Global & Branch Councils

Rafael Alonso, Head of our Spanish offices, has a large and reputed professional experience in providing legal advice to national and international clients.

His primary practice is Corporate Finance. He regularly advises his clients on M&A deals, general corporate work, restructuring and group reorganizations, joint ventures, transactional work, etc.

He has also developed a vast experience within the real estate sector, advising to developers of different type of projects, investors and real estate funds, constructors, engineers and other players.

His professional profile is characterized by his ability to add value to his clients in the management of their legal affairs and to get involved in the strategic decision making of his clients

Mark Bain is consistently recognized as one of Canada’s leading infrastructure and project finance lawyers. He has acted on over 50 major public-private partnership (PPP) and alternative financing and procurement (AFP) transactions.

Mark has acted on a broad range of PPP, AFP and other infrastructure transactions across multiple sectors, including transport, transit, water/wastewater, healthcare, education, justice and urban redevelopment. He has represented all of the principal parties to such transactions, including sponsors, funders, contractors and public authorities.

Recent mandates include SRO Renewal Initiative (for the successful proponent), Ottawa Light Rail Transit (for the lenders), City of Regina Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade (for the public authority), Windsor Essex Parkway (for the successful proponent) and Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link (for the public authority).

Mark is the head of Torys’ Public-Private Partnerships practice, and co-head of the firm’s Infrastructure and Energy practice.  He is a Director of the Canadian Council for Public Private Partnerships.

Daphne Broerse is Managing Partner of the Amsterdam office of global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright and member of the management committee of Norton Rose Fulbright LLP. She also heads the Infrastructure team in Amsterdam. With a combined administrative law and civil law background, she advises governmental authorities as well as private parties on a wide range of issues in the projects sector. Keen interests of Daphne are securing the best risk allocation for the project, stakeholder management and alternative tender arrangements (e.g. Early Contractor Involvement).

Since 2008, Daphne has advised on and negotiated major project finance transactions in the port, infrastructure and energy sector, with a focus on the negotiation and drafting of the required project documentation.  In the Netherlands, Norton Rose Fulbright advised – amongst others – on the Coentunnel project, A15, Rotterdam World Gateway, A9 and the accommodation projects RIVM and De Knoop.

Daphne studied at the University of Utrecht and joined the Amsterdam Bar Association in 2001. She started her career as a legal adviser in the field of administrative law and environmental law at PWC in 1999.

Neil Collins has advised on PPP, project finance, mergers, acquisitions and disposals, corporate valuations, feasibility studies and other corporate finance assignments for fifteen years having joined KPMG in 1996. Neil’s PPP experience includes the €3bn NRA First Roads Programme, the €1bn NRA Second Roads Programme, the Metro North and Metro West projects, the Criminal Courts Complex PPP and the Northern Ireland Roads DBFO Programme.

Didier De Vliegher (partner) is head of the Real Estate Practice and of
the PPP focus group. His work includes corporate real estate work for
Belgian and international investors (acquisitions, real estate financing,
real estate fund work, sale & lease backs, etc.) and asset & project
finance work including PPP’s primarily as lenders’ counsel.
He regularly helps clients structure complex transactions and advises
on the ensuing regulatory and compliance issues.
Didier’s practice won the Best Real Estate and Construction Law Firm
Award in 2006, 2009 and in 2010 and the Via-Zaventem road
infrastructure PPP deal on which he represented Fortis won the
Project Finance Deal of the Year Award for European Transport Hub
and PPP in 2007.
Didier is a member of the Council of the Brussels Bar, an officer and
the Regional Representative Europe of the Real Estate Law
Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA) and a Council
member of the European Forum of the IBA.
Didier graduated from the University of Leuven (1983). He also holds a
post-graduate economic law (ULB) and an MBA from the Solvay
Business School.

Andy Garbutt is a Principal in KPMG’s Infrastructure Advisory team in the US, based in Austin, Texas and responsible for leading and developing KPMG’s P3 advisory services.

Andy has been with KPMG for 10 years and established the US Infrastructure Advisory team in 2006. Prior to joining KPMG, Andy was a project financier in the Royal Bank of Scotland’s public sector finance group, involved in advising and structuring a number of the early PFI transaction s in the UK.

Ian Greer has over 24 years project finance experience. Until July 2014 he was Managing Director at Standard & Poor’s, the global rating agency, holding positions including: Asia-Pacific Analytical Manager Infrastructure and Project Finance and Global Analytical Coordinator Project Finance. He was the key architect and lead author of Standard & Poor’s revised project finance criteria. Prior to this he was a project finance banker for seven years based in Australia. His experience covers PPP/PFI, transportation (tollroads, airports, rail), resources (mining, oil & gas, shipping), and energy (power, LNG, pipelines). In addition Ian has worked on traditional infrastructure concession financings and M&A across global debt markets. Ian’s early career in the mining industry as project coordinator for a major mining exploration project in West Africa resulted in the grant of a mining lease and investment by the IFC.

Ian has delivered project finance training programs in many global centers, including Tokyo, London, Sydney and Singapore and has lectured on finance for Kaplan, Melbourne University, Commonwealth Secretariat, and Bond University where he is an adjunct professor. Ian is a regular speaker at premier infrastructure conferences throughout Asia.

Ian holds an MBA from Cranfield, UK, and qualifications in finance and investment, science (geology), and adult education. He is a Fellow Financial Services Institute of Australia; Graduate Australian Institute of Company Directors; Member Australian Institute of Management, and Member Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

James Harris is a Partner of Pinsent Masons in Singapore. He has expertise in project finance, infrastructure privatisation and public private partnerships (PPPs). He has advised governments, corporate and lenders across Asia, the Middle East, the UK as well as Australia, on numerous greenfield and brownfield infrastructure based transactions.

James is recognized as a leading project finance lawyer in several industry publications. He is well regarded for energy/power projects (including renewables), transport (roads, ports, sea ports, airports), water/waste projects as well as being experienced in projects involving hotels, resorts, casinos, sporting stadia, health facilities/hospitals and educational facilities.

Mike Peo is the head of the Infrastructure, Energy and Telecommunications business of Nedbank Capital. He is also the Chairman of the South African Chapter of the International Project Finance Association, is a member of the Governing Board of the African Infrastructure Investment Fund, one of the largest Infrastructure Funds in South Africa and is also a Director of Companies.

Mike is a CA (SA) who spent 10 years at Arthur Andersen and has had 20 years investment banking experience, with the past 16 years being primarily focused on the financing of large scale infrastructure projects in Africa. He has been extensively involved in most of the large scale infrastructure projects in South Africa and over the past five years has originated and led a number of landmark transactions, which have secured in excess of 20 international awards for Nedbank Capital.

Sergio Sambri, achieved broad and specific experience, not only in activities connected with privatisations and structured finance with reference to public works, energy law and public evidentiary procedures (work, equipment and services), but also in environmental and urban planning law.

In the project finance area, Mr. Sambri advises both financial institutions and companies on the structuring of proposals and enterprises to realise projects in both the energy and public works sectors at all project stages. More specifically, he prepares proposals; licensee tender offers; drafts documentation related to construction and management; drafts financing contracts and related security packages; and drafts and analyses commercial contracts related to specific transactions (e.g. EPC, O&M, supply, etc.).

In administrative law, Mr. Sambri advises both private and public entities on the development of joint venture transactions between local public authorities and local entities (Società di Trasformazione Urbana) and takes part at each stage of the project. He advises operators during the different phases of decontaminating polluted sites and analyses the issues concerning the environment, urban-planning and public laws. He has broad experience in public works realisation, as well as public tenders for the supply of goods and services. In this sector, he advises his clients in litigation matters before the Regional Administrative Court (TAR) and Consiglio di Stato.

His clients include energy and construction companies, public administration and financial institutions.

He has been a speaker at numerous congresses and seminars on laws related to project finance, energy and public tenders.

Barry has a wealth of experience in delivering major investment programmes. Prior to his appointment at Transport for the North, he was Chief Executive at Scottish Futures Trust where he led the organisation in improving the planning and delivery of infrastructure investment and asset management in Scotland.

In his current role, he is responsible for transforming regional connectivity and driving economic growth in the North. He will oversee the development of Transport for the North into a statutory organisation, bringing together northern transport authorities, to allow the North to speak with a single voice on big transport decisions which will benefit the region.

He has held a number of challenging high profile private sector roles including being the Managing Director of BAM’s UK infrastructure investment company and as a Director of Skanska Infrastructure Development.

Eng. Stanley K Kamau is the Director/Head of Public Private Partnership (PPP) Unit, National Treasury. He is responsible for overall coordination, promotion, and oversight implementation of the country’s PPP program. Appointed in early 2010, he has been the driving force behind Kenya’s PPP agenda, overseeing the establishment and operationalization of a robust legal and regulatory framework, as well as an ambitious PPP pipeline.
Eng. Kamau has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Nairobi and is a registered engineer with Engineers Registration Board of Kenya. In the last 30 years, Eng. Kamau has attended several finance and management courses in Kenya, Europe, Asia, Africa and America. He is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in Sociology at the University of Nairobi.

Dessislava Strothmann has been working for the VIFG (Transport Infrastructure Financing Company) since 2008 and is an expert in private finance, financing issues of PPP projects in the transport sector, financial modelling and value for money tests. Before joining the VIFG she worked in a national central and corporate bank in Frankfurt am Main, where she started her professional career in the credit department for project and acquisition finance. Dessislava studied at the University of Mannheim and graduated in Economics. She speaks Bulgarian (mother tongue), German, English and Russian.

David is the head of Ashurst’s finance team in the Middle East. He specialises in the development, financing and acquisition of infrastructure and energy assets and has over 15 years’ experience advising sponsors, lenders (including Islamic banks and export credit/multi-lateral agencies) and government institutions in the Middle East.

David is listed as a leading individual for banking & finance in the UAE by both Legal 500 2015 and Chambers Global 2015. He was featured as one of six leading lawyers advising on alternative energy projects in the Middle East.

Joe Wright is Senior Director and Head of Transaction and Portfolio Management at the Nordic Investment Bank (NIB). Joe’s team of bankers execute new lending operations and manage the loan portfolio across NIBs lending business, including Corporate Finance, Financial Intermediary, Sovereign and Municipal Lending, and Project and Structured Finance.

NIB is a AAA rated multilateral financing institution with the Nordic and Baltic countries as members. It promotes sustainable growth of its member countries by providing long-term financing to projects that strengthen competitiveness and enhance the environment. NIB has project finance operations in emerging markets and the NIB member countries, mostly in the energy and infrastructure sectors. Recent transactions include PPP roads in Finland, wind farms in Brazil, airports in Russia, and telecommunications in India.

Joe, an economist by training, has been working on infrastructure and project finance for 16 years, including projects in more than 20 countries. Before joining NIB he worked at the World Bank.

Peter Swiecicki is a Partner at Squire Patton Boggs, where he heads the Projects practice in Central and Eastern Europe and is Managing Partner of the Warsaw office.  His experience includes working on financing a portion of the Yamal gas pipeline, advising project companies on all aspects of the motorway concessions, financing and operations of recent additions to the Trans-European Network, and the financings of renewable energy projects.  Currently, he is advising a GCC government on Public Private Partnerships.  Peter’s distinctions include Chambers Guide to the World’s Leading Lawyers and The Legal 500.

Asli Basgoz is a New York-qualified attorney who founded White & Case’s offices in Istanbul and Ankara in 1985.  White & Case was the first international law firm established in Turkey.  She has recently completed a four-year term on the firm’s four-person global Executive Committee, the first woman to serve in this management position in its 100 plus history.

Ms. Basgoz has taken the lead in many M & A, privatization, joint venture, private equity, and project finance transactions over the last 30 years, including many of the highest profile transactions and first of kind projects that have taken place in the market. Her experience spans a diversity of sectors including banking and financial services, healthcare, and infrastructure, manufacturing services, logistics, tourism, energy, telecommunications and media.

Ms. Basgoz is consistently singled out as a leading lawyer by peers and industry commentators including Chambers & Partners Guide to the World’s Leading Lawyers for Business’, European Legal Experts, and IFLR1000.

Turkey is a jurisdiction of great importance for White & Case, and many of its clients, and Ms. Basgoz is very active in the business world as Founder and Board Member of GIF (Global Relations Forum of Turkey), Member at TUSIAD (Turkish Industry & Business Association) and at YASED (International Investors Association of Turkey) and as Advisory Board Member of FODER (Financial Literacy and Inclusion Association).

In April 2014, Fortune Magazine named Ms. Basgoz one of the“50 Most Powerful Women Leaders in Turkey.

Chris Holmes is the co-lead Investment Adviser for the John Laing Environmental Assets Group fund (JLEN). He has over 20 years’ experience in infrastructure, including PPPs, economic infrastructure and renewables. Chris joined the Investment Adviser in January 2018. Prior to this, Chris was a Managing Director and Head of Waste & Bioenergy team at Green investment Group (formerly the UK Green Investment Bank plc) for four years.
Before taking up his position at the Green Investment Bank plc, Chris was Head of Capital Markets in the Infrastructure and Renewables team at NIBC, also with responsibility for UK debt origination and advisory within these sectors. Chris was with NIBC for over 12 years.
Prior to NIBC, Chris worked at Grant Thornton in their Project Finance team and at a boutique advisory firm, where he specialised in financial advisory mainly to public sector authorities on a wide range of infrastructure PFI/PPP projects.

Patrick joined FBN Capital in December 2011 having spent 3 years heading the project financing department of Standard Bank’s Lagos operations – i.e. Stanbic IBTC Bank.  He joined FBN Capital with over 20 years banking experience of which 18 years has been dedicated primarily towards financial advisory, structuring, debt arranging / lending and closing of big-ticket project finance transactions in the UK, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, U.A.E. and other GCC countries. He has worked on project financings in excess of approximately US$67 billion since 1996. As head of FBN Capital’s Debt Solutions Department, he is responsible for leading the deal team involved in advising, structuring, executing and closing of  the firm’s debt arranging and advisory activitiies.

Patrick’s infrastructure / project financing career commenced as a financial modeller at London Underground Limited’s (“LUL”) Project Finance Advisory Group as an executive member of the deal-team developing complex financial models, business cases, payment mechanisms and financing options where he advised and negotiated on various transport based projects being implemented by London Transport utilizing the UK Government’s Private Finance Initiative (“PFI”) at that time. His career further developed at the London branch of the German bank, Bayerische Landesbank’s (“BLB”) structured finance group where he undertook various project finance (PFI / BOT / PPP) duties, and subsequently as Assistant Manager, Project & Trade Finance Department, GCC Group, at Arab Petroleum Investments Corporation (“APICORP”) Saudi Arabia where he was actively involved in a varied number of power, petrochemical, oil & gas and shipping transactions both in the execution, advisory, lending and syndication of facilities.  He was subsequently appointed Senior Corporate Banker and acting Head of project finance at National Commercial Bank (“NCB”), Saudi Arabia’s largest bank with prime responsibility for managing the bank’s project finance lending and advisory activities. At NCB Patrick led the deal team advising the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the US$8 billion plus Saudi Railway expansion Projects.

Since returning to Nigeria he has been involved as adviser to Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation on their green-field refinery projects, Lagos State Government on the Blue Line Railway Project and the Lekki Airport project.  Prior to returning to Nigeria in 2008 he was Managing Director and Head of Project and Corporate Finance at Bahrain based Gulf One Investment Bank where he led the deal team responsible for structuring and arranging the funding of the King Abdulaziz International Airport (Hajj Terminal) – the first ever project financing for an airport in the GCC on a 100% Islamic finance basis.

Patrick Mgbenwelu is a regular industry speaker / panel member and writes case studies / articles in various PPP / project finance publications, he is a founding council member of the International Project Finance Association (“IPFA”) (Nigeria branch).  Patrick is an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers (“ACIB”) London, holds an M.Sc. Finance & Investment (UK), an MBA (UK) and also an Associate of the Institute of Financial Services, UK.  He sits on the advisory board of the Lagos Business School’s CIPRA (Centre for Infrastructure Policy Regulation & Advancement).