Corporate Strategic Advisory

The Team

Nyagaka Ongeri

Head of Corporate Strategic Advisory

Mr. Ongeri heads Strategic Advisory Services Division at Blaylock Van, LLC and has over 30 years of experience in the Capital Markets business. He was previously Head of Global Corporates in the Americas for Barclays PLC. From 2009 to 2011, Mr. Ongeri was Head of Global Finance and Risk Solutions for Barclays Africa in Johannesburg, South Africa.

He managed the bank’s financing products across 13 African countries. Preceding this, he was head of the Financial Institutions Debt Capital Markets Group at Barclays New York for several years. He joined Barclays in 2001 from JP Morgan, South Africa. Mr. Ongeri is a graduate of Howard University where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honors). He is also a graduate of Harvard Business School and has successfully completed the CFA examinations.

Trisha Oreta

Senior Vice President - Strategic Advisory

Trisha Oreta is a Senior Vice President within the Strategic Advisory division at Blaylock Van, LLC and has over 15 years of experience in corporate banking across Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America. Trisha was previously a Director at Barclays Bank in New York, managing relationships with corporate clients in the industrials and business services sectors. While at Barclays, she was seconded to Absa Capital in South Africa, where she held a regional strategy role.

Trisha began her career at Standard Chartered Bank and was a member of the Public Sector coverage team in London, UK and Manila, Philippines. Trisha holds an MBA in Finance and Strategic Management (honors) from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and a BS in Molecular Biology & Biotechnology (magna cum laude) from the University of the Philippines.

Priyanshu Deshraju

Associate - Strategic Advisory

Priyanshu (“Pri”) is an Associate at Blaylock Van within the Corporate Strategic Advisory Services team, where he is focused on corporate finance and on general business development. Priyanshu previously worked at Credit Suisse in the risk management division, where he validated/advised on Market Risk and Credit Risk models for the bank's investment and trading portfolio.

Priyanshu holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from IIT Bombay and graduated with an MBA from the New York University Stern School of Business, with a concentration in Finance, Analytics, and Leadership.

Daisy Etemesi

Vice President - Strategic Advisory Services

Previously, Daisy worked at Standard Chartered Bank in Corporate Banking where she was responsible for Public Sector and Development Organization clients. She worked with the leverage and structured solutions team where she was involved in transactions in debt restructuring, acquisition financing, bridge loans and capex financing.

Daisy worked with a local credit reference bureau analyzing credit risk and preparing business information reports for trade credit. Daisy is a graduate of the University of Leeds where she was awarded an MSc Economics and Finance. She received a bachelor’s in business science in Financial Economics from Strathmore University.

Kellie Ruto

Analyst - Strategic Advisory Services

Previously, Kellie worked as a Senior Investment Banking Analyst with Maitri Capital, an investment banking and financial advisory firm based in Nairobi, Kenya. At Maitri, Kellie was responsible for providing analytical and resource management advice to small, medium-sized, and large enterprises. She managed and spearheaded projects that involved strategy development, business plan writing, business advisory, financial analysis and modeling, company valuation, capital raising and, Mergers and Acquisitions transactions.

Kellie received her Bachelor of Business Science degree in Actuarial Science from Strathmore University. She is currently actively pursuing her qualification as an Actuary and is a member of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries in the UK.

Mark Mugo

Analyst - Strategic Advisory Services

Before joining Blaylock Van, Mark worked at Buildafrique Consulting Group, a real estate firm based in Nairobi, Kenya. At Buildafrique, Mark was responsible for carrying out project analysis and projections, providing best-suited investment solutions to clients as well as capital sourcing.

He managed several projects at the firm, ensuring that clients were well advised on the most likely risks, provided financial projections, and was able to assist in capital raising for clients as well. He received a bachelor’s in business science in Financial Economics from Strathmore University.

Firdowsa Omar

Analyst - Strategic Advisory Services

Prior to joining, Firdowsa worked as a regional specialist for the Hult Prize Foundation, a non-profit under Education First. She managed a portfolio of universities in the East African market. She provided social innovation and entrepreneurial workshops support for competitors proceeding to the $1M prize in the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Firdowsa also has expertise in commercial banking under Gulf African Bank, a fully-fledged Islamic Bank in Kenya where she was involved in projects under credit analysis and land valuations. Firdowsa pursued her Bachelor of Business Science degree in Financial Economics from Strathmore University.