Stephen Nairne is the Chief Investment Officer of Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, an Indigenous-led and owned financial intermediary that provides patient risk capital to Indigenous social enterprise across Canada. Prior to joining Raven, Stephen was Managing Partner at AHL Venture Partners, a $100mn fund investing in innovative, scalable small- and medium-sized enterprises in Sub-Saharan Africa. He continues to serve on the Advisory Board of several SME funds and companies in the region.

Between 1995 and 2007, Stephen worked as senior political risk analyst at Export Development Canada and as deputy director for Canada’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. He was also an Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia for twelve years, teaching courses on country risk analysis in developing countries and the African political economy. Stephen holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from McGill University and a Master of Arts from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University.

Stephen is internationally experienced in developing and managing innovative impact investment and social finance tools to alleviate poverty and empower communities across Canada and Sub-Saharan Africa. He has extensive experience in risk analysis as well as sourcing, structuring, and managing impact investments in frontier markets.