Ms. Swathi Rao
Ms. Swathi Rao
Achiever's Success Story
Embracing her professional journey, Ms. Swathi Rao stands inspirational to budding women professionals
Having completed her Bachelor of Science in Applied Accounting from the Oxford Brookes University, Ms. Swathi Rao has aced her professionalism in Finance and Chartered Accountancy. She is a CFA institute Charterholder, an affiliate of Certified Public Accountants (Kenya) and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of the United Kingdom. Having completed her Chartered Accountancy in 2014, at the age of 18, Ms. Swathi started her career at a family business where she gained invaluable financial understanding and expertise. Following this, she joined I&M Burbidge Capital Limited, based in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2017 as an intern and has climbed her way up the corporate ladder in a relatively short period, currently serving the company as an Associate Vice President – Corporate Finance.
I&M Burbidge Capital (formerly Burbidge Capital) is a corporate finance advisory firm advising businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa on significant capital raising through equity and debt, and M&A transactions, focusing on transactions with a value of USD 5 million – USD 250 million.
Further, she worked as a Transaction Facilitator Advisor for the Manufacturing Africa program between May 2020 and March 2021. The programme is a 7-year one funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office, led by McKinsey & Company with BDO LLP as sub-advisors. Besides the Manufacturing Africa programme, she has advised on 48 mandates to date, including 16 debt and equity capital raises; 2 buy-side mandates; 3 mergers; 10 sell-side mandates; and 18 other advisory mandates, with an average deal size of USD 14 million.
Ms. Swathi has successfully structured and executed private market transactions in a wide variety of sectors and provided clients with advice on strategic financial options available. Transactions were executed through a wide array of financial instruments and completed to/on behalf of both trade and institutional investors.
She has advised leading companies in the region, including Glacier Products, a leading ice cream manufacturer, Kenya Nut Company, known for its popular brands, Out of Africa, Leleshwa, and Morendat, to list a few, and EFC Uganda being Uganda’s fastest growing micro-finance Institution.
Ms. Swathi has obtained several certifications and training, including Introduction to Securities and Investment Certificate and a Regulations and Market Practice Certificate from the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (Kenya) in December 2018 and April 2019, respectively (Nairobi, Kenya). In addition to this, she obtained a Certificate in Business Management (Level III) from The Association of Business Executives with distinction in 3 papers in June 2011 (Nairobi, Kenya).
Apart from her professional career, she actively undertakes philanthropic activities, including sponsoring the complete care of two children via the World Vision Programme, ensuring that the children get comprehensive care and access to education until they can generate their income. In addition, she is engaged with Childline Kenya to assist in preparing budgets and forecasts in line with strategic objectives and advising on fundraising strategies.
