CardinalStone Real Assets Limited has appointed Laolu Alabi as executive director. Alabi joins the organisation with a wealth of expertise in innovative and strategic fundraising as well as management across global markets.

Commenting on the appointment, Chief Executive of CardinalStone Real Assets, Mohammed Garuba, stated: “We are thrilled to welcome Laolu to our team. His exceptional skill set and experience will be invaluable as we continue to drive excellence in real estate.”

Alabi shared his enthusiasm about the new role, saying: “I am honoured to join CardinalStone Real Assets as an executive director and am eager to collaborate with the talented team here to achieve the company’s strategic goals.”

Before joining CardinalStone, the appointee led the real estate division at African Capital Alliance, where he served as fund manager for the $165 million Capital Alliance Property Investment Company (CAPIC) opportunistic fund. He was responsible for the fund’s investment strategy, asset management, value creation and exits.

Earlier in his career, Alabi worked as an associate investment director at Silk Invest Limited, a UK-based multi-strategy investment manager focused on frontier markets.

He played a key role in fundraising for the Silk Invest Africa food private equity fund and invested in value-add food chain companies in Egypt, Ethiopia and Nigeria.

With a bachelor’s degree in banking and finance from the University of Lagos, an MSc from Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield University, he also gained valuable experience as a research analyst at Stanbic IBTC, where he initiated coverage primarily on the breweries sector.