Circularity Capital appoints Sayen Pillay as Operating Principal

Circularity Capital, the specialist private equity firm supporting growth stage European SMEs in the circular economy, has announced the appointment of Sayen Pillay as Operating Principal.

Joining the business from private equity investment firm Tenzing, Sayen brings significant experience in driving portfolio growth and value creation for businesses operating across a diverse range of industries. Prior to Tenzing, he worked as a strategy consultant for Shell, helping the business to harness technology and accelerate the energy transition, and has also worked internationally for EY, IQbusiness and FNB South Africa.

With an MBA from the University of Cambridge and MEng in Engineering Management from the University of Pretoria, Sayen will play a key role in further developing Circularity’s work in supporting its portfolio companies maximise their circular growth potential, with a specific focus on go to market strategy and sales process optimisation.

Commenting on his appointment, Sayen said: “I was attracted to the strong values of Circularity Capital, where the aim is to help build businesses that are not only economically sustainable, but also impactful and purposeful. I’m also excited to be able to leverage my expertise in portfolio company value creation in businesses accelerating the circular economy and within a fund that is the domain expert in this space.”

Jamie Butterworth, co-Founding Partner of Circularity Capital, added: “Through his work with Tenzing, among other roles, Sayen brings extensive experience in driving portfolio growth and value creation. Indeed, Sayen has a proven track record of working collaboratively with investee management teams to drive growth. His appointment marks another important step as we continue to grow Circularity’s specialist circular economy investment capabilities.”

Sayen’s appointment follows yet another successful year for Circularity Capital. Alongside announcing the successful close of its second fund (CEGFII), the growth equity firm has added a number of new innovative companies to its portfolio – including CERAFILTEC, ACS, Bike Club and REBIKE. For more information, visit www.circularitycapital.com.