Lucien Moolenaar

Managing Partner

Lucien is a senior corporate finance lawyer with blue chip private practice and investment banking experience in the UK, Europe and Africa.

He practiced law at Sullivan & Cromwell and Rogers & Wells and has advised financial institutions, corporates and private investors on hundreds of transactions in the UK and EMEA, including several landmark cross-border transactions.

Lucien also spent six years in senior leadership roles at Renaissance Capital, the emerging markets investment bank based in London. As Executive Director and Head of Legal, he helped develop and execute the firm’s strategy and its expansion to seven countries in EMEA while managing the legal and compliance teams in those regions. He also provided strategic counsel on complex restructuring transactions involving various businesses within the Renaissance Group.

Before joining Renaissance Capital, Lucien spent four years at Merrill Lynch, as a Director and Head of Equity Capital Markets Legal in London and General Counsel of Merrill Lynch South Africa in Johannesburg.

Lucien currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of EAC Advisory Limited, a Nigerian investment bank based in Lagos. He has also served on a number of other company boards, risk and audit committees and management boards in the international financial services sector.

Lucien was a Co-Founder and Director of Emerging Crowd, the London based fintech firm. European FinTech Top 100 winner in 2016, the firm advised and raised capital for SMEs in the UK, Africa and Asia.

Lucien graduated from Harvard University and Fordham Law School and is a member of the New York Bar.

in association with Epena Law

Johanna Monthe

Johanna is a Lawyer with 12 years of experience acquired in France, Luxembourg and the UK, and is a co-founder of Epena Law. Previously, Johanna was a managing associate at Linklaters’ office in London.

Johanna’s background aligns with the values of our firm. Before becoming a lawyer she was running as a professional international track and field athlete. Johanna believes in transferability of skills and is a strong advocate of diversity in the legal profession. Johanna has worked an equal amount of time in civil and common law systems, and she is licenced to practice in Paris, England and Wales, New York and Cameroon.

Johanna specialises in international transactions, as she is able to seamlessly navigate both civil and common law systems, which make for most of the legal systems in Africa.

Johanna specialises in private funds work, strategic partnerships, private equity corporate and financing work, with a special focus on Africa-related work.

Qualifications

New York, Paris, England and Wales and Douala, and she holds and executive MBA from London Business School.

Previously

• Managing Associate, Linklaters, London

• Senior Associate, DLA Piper, London

• Associate/Avocate, SJ Berwin – King & Wood Mallesons, Paris

• Associate, Arendt & Medernach, Luxembourg

• Advised on a wide range of corporate matters, with a focus on corporate and fund matters, particularly in Africa