MEST Africa appoints Ashwin Ravinchandran as new head

MEST Africa has announced the appointment of Ashwin Ravinchandran as its new managing director.

Ravichandran (pictured above) takes over from Aaron Fu whose last day at MEST was on June 30.

In a statement on Wednesday (3 July), the pan-African entrepreneurial training programme, seed fund, and incubator said Ravichandran joined MEST in 2015 as a technology teaching fellow.

Ashwin Ravinchandran who joined MEST in 2015 has served as the MEST Accra incubator manager previously

MEST added that Ravichandran has since served as the incubator manager for MEST Accra and his latest role was as director of portfolio support and country director for Ghana.

He has a background in computer science and engineering, as well as previous experience working in the innovation team at Honeywell and building startups in India.

He also brings extensive technical knowledge to his executive management experience at MEST.

In his role as director of portfolio support he has overseen MEST portfolio companies such as Complete Farmer, Asoriba, Leti Arts and Kudobuzz.

Ravichandran said he is “incredibly honoured” and excited to be stepping into the new role.

“Since I joined MEST in 2015, I’ve always been inspired by the potential of the African entrepreneurship space

“Being part of the innovation that has come out of MEST over the years, I’ve seen first-hand how technology is changing the future of the continent. I’m excited to lead our talented team as we continue to expand and take on new challenges,” he added.

MEST founder and chairman Jorn Lyseggen, commenting in the same statement, said the organisation is “thrilled” to name Ravichandran as managing director.

“Over the years, he has been an incredible asset to our management team and an invaluable mentor to founders and Entrepreneurs In Training (EITs).

“Ashwin has a passionate product-centric approach to entrepreneurship and combined with a deep belief and dedication to the African continent, he is the right person to take MEST to the next level,” said Lyseggen.

He added that Fu has, in his two years at MEST, been a valued member of the MEST leadership team. “We thank him for all his contributions and wish him all the best in his next endeavour,” said Lyseggen.

Featured image: MEST Africa’s new managing director Ashwin Ravinchandran