Stakeholders
Benga Riverside is supported by an experienced team of Sponsors and Partners, enabling the Estate to be a beacon of architectural excellence, sustainable development and investment opportunity.
Senior management
Founded in 2013 by Lucio Frigo, MATERIA seeks to develop housing and social infrastructure by leveraging local techniques and capabilities. The company's vision is to grow into a key real estate developer for economically efficient and socially relevant projects across Africa and beyond.
Lucio has over 10 years of real estate development and investment experience in the West, Middle East and Africa. Lucio started his career at Goldman Sachs in the Investment Banking division, before going on to work at Boss Development, Colony Capital and most recently, The Abraaj Group - a USD 7.5 bn real estate firm, investing in assets across Europe.
VIIV Investments & Advisory was co-founded in 2011 as a family office focused on tech investments and socially responsible developments throughout sub-Saharan Africa by Carlo Gelfo and Niccolo Polli.
Carlo previously worked as Investment Director for QADIC, a multi-billion dollar government-to-government joint venture between Abu Dhabi and Qatar; he has a BSc in Economics and a Master in Financial Markets and Corporate Finance from Bocconi University.
Niccolo’ has over 20 years of experience in finance and banking and is currently the Country CEO of HSBC Luxembourg. He has a BSc from Stanford and an MBA from INSEAD.
Partnerships and endorsement
The estate is designed by the internationally-acclaimed Kéré Architecture. One of the World's most distinguished contemporary architects thanks to his pioneering of a communal approach to design and his commitment to sustainable materials. Prominent projects include designs for the Burkina Faso National Assembly, the Lycée Schorge Secondary School, the Léo Surgical Clinic & Health Centre and the 2017 Serpentine Pavilion.
The Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) has already contributed key human resources to Benga Riverside and other opportunities for collaboration are being explored.
Benga Riverside sponsored and hosted USI ‘Building Realities’ Students Workshop. The workshop saw 20 international students
travelling across Mozambique for five weeks and build a sustainable pavilion within the estate. Results of the workshop are being published in international design magazine and an international exhibition about this workshop is being organised in Genève, Switzerland.