Ngowari Adikibi
Partner - Avocat au Barreau de Paris
Ngowari is a seasoned funds expert with an intrinsic understanding of her clients’ commercial concerns, resulting in pragmatic solutions adapted to their business needs.
Partner - Avocat au Barreau de Paris
Ngowari is a seasoned funds expert with an intrinsic understanding of her clients’ commercial concerns, resulting in pragmatic solutions adapted to their business needs.
Languages: English, French, Spanish
Jurisdictions: England & Wales, France (Paris)
Ngowari is a Partner in the Fund Formation & Secondaries practice, and in charge of the Africa Practice and Pro Bono in the Paris office.
She advises fund managers and GPs, as well as institutional investors and DFIs, on fund formation, secondaries and cross-border private equity deals. She delivers innovative solutions for the structuring, creation, negotiation and marketing of different forms of classic and impact funds, investing predominantly in France, the UK and the EMEA region (including French & Luxembourg funds, UK & Channel Islands limited partnerships, Mauritius funds and hybrid structures).
She creates carried interest and regulated portfolio management structures and assists fund managers on regulatory matters relating to their authorisation, and the marketing, operation and management of their funds. In addition, she advises on LP primary investments, and GP-led and LP-led secondary transfers of portfolio interests.
Ngowari previously obtained solid experience of complex and high-end cross-border private equity downstream deals at several US law firms in London and Paris, allowing her to provide a seamless offering and added value to her international funds clients. Ngowari also gained significant emerging markets experience working in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, where she advised European investors on foreign investment in the Mercosur.
She co-authors the French chapter of the Working Guide to Fund Finance and is a member of France Invest’s Compliance Committee.
Middle Eastern sovereign fund, LP representation
Advising the French public investment bank, with respect to: (1) the creation of FKF, a private equity fund for the Kuwaiti Investment Authority, ICC and Bpifrance; (2) several LP primary investments in prospective European, African and US portfolio funds.
European funds, co-investments, secondaries, LP representation
Advising a leading independent European manager and advisor of private equity, private debt & infrastructure funds (€14.4 billion assets under management) on structuring several European funds and mandates, LP primary investments in portfolio funds, co-investments and GP-led & LP-led secondaries.
European hybrid private equity fund and staff co-investment
Advising the investment arm of a British multinational investment bank group specialising in private equity and secondary investments (€29 billion of assets under management) on structuring a Luxembourg/French direct hybrid fund structure and staff co-investment scheme (target size - €775 million).
African and MENA private equity funds
Advising a premium private equity firm, present in the EMEA (over US$1 billion assets under management), on structuring: (1) two African funds (Mauritius limited partnerships - target sizes - US$250 million and US$500 million); (2) a US$100 million MENA fund (GCC and non-GCC English limited partnerships).
French venture capital impact fund
Advising a pioneer in the French impact ecosystem, and the first French fund manager to support investments having a positive social and environmental impact on society, in relation to the structuring of its third-generation French venture capital impact fund (target size - €200 million).
European energy transition and clean energy funds
Advising clients on structuring energy transition funds, e.g: (1) a listed global alternative asset manager with US$50.6 billion of assets under management (target size - €1 billion); (2) a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$180 billion managed or advised in Europe, the Americas & Asia (target size - €300 million).
African private equity fund
Advising a Luxembourg-based next-generation financial services company, active in the Middle East & Africa, on the structuring of an African fund investing in high-growth consumer businesses in the Maghreb region (Luxembourg limited partnership - target size - US$500 million).
European venture capital funds (seed and pre-seed)
Advising a European early-stage venture capital firm, based in Paris, with respect to structuring two French venture capital funds (seed and pre-seed), targeting innovative start-ups across Europe, as well as European founders (target sizes - €120 million and €150 million).
African and European infrastructure fund structures
Advising a global asset manager specialising in long-term public and community infrastructure (US$23 billion of assets under management) on structuring: (1) an African infrastructure fund (target size - €300 million); (2) a European infrastructure fund, and its feeder fund for US UBTI tax-exempt and non-US ECI and CAI sensitive investors.
Emerging market agriculture impact fund
Advising a world-leading asset manager in impact and development investments in emerging and developing economies, with US$5.5 billion of assets under management, on structuring a Luxembourg fund investing in the agricultural value chain in fast-growing developing countries (target size - US$150 million).
