Ismaël CISSÉ
CEO & Founder
Ismaël is the Founder of Sirius Capital and oversees the day-to-day activities of the firm. He focuses on sourcing and execution of transactions and collaborating with management teams.
Holder of two bachelors in Finance and Information Technology obtained at HEC Montréal, a DESS in International Affairs from the prestigious McGill University and an Executive MBA from Paris Dauphine, Ismaël developed a passion for high finance and financial markets very early on. Passion that guided his career choices with world leaders in finance and consulting such as State Street or Price Waterhouse Coopers with whom he quickly obtained increasing responsibilities.
In 2014, passionate about access to finance issues for emerging economies and developing countries and accomplished Investment Banker, Ismaël left North America for Côte d’Ivoire. He launched Sirius Capital for Afr ica, a dynamic business bank created with the mission to mobilize capital for the development of the continent through innovative structuring, an international network and the same standards in terms of rigor and quality as the best global investment banks.
Since then, Sirius Capital has become a key player in the sub-regional market, a member of the Regional Exchange (BRVM) and approved by the BCEAO (Central Bank of West African States), The young business bank has already helped mobilize several hundred billion for the development of the region and the continent for both public and private actors. Sirius Capital has helped finance large companies and major infrastructure projects as well as develop innovative business models to solve financial inclusion problems.
The commitment and performance of Ismaël earned him his nomination among the African personalities of the year alongside Mr. Akinwemi Adesina of the African Development Bank in March 2020.
Highly aware of emerging industry trends, and with a Harvard Fintech degree, Ismaël strongly believes in the importance of the role fintech has to play on the continent: “Africa will not meet the immense challenge of access to finance and the dynamism of its financial market without relying on technology and innovation to design new business models.”
As a seasoned entrepreneur, Ismaël sits on the boards of several high-potential companies in various fields ranging from industry to technology.