Barati has over 18 years’ experience in commercial finance, private equity, and venture capital, having held roles in South Africa, Kenya, Ethiopia, the UK and Australia. She is currently the Investor Relations and Business Development Director at Tiger Brands, responsible for managing the relationships as well as financial and strategic information to the investor community. In her role, she is also responsible for driving the group’s corporate strategy, as well as competitor insight.

Having joined Tiger Brands in 2022 as the Venture Capital Director, Barati led the company’s venture capital fund, aimed at providing startups with the access to capital, markets, and capability required to grow their businesses whilst also helping Tiger explore new opportunities and innovation. A testament to her impact, Barati was recognized as one of 50 globally selected Global Corporate Venturing Rising Stars of 2024, which is awarded to those who have displayed outsized impact in their organizations and the industry, representing the top 0.5% of industry practitioners.

Prior to joining Tiger Brands, she was a Vice President at Zebu Investment Partners, a pan-African private equity fund manager investing across the food value chain with a vision to change the way Africa views food production, sustainability, and investment. Barati led Zebu’s technology-enabled investments and was instrumental in the fund’s food distribution and consumer goods investments across East & Southern Africa. Barati also championed the fund’s gender-lens investment strategy and was part of the Southern Africa Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs Gender Equality Initiative (AGEI).

Barati holds an MBA from the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, where she was a Saïd Foundation African Scholar and Co-Chair of the school’s Africa Business Alliance; and a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal.