sectors.

Meanwhile, Swati Mehta has joined LeapFrog Investments as a director in the healthcare investment team. Mehta brings close to two decades of healthcare investment banking experience and will work closely with fellow director Michael Jelinske and the wider team to support the expansion of LeapFrog's healthcare strategy across growth markets. Mehta's appointment has led to the growth of LeapFrog's India-based team to ten-strong.

LeapFrog aims to accelerate its mission to build inclusive, deforestation-free, and fully traceable supply chains with the appointment of Joe Keen Poon as executive chairman of Indonesian and Swiss-based agritech firm KOLTIVA. KOLTIVA's mission aligns with LeapFrog's focus on impact investing in the food sector.

Emmanuel Deblanc, chair of the board of responsAbility and chief investment officer of M&G's private markets business, looks forward to Nikolova's appointment. Mohandas, a colleague at LeapFrog, expressed excitement about Mehta's appointment, praising her strategic insight and commitment.

[1] ResponsAbility Investments AG: https://responsability.com/ [2] Allianz Global Investors: https://www.allianzgi.com/ [3] LeapFrog Investments: https://leapfroginvestments.com/ [4] M&G plc: https://www.mandg.com/ [5] KOLTIVA: https://www.koltiwa.com/

(Note: Information about Resonance housing initiative, Renewable energy firm Renalfa, or CorPower Ocean was not provided in the current paragraph.)

(Note: Rochus Mommartz, who is retiring, has been with responsAbility since its inception in 2003, but this information was not included in the article as it does not directly relate to the new appointments at the company.)

1. Nadia Nikolova's extensive experience in private markets, particularly in sustainable and impact credit investment, makes her an excellent fit for her new role as the CEO of Zurich-based impact investor responsAbility.
2. Nikolova's appointment, effective from September 2025, follows her successful tenure at Alliance Global Investors, where she managed over €11 billion in assets.
3. At responsAbility, Nikolova will oversee a firm that focuses on financial inclusion, climate finance, and sustainable food, and sees India as a key market for opportunity.
4. Simultaneously, Swati Mehta has joined LeapFrog Investments as a director in the healthcare investment team, expanding their India-based team to ten-strong.
5. LeapFrog's mission to build inclusive, deforestation-free, and fully traceable supply chains is furthered with the appointment of Joe Keen Poon as executive chairman of Indonesian and Swiss-based agritech firm KOLTIVA.
6. Private equity investing, technology, education-and-self-development, personal-finance, general-news, sports, casino-and-gambling, and lifestyle are various sectors that may attract investment from these impact-driven firms, but they were not specified in the article.
7. Financial inclusion and social impact are the guiding principles for both responsAbility and LeapFrog in their business strategies, as demonstrated by their investments in sectors like healthcare, agriculture, and renewable energy.
8. As M&G plc, the parent company of responsAbility, continues to grow, their focus on innovation and impact investing is expected to drive significant change in the financial landscape, fostering a more sustainable and equitable future.

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