Thomas Mielke

Vice President Financial Institutions Africa | DEG (Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft)

Thomas Meilke is Vice President, Financial Institutions Africa at DEG, the German development finance institution. Since joining DEG in 2012, he has worked on the market side of the business, covering portfolio management and the origination and structuring of transactions across a range of products and regions, including Europe and the Middle East.

Before DEG, Thomas spent nearly a decade at WestLB AG, where he rose to the position of Director. His work in credit risk management there spanned aircraft and asset-based finance, investment management, private equity and fund investments, and financing for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, including acquisition finance.

Thomas began his career with an apprenticeship at Stadtsparkasse Remscheid, a German savings bank. He holds a Diplom-Kaufmann degree in Business Administration from the University of Cologne, where he specialised in audit, banking and finance, and tax law. During his studies he gained commercial experience through internships in New York, Hong Kong and Singapore.

He has been a member of Lions Clubs International since 1999 and is a Melvin Jones Fellow of the Lions Clubs International Foundation.