Abdool Azize Owasil

Abdool Azize Owasil is a seasoned financial services professional with over 20 years of experience spanning global business structuring, private equity, taxation, auditing, and fiduciary services across Africa and the Indian Ocean region. Based in Mauritius, he has built a distinguished career at the intersection of international finance and cross-border investment, leveraging Mauritius as a strategic platform for private equity opportunities in Africa and India.

Owasil began his career in audit and assurance, working first as an Audit Semi-Senior at KPMG Mauritius from October 1993 to October 1997, then advancing to Audit Supervisor at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in Mauritius from November 1997 to January 2003. During his tenure at PwC, he gained extensive exposure to financial services clients across African regions, establishing a strong foundation in international accounting standards and regulatory frameworks. In 2003, he transitioned from the audit profession into the fiduciary and fund administration sector, a move that would define the trajectory of his career.

His most significant executive role came in 2014 when he was appointed CEO and Managing Director of IQE (Mauritius) Limited, the Mauritius office of the Isle of Man-based international fiduciary services firm. In this capacity, Owasil led a team of over 100 professionals and was responsible for delivering comprehensive fiduciary services under the regulation of Mauritius's Financial Services Commission. His mandate at IQE focused on fund setup and structuring, company and partnership formation, trust administration, and international tax planning for institutional and high-net-worth clients seeking exposure to African and Indian markets. He served in this role until July 2021, significantly expanding IQE's footprint and capabilities in the region.

Following his tenure at IQE, Owasil transitioned into a portfolio of director and advisory roles. He currently serves as Director of Lexfin Limited and Rotana CoSec Ltd, both Mauritius-based entities providing corporate secretarial, fiduciary, and business advisory services. He also holds a position as an Investment Board Member at India Venture Partners, where he leverages his deep knowledge of African and Indian markets to evaluate early-stage investment opportunities.

Owasil is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA), a designation that reflects over five years of post-qualification experience and continued professional development. He is also a Fellow of the Mauritius Institute of Directors (F.MIoD) and a member of the Mauritius Institute of Professional Accountants. Beyond his professional roles, he is active on LinkedIn, regularly sharing insights on African financial markets, infrastructure investments, and emerging economic trends across the continent.

Abdool Azize Owasil's investment approach is rooted in his extensive experience structuring private equity transactions and funds across Africa and India, with Mauritius serving as the jurisdictional hub. His specialty lies in private equity, and his strategic focus is on seed-stage and early-stage opportunities in markets that are underserved by traditional Western venture capital.

His investment philosophy emphasizes:

Through his role on the Investment Board at India Venture Partners, Owasil evaluates opportunities in information technology, healthcare, education, and other high-growth sectors targeting the Indian market. His value-add to portfolio companies includes cross-border structuring, access to Mauritius-based institutional capital, and introductions to fiduciary and regulatory service providers.

• Cross-border structuring expertise: Leveraging Mauritius's favorable tax treaties and regulatory environment to facilitate investment flows into Africa and India
• First institutional capital for emerging market entrepreneurs: Providing seed-stage capital to founder-led businesses in high-growth sectors across Africa and South Asia
• Focus on governance and compliance: Bringing institutional rigor to early-stage investments through best practices in fund administration, corporate governance, and regulatory compliance
• Sectoral agnosticism with an infrastructure and services tilt: While sector-agnostic, his background suggests a preference for financial services, industrial services, infrastructure, and technology-enabled businesses with clear paths to profitability