Agnes Dasewicz was appointed as co-CEO in November 2020, two years after joining the SEAF board. She has more than 25 years of experience in private equity and impact investment. Prior to SEAF, Agnes served in the inaugural Fellowship cohort at the Rockefeller Foundation where she worked to scale up investment into underserved communities in the U.S. Before the Rockefeller Foundation, Agnes was as Director at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) where she was behind some of the most significant accomplishments in development finance recently, including the launch of Power Africa and the establishment of the Office of Private Capital at USAID. As part of this work, she secured over $20 billion of investment commitments from U.S. and African financiers towards energy investment on the continent and initiated and led the first partnership of the Agency with institutional investors to increase investment in infrastructure.

Bert van der Vaart is the Co-founder and CEO of SEAF, leading SEAF’s global operations, including fund launch efforts, and also serves as a member of SEAF’s Global Investment Committee. Bert co-founded SEAF in 1989, when it was known as the CARE Small Business Assistance Corporation (CARESBAC). In 1992, he negotiated the establishment of CARESBAC/SEAF’s first fund in Poland, which grew to $16.8 million total capital under management under his leadership as the fund’s Director General. While serving as Director-General of CARESBAC-Polska from 1994 until 1997, the company completed 27 SME investments and realized its first 6 exits. In 1997, Bert was appointed CEO and President of SEAF, where he has since been involved with the establishment and supervision of every SEAF fund. In 2008, he became Executive Chairman of SEAF’s Board of Directors and became associated with Discovery Global Citizens Fund, an international investment firm.

Robert Vodicka is an Vice President with SEAF working for the company’s global management team. Robert brings a multi-disciplinary approach to his work at SEAF, covering business development, impact, fund formation, finance, operations, and more. Robert heads SEAF’s Environmental, Social and Governance efforts to ensure that all investees meet SEAF standards and promote good practices within their businesses. Robert’s previous work was in small business management in operational and financial roles in the Chicago area. Prior to SEAF, Robert worked as Director of Operations for a mid-sized construction company with national operational focus.