Boulder Institute of Microfinance

Diane Smith is Vice President and head of Grameen Foundation’s Capital Management and Advisory Center. Diane joined Grameen Foundation in January, 2007, bringing 20 years of experience in domestic and emerging market private equity investing, fund management and banking.

As Managing Director and senior portfolio manager for Electra Investment Trust PLC of the U.K., Diane played a key role in building the firm’s new U.S. private equity portfolio to over half a billion dollars in equity and high yield investments in a wide variety of industries. Diane focused on growth financings and leveraged buyouts in middle market sized companies in sectors including telecommunications, healthcare, broadcast media, aviation, consumer products, industrial services and specialty manufacturing, and served on the boards of these portfolio companies.

In the late 1990’s she spearheaded Electra’s expansion into South America, forming joint venture fund management companies with financial institutions in Argentina and Brazil, raising third-party funds to invest in these countries and managing the operations while living several years in Brazil. Prior to joining Electra, Diane was involved in building a new leveraged buyout business for a New York-based thrift, as well as serving in international banking and corporate finance roles with Manufacturers Hanover Trust.

Before joining MHT she spent several years in Spain developing export markets for Spanish producers of industrial and consumer products. Diane holds a masters in International Management from Thunderbird School of Global Management, and a BA in Communications from Washington State University. She speaks English, Spanish and Portuguese.