A former key figure in the Middle East peace process has been appointed by Dubai-based Abraaj Group as a managing partner.Kito de Boer will oversee Abraaj’s Impact Investing business and will spearhead the group’s global efforts to deploy private capital as a means of tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges.In 2014, he was appointed by US Secretary of State John Kerry to become Head of Mission of the Office of the Quartet based in Jerusalem with a specific focus on the economic track of the Middle East Peace Process.De Boer assumed overall leadership when former British Prime Minister Tony Blair stepped aside as Quartet Representative.Prior to this diplomatic posting, he spent 29 years with McKinsey & Co based in London, New Delhi and Dubai.Arif Naqvi, founder and group chief executive of The Abraaj Group said: “For us, investing with impact is core to the markets in which we operate. There is a real opportunity for businesses to positively address and deliver on the SDGs. Throughout his distinguished career, Kito has demonstrated both a commitment to these aspirations and a professional excellence that matches our own. I am confident his experience will help guide our goals to expand and grow this increasingly important line of business.”De Boer added: “The challenge of funding the UN Sustainable Development Goals is one of scale. Meeting this funding challenge will demand an investment platform with the combination of scope to penetrate those geographies and sectors most in need of capital, performance credibility based on track record, and a values system that will nurture partnerships across the ecosystem of sectors – public, private, philanthropic and development.”
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