Omar Lodhi joined Abraaj in 2005, and has 16 years of private equity and investment banking experience in the Middle East, Asia and Europe. At Abraaj, Mr. Lodhi has been involved in many aspects of the business. Until early 2009, he headed on one of three investment-management teams responsible for deal sourcing, execution and post-acquisition management of partner companies. His main area of focus was Turkey and the Gulf, targeting a range of sectors including oil and gas, education, food and agriculture, and industrials. During this time, he was responsible for undertaking and managing several investments for Abraaj Funds, including Gulf Marine and Offshore Maintenance Service Ltd (GMMOS), Global Education Management Systems (GEMS) and Tadawi, the biggest retail pharmaceutical business in Saudi Arabia.

Mr. Lodhi has also played a leading role in the development and launch of new funds including Infrastructure and Growth Capital Fund, and Abraaj Buyout Fund IV. He currently manages Abraaj’s Investor Coverage business (AIC), spanning existing and potential limited partners regionally and internationally and also serves on the firm’s six member Executive Management Committee. Before joining Abraaj, Mr. Lodhi was Head of Islamic Finance for Citigroup in the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on primary capital-market fund raising, and the structuring and distribution of alternative investments. Prior to that he spent several years with UBS in London and Hong Kong, focusing on advisory and principal opportunities in various infrastructure sectors in Europe and Asia, including telecoms, power, and downstream oil and gas. Mr. Lodhi is a graduate of the London School of Economics with an Honours degree in International Trade and Development, and holds a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.