Catalyst - accelerate action, stimulate transformation, facilitate execution
At Catalyst PMO, we act as more than just external consultants. Unlike traditional consultants who provide external reports and recommendations, Catalyst PMO’s execution-focused advisory model can take on embedded roles, acting as a critical enabler in times of strategic change and growth. Our mission is to empower leaders to realise their strategic ambitions by providing the financial insight, strategic foresight, and execution excellence required to deliver complex projects and transactions, whilst ensuring execution on time and within budget.
As markets become more complex, clients seek partners who are comfortable with complexity, can navigate difficult situations and environments, and provide tangible business outcomes. Catalyst PMO’s execution-centric model, along with its deep expertise in finance and capital markets, in diverse geographies is a powerful hybrid.
While the firm’s expertise is global, its deep roots in Africa and the Gulf allow it to bridge the knowledge and operational expertise gap between these regions. As the Gulf increasingly serves as the investment “engine” for the entire Middle East and Africa region, Catalyst PMO’s ability to bridge strategy, execution and capital in this regional ecosystem, and create clear, credible pathways for investment, is invaluable to our clients.
Meet the team
Catalyst PMO is run by professionals with significant expertise strategy, project management, business development and corporate finance. Our unique combination of skills and experience allows us to offer a “full spectrum” of advisory services spanning strategic conception and planning through to fundraising and implementation
Sonia Borg
Managing Director, Business Development
Catalyst PMO was founded by Sonia Borg after a 25-year career in finance and e-commerce across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She played a key role in launching the first online shopping club serving nine MENA countries, now part of Amazon. Sonia was responsible for sourcing strategy and led the project management office to oversee strategic project delivery.
She began her career at Merrill Lynch in London, later joining Morgan Stanley’s US Equity Capital Markets division, trading North American equities. After relocating to Dubai in 2003, she worked at SHUAA Capital psc as a relationship manager, focusing on asset growth post 9/11. In 2004, she was appointed to enhance SHUAA Asset Management’s product offering for global institutional investors.
Sonia holds a Bachelor of Honours degree in German from the University of Malta and is fluent in English, Italian and Maltese. She is supported by a team of skilled professional advisors who provide real-time expertise on a project-by-project basis, offering organisations of all sizes supplemental professional services.
Ikenna C. Onyejiaka
Managing Partner, Corporate Finance, Strategy and M&A
Ikenna has more than 25 years’ experience in the investment banking and financial advisory industry. He has worked in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and has built an enviable track record of transaction execution and management experience. He was a director of a regulated fund management entity in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), is currently a non-executive director of Zap Mobility, an Africa-focused electric vehicle start-up, and he advises a number of companies on corporate finance and strategic matters.
He started his career in the European Investment Banking division of Merrill Lynch in corporate finance and M&A, gaining significant experience in transactions across Europe, the US and Africa. From 2011 to 2021, Ikenna was with Ecobank Transnational Incorporated (ETI), Africa’s most geographically diverse banking group, where he held several roles including Head of Equity and M&A, Head of Advisory, and Managing Director of Ecobank Capital, the investment banking arm of the firm.
Prior to joining ETI, Ikenna was the founder and Managing Director of Libra Capital Group, a trade finance, advisory and capital-raising firm servicing Middle Eastern, African and Far Eastern companies with an Africa focus or entry strategy.
Ikenna holds a MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom.
Join us
At Catalyst PMO, we are always looking to meet talented professionals to partner with us in serving our clients. We value individuals who have honed their skills and gained extensive experience in their respective fields. If you are an expert in your field, and passionate about delivering exceptional results to clients, we would love to hear from you.