Let's start with the jazzy stuff. Cherwayko is a Canadian of Ukrainian origin who has lived in Africa on and off for 15 years, six of them in Lagos - where he went out for a time with Miss Nigeria.
More than five years ago, he developed a relationship with the government of one of the world's smallest independent countries: São Tomé and Principe (population 120,000).
The island has huge territorial waters off the coast of Cameroon, Gabon and Nigeria - all oil-rich fields. Cherwayko went in there when there were active border disputes, and few Westerners paid any attention to São Tomé.
Now his company has done a seismic survey on behalf of the government, spending $25m (£13m) "to shoot seismic data, which confirmed the existence of significant hydrocarbons," according to Cherwayko. Some of the locals, incidentally, refer to him as Prince Wade.
In addition to his main business, Cherwayko has a hand in another company that exploits fields that are uneconomic for the big explorers. This company, too, will be coming to AIM soon.
And then there's the not inconsiderable matter of the A1 Grand Prix, seen as the most serious challenger to Formula One's highly successful offering of petrol-head heaven. Cherwayko is a co-holder of the UK franchise for the global racing circuit backed by Sheikh Maktoum.
Industry sources say the franchise cost about $5m, and the cash committed is Cherwayko's own: "I see it as a good long-term investment," he says, and is looking forward to the first race at Brands Hatch this September.
All in all, with the West African connection, the fast cars and the beautiful girls, you'd expect Cherwayko to be some kind of industrial playboy. But, with the exception of the stray fragment of diamond knuckleduster that he wears as a wedding ring (he is now married to his partner of six years, and has a 10 month-old son), Cherwayko is anything but your typical flash oilman.
We meet in Equator's slick Sloane Street offices, and he is straight into interview mode. He makes lots of eye contact, and is careful, cautious even, in his dealings with me. He is pale and causally dressed, with a thick-set muscularity.
The impression one gets is that our conversation, from his point of view, is very much a two-step process. First, he wants to find out what I really want. Second, he'll make a quick decision about whether he'll give it to me.
Talking to people has been the basis of his business success and the bedrock of his negotiating style: "It's all about relationships. The key thing is to meet the right people. I have been in West and North Africa's oil, gas and power industry for 15 years."
Well, the market seems to judge that the relationships are potentially fruitful, but there's a big caveat here.
It's obviously unfair to judge a whole country by a small criminal element, but the wave of letters and e-mails emanating from Nigeria soliciting bank details and other scams has ruined that country's reputation in some minds. How has Cherwayko managed to operate as a proper businessman?
Cherwayko is obviously used to what could be seen as Western cultural prejudice, and doesn't flinch at the question: "I was very fortunate. When I first went to Nigeria I was introduced to the right people. That's the key thing - working with the right people.
"Nigeria is transformed significantly in the 15 years I've been there. It's a democracy, a thriving economy. But really it's relationships. We've built on those with my African and foreign partners."
Cherwayko argues that by demonstrating a commitment to West Africa, its people and culture ("over half my friends are African") he gets - apart from personal pleasure - better business relationships.
Equator certainly has one of the most pukka names in African business on its board. The non-executive chairman is Sir Sam Jonah. "He was the first African to take an African company to the New York Stock Exchange," volunteers Cherwayko. Jonah is still on the board of that company, AngloGold Ashanti, and is also a director of Anglo American in South Africa.
It's easy to talk about emerging markets, but Cherwayko, by going into São Tomé at a time of political turmoil demonstrated commitment to the idea.
The benefits, he believes, are about to be reaped: "Our advantage was, we went in there and committed to work quickly. Most big companies might go in there and commit to do something in five years or so. We committed to help show the hydrocarbon potential. You do that with a process called seismic acquisition."
The investment prospects are not difficult to work out. If there's no oil, it's hardly attractive. If there is oil, the reverse is true, as Cherwayko declares: "It's a potential Brunei situation. The country has had high levels of debt and one of the lowest per capita incomes, relying on cocoa and coffee. Now it's not unreasonable to assume it could be one of the richest countries in terms of per capita income."
Industry analysts think it might be a little optimistic to start dreaming about Brunei-style wealth. However bullish the company may be about its prospects, and however logical it may seem that oil should be there, there is no tangible evidence as yet, they say.
It's really all a question of whether you believe in Cherwayko's instincts as an oilman. His whole life has been spent in the industry. He grew up in Calgary, where his father was in the business, and studied geology at the University of Northern Arizona ("a good practical school for geology - close to the Grand Canyon"). Vacations would often be spent working on remote parts of his father's business.
Cherwayko started consulting on leaving university, and was introduced to opportunities in West Africa by a family friend 15 years ago. Now 40, he spends half his time there, often with his wife and child, a quarter of his time in the UK, and the rest travelling around bits of the world with oil and gas deposits.
A logical pastime for the young oilman was to share his father's passion for restoring antique gas-guzzlers: "We used to do up old sports cars - Jags, Ferraris, and the like. I also like American Street Rods. You get a 1950s Mercury shell, and put a fantastic engine and mechanics inside it."
He was introduced to the A1 Grand prix concept by South African business contacts who were "partners of Sheikh Maktoum". Cherwayko says there will be sponsorship - one of the prime revenues sources for a franchise holder - when the first race takes place at Brands Hatch this autumn.
Apart from enjoying the ambience and the business opportunities it affords ("Oil people, government people, successful business people.
They're all involved.") he argues that A1 is a well-financed, serious business venture: "There have been many attempts to rival F1, and I can understand why people are sceptical. But, this time, the funds are there. The car is built by A1 not Ferrari. It's not a constructors' competition. It's the World Cup of car racing."
For Cherwayko, it's an investment, and not a particularly speculative one at that. But then, he is an oilman.