Sawa Nakagawa

Sawa Nakagawa is an impact-driven leader with a passion for solving societal and environmental challenges. As Executive Director of AlphaMundi Foundation, she leads a team that is committed to strengthening the long-term commercial viability of SMEs in Africa and Latin America to drive economic transformation.

Sawa brings significant experience driving impact through innovative finance and market-based solutions. Prior to joining AlphaMundi Foundation, she founded ThreeArrows Impact Partner, a specialized advisory firm focused on impact investing, social innovation and sustainability based in Johannesburg and Nairobi. From 2015 to 2018, Sawa led a South African impact investing company E 2 Investments as its inaugural Chief Executive Officer, building the organization from the ground up to create sustainable jobs and attack poverty.

She has a strong financial and business acumen with a focus on emerging markets, having worked for a range of institutions including Barclay Africa/Absa Investment Bank, International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group), and UBS Investment Bank. Sawa holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a Masters in International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. A Chartered Financial Analyst, Sawa additionally holds a CFA Certificate in ESG Investing. Originally from Japan, Sawa has lived and worked across several countries, with the past 15 years spent in sub-Saharan Africa.