Henry Gabay is a Swiss/Turkish businessman. He is a veteran global investment executive, founder and chairman of the London-based investment company Duet Group. Gabay specializes in hedge funds, alternative investments and private equity, and is an expert on emerging markets and frontier markets. Gabay is CEO and Co-Founder of Duet Group and CIO of Duet Private Equity. 

Location 

Henry Gabay was born in Turkey. He completed his academic education in Switzerland, graduating with a degree in Finance and Economics from the University of Geneva in 1991. Throughout his career, he has held several roles in relation to Emerging Markets, from Equity Sales, to Equity Capital Markets and M&A. Henry Gabay currently resides in London.

Early Career

Gabay’s career began at Merrill Lynch International not long after he graduated, in 1992. As Vice President of the company’s London & Geneva Equity Division he oversaw equity distribution for European Institutions in Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Russia. After almost five years at Merrill Lynch he took up a new position at Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB) where, over a four-year tenure, he served as Head of Equity Sales for Emerging Markets, Head of Investment Banking for Israel & Turkey, and New York & London Director. Gabay left CSFB to form his own global alternative asset management firm. He founded Duet Group in May 2002 and has since developed the company into a global firm with offices in London, New Delhi, New York, and Accra, Ghana. 

Remarkable Investments

Under Henry Gabay’s leadership, since the firm’s inception Duet funds and direct deals have won more than 20 awards in various asset classes including Hedge Funds, Long Only Funds and Private Equity.

For example, in 2012 Gabay led Duet’s investment into Dashen Brewery, today one of Ethiopia’s most prominent breweries. The investment was made in the form of an equity injection through Duet Beverages Africa in collaboration with Vasari Global. Using investment proceeds, Dashen has grown its capacity, enhanced distribution channels and upgraded its equipment. It is now one of the leading beer brands in Ethiopia both in capacity and in market share. Gabay serves as a member on the Dashen Brewery Board of Directors.

Latest News

In mid-2018 Duet Private Equity acquired the asset and wealth management firm Merit Capital. The acquisition, led by Gabay, contributed to the diversification of Duet’s business line, added roughly 2,000 clients to its portfolio and expanded the group’s European wealth management platform. Based in Antwerp, Merit Capital has been specializing in private placement as well as advisory and discretionary wealth management since 2001. The prestigious asset manager is valued at $1.3 billion.  Henry Gabay has served as chairman of Merit Capital’s Board of Directors since August 2018, when the acquisition was officially approved by the National Bank of Belgium.

In August 2018 Duet acquired a majority share in AJEast Nigeria, a beverage manufacturer based in the outskirts of Lagos. Duet’s investment of over $50 million is intended to expand AJEast’s share in existing markets and increase its presence in new markets across Africa. AJEast is the African subsidiary of AJE Group. Among the beverages it manufactures are Big Cola, Big Lemon, and Big Orange. These cooldrinks attract a young audience of middle-income earners, explains Gabay, a population group which is in constant growth in Nigeria. As a result, demand for AJEast products is already on the rise and is expected to grow exponentially in the near future.