Berhane Demissie, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Cepheus Growth Capital Partners, has been appointed to the Board of the Global Partnership for Ethiopia (GPE), the consortium of international investors behind Safaricom Ethiopia.
Her appointment, approved yesterday by the GPE Board, makes her the second Ethiopian to serve on the board after Ermias Eshetu, who joined in March 2025 and was later appointed Chairman of the Safaricom Ethiopia Advisory Board in November 2025.
The announcement came as the GPE Board held a two-day meeting at Safaricom Ethiopia’s headquarters in Addis Ababa. The session brought together senior leaders and board members representing Vodacom Group, Safaricom Group PLC, Vodafone, Sumitomo, British International Investment (BII), the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Safaricom Ethiopia.
Berhane brings more than two decades of experience spanning private equity, investment management, corporate finance and risk management in Ethiopia and the United Kingdom. As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Cepheus Growth Capital Partners, an Ethiopia-focused private equity firm, she provides growth capital to high-potential businesses and supports their long-term development.
Before co-founding Cepheus, Berhane served as a Senior Consultant to Ethiopia’s Public Financial Enterprises Agency, where she supported reforms within the country’s public financial institutions. Earlier in her career, she worked at Citigroup in London in its Corporate and Portfolio Risk Management divisions, building extensive experience in financial analysis, investment and risk management.
She holds a BSc (Hons) from the University of Greenwich, a Diploma of Imperial College (DIC), and an MBA from Imperial College London.
Her appointment further strengthens Ethiopian representation and local expertise at the highest level of Safaricom Ethiopia’s governance. It also reflects the importance of bringing deep local market knowledge and international experience into strategic decision-making as the company continues to expand its network, services and investment in Ethiopia.
With Berhane’s appointment, Ethiopian perspectives and expertise will continue to play an increasingly important role in shaping the strategic direction of Ethiopia’s largest private investment and its ambition to connect more people, businesses and communities to the opportunities of a growing digital economy.
