New York, Dubai,
UAE, 10 November 2015:
U.S. investors should take a more nuanced view of the Middle East,
and explore opportunities in growth sectors such as healthcare, Hoda Abou-Jamra,
Founding Partner at TVM Capital Healthcare Partners told a conference of high
profile women investors in New York this week.
Speaking at the 7th Annual Women’s Alternative Investment Summit,
Abou-Jamra said that U.S. investors were often overly swayed by perceptions of
political risk, and may not appreciate the size, diversity and economic opportunity
across the Middle East and North Africa region.
“I’m really passionate about opening people’s minds
about the Middle East, and the global investment community is the perfect
platform because investors look at hard facts,” Abou-Jamra said during a
session on perception and reality of building
portfolios in the Middle East.
“In the MENA region, we are experiencing relatively strong economic growth rates, youthful and growing populations
are driving demand, and there are large gaps in the provision of key goods and services.
At TVM Capital Healthcare, we have a singular focus on identifying these gaps,
and innovating in the regional healthcare provision, while working very closely
with local authorities and international partners. It has proved to be a
successful recipe.”
Abou-Jamra
added: “As a founding partner of a healthcare private equity fund I am
extremely proud that we have women representing the Board at all of our
portfolio companies, bar one. This
matters a lot – research suggests that more women on the management floor
equates to improved returns.”
TVM Capital Healthcare Partners is working with several global
institutional investors to deploy capital in healthcare in the region, and has
invested in five portfolio companies since 2010, exiting its first investment
into a specialty clinic, ProVita International Medical Center, in June this
year. The private equity firm has helped to forge international partnerships
for the companies, including with U.S. specialists Spaulding Rehabilitation
Network and Joslin Diabetes Center.