Board of Management

Geoff is the founder and chairman of IPFA, the largest independent not for profit project finance trade association in the world.

He is a Solicitor with an LL.B from University of London, an MBA from Henley Business School and a Diploma in Marketing from the Charted Institute of Marketing.

Originally a construction lawyer, he has specialised in project finance and Public Private Partnerships since 1985. He has specialist experience in large and complex projects in transportation, energy, water treatment, healthcare and education. Projects include Channel Tunnel, Channel Tunnel Rail Link, DBFO Roads, PFI government hospitals and accommodation; overseas projects in Dubai, Jordan, West Africa, Ukraine, Georgia, China and US.

He is a trustee of First Initiative Resource Strategy and Technology – an Oxford based charity. He is non-executive director of Quantum and visiting Professor to Metropolitan University. He lectures extensively on project finance and designs and delivers a range of training courses for governments, public sector bodies and private companies.

Adrian is Head of Infrastructure Finance and Procurement within CH2M Hill, and was Director for PPP within Halcrow until the CH2M Hill takeover in 2011. Adrian has a wealth of PPP knowledge stretching over 24 years and has tended to work as a senior government advisor in several continents. His most recent project role was as Contract Director on the M25 DBFO project reporting to the Highways Agency. He has a special interest at present as head of policy for PPP Transportation in Europe. Adrian also provides strategic procurement advice, particularly within CH2M Hill’s major programme management projects.

Phillip is a highly experienced banker who has almost 30 years of experience across structured, project and asset financing. He has worked on and led market leading innovative transactions from the perspective of a lead arranger, financial advisor and equity sponsor across numerous geographies including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas and Asia. He spent some years earlier in his career in Hong Kong leading project finance mandates across sectors including energy and infrastructure and has more recently focussed on infrastructure and transportation across EMEA.
He has held his current position as Head of Infrastructure and Transportation and Co-Head of Structured Finance at MUFG since March 2011. He is directly responsible for teams specialising in infrastructure debt and advisory and aviation financing in both London and Frankfurt. The larger structured finance team which he co-heads includes energy debt and advisory as well as dedicated financial modelling and asset management. The business is structured as a product neutral platform which brings together MUFG’s bank debt and advisory offerings together with access to the capital markets via private debt arranged within structured finance and public capital markets arranged by MUFG’s securities business. Phillip’s team provides clients with access to the full suite of all available project finance products and includes professionals who help lead and shape the market in EMEA. MUFG’s structured finance team in EMEA currently comprises 90 people.
Under Phillip’s co-leadership and management of MUFG’s Structured finance Office for EMEA, MUFG has consistently been ranked in the Top 3 (frequently at number 1) in most relevant project finance league tables (both EMEA and Global) as an arranger of project finance debt. Prior to joining MUFG with the specific mandate to build out and develop its infrastructure and transportation businesses, Phillip was Global Head of Infrastructure and Rail at HSH Nordbank. His responsibilities included HSH Nordbank’s joint venture arrangement with KfW IPEX-Bank in respect of Railpool, a European rolling stock leasing company providing passenger and freight locomotives and rolling stock financing and leasing.
Prior to this, he was the Managing Director and Head of Infrastructure at The Royal Bank of Scotland where he was responsible for a team of 30 people covering the lead arranging, advisory and equity businesses across the infrastructure sector. It was at RBS that Phillip sat on the boards of many of the project companies in which RBS was an equity sponsor.

Alistair is responsible for the origination of infrastructure and energy mandates accessing both capital markets and bank funding options for issuers. Working closely with specialist product teams on the structuring and execution of mandates in London, Amsterdam, Brussels, New York and Singapore, Structured Bonds is also responsible for the coordination of the banks investor coverage model relevant to these mandates. Alistair has led ING initiatives to establish hybrid bank / capital market solutions to assist public and private sector clients in pursuing cost effective financing of infrastructure.

Alistair joined ING in 2008, leading deal teams on both advisory and arranging transactions across EMEA regions. From 2008 to 2012 Alistair led coverage of infrastructure and project finance in the banks home market, the Netherlands. Alistair has extensive experience as both adviser and financier, having worked on a broad range of concession, acquisition, PPP and utility financings.

Prior to ING, Alistair worked at bond insurer XLCA where he focussed on the funding of infrastructure through the capital markets. Alistair started his career at CIBC, principally as an adviser to private sector clients on the structuring and bidding of PPP transactions. Alistair completed a Master of Civil Engineering degree at the University of Manchester, England.

With nearly 20 years experience in project finance across Australasia, the UK and the Middle East, Shaun is responsible for the legal function of project financed transactions within ACWA Holding and its subsidiaries, joint ventures and affiliates.

Shaun developed his legal skills in project finance at some of the world’s top ranked global law firms working for sponsors, concessionaires, construction companies, developers, secondary market infrastructure funds and lenders. After private practice, Shaun spent seven years working for the UK Treasury and was instrumental in developing PPP policy as the UK’s private finance model evolved in line with economic factors and market trends. He implemented best practice across government departments through various secondments and sat on numerous infrastructure panels to review, scrutinise and approve some of the UK’s most high profile infrastructure projects.

Before joining ACWA, Shaun worked for a global developer and covered finance, construction and operational aspects of PPP and outsourcing projects. He also held positions at board level for various subsidiaries within the group, reviewing and monitoring asset performance at an operational level.

Shaun professionally qualified as a solicitor in Australia and England and is an active public speaker at professional events within the Middle East. He is acknowledged as a leader in the region, having been recognized in the Middle East GC Powerlist for 2017 and 2018 published by ‘Legal 500’. Shaun has actively represented and participated in IPFA’s Middle East branch council since 2016.

Nadia Nikolova is a portfolio manager with AllianzGI Illiquid Alternatives focusing on Emerging Markets and Infrastructure. Nadia has over ten years of experience across various credit roles both on the advisory and buy side. She was instrumental into expanding AllianzGI’s presence into acquisition finance as well as Emerging Markets infrastructure debt through the AllianzGI/IFC structured vehicle (announced October 2017). Most recently, Nadia has been supporting the build-out of the AllianzGI Resilient Credit and Emerging Markets strategies.

Prior to joining AllianzGI, Nadia worked at the Project and Infrastructure Finance team at Citigroup based out of London. Nadia holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Essex and has graduated from Harvard Business School Executive Program for Leadership and Development.

In 2016, Financial News awarded Nadia one of 40 under 40 professionals in Asset Management.

Allard Nooy joined InfraCo Asia mid-2013 and is responsible for InfraCo Asia’s strategic transformation process and growth plan. Allard drove the development and implementation of its ‘multi-developers’ and co-investment programme and is overall accountable for InfraCo Asia’s infrastructure developments and investments.

InfraCo Asia is a commercially managed, publicly financed infrastructure development and investment company headquartered in Singapore. The Company funds pre-financial close, early stage, high-risk infrastructure development activities by taking an equity stake in commercially viable, sustainable infrastructure projects. Throughout the development process, it focuses on managing and mitigating risks so as to facilitate private sector participation. InfraCo Asia creates infrastructure projects that contribute to economic growth and social development.

Most projects are debt-financed on a (non-recourse) Project Finance basis. The Company operates in 12 Countries in South and South-East Asia. Sectors include: Thermal Power (Gas) and Renewable Energy, Environment (Water, Wastewater and Waste Management), Telecommunications, Transport infrastructure, Urban/rural and social Infrastructure.

Allard has over 25 years of strategic executive leadership experience in emerging markets and has successfully led and acquired infrastructure and energy companies throughout Asia.

His key focus has been on the development and implementation of growth strategies, the creation of new assets and the financing and execution of energy and infrastructure projects. The format of these projects varied widely and included PPP’s and BOOT structures in the water, waste water, solid waste management, waste-to-energy, power, and renewable energy sectors.

Allard’s previous roles include CEO of Jindal Aquasource and Jindal Ecopolis in New Delhi, India; President AsiaPacific with Covanta Energy Corporation, the world’s largest Energy from Waste Company, in Shanghai, China; Regional Director Infrastructure Development and Director China with the Leighton Group in Asia, Regional Director Greater China at Thames Water International, in Hong Kong SAR; and General Manager of Vermeer – Ballast Nedam, while based in Vietnam.

Allard has been a Non-executive independent Director of China Hydro Electric Corporation (with 24 Hydro Electric Power Assets in China) and was a member of the Special Committee to delist the Company from the NYSE and managed a sale process to a PE Firm.

In addition to his full-time role at InfraCo Asia he also lectures a Public Private Partnership Program as part of the Singapore Management University (SMU) Asia Leaders Programme in Infrastructure Excellence (ALPINE).

Allard holds a Bachelor of Science (Eng) in engineering management and an MBA in international business.

Elliot Patsanza  MRICS BSc Hons  has over 25 years’ experience  providing specialist pre and post contract commercial support services across multiple sectors that include:- Infrastructure, Residential, Office, Leisure and Mixed Development Projects. His core areas of specialism extend across   procurement strategy development, estimating, cost planning, contract form selection, contract drafting, contract administration, claims management and final account settlement. Elliot has in-depth proven experience of successfully leading large commercial and management teams to deliver high value complex infrastructure programmes.

In May 2014 he joined Capita Real Estate and Infrastructure as a Director and currently heads the Infrastructure cost and management services unit, which is currently delivering multiple large Infrastructure Programmes for various major clients such as: Network Rail, Crossrail, Abellio, Transport for London and Ministry of Defense.

Prior to joining Capita, he founded Elliot Limited Chartered Quantity Surveyors in 2008 which provided specialist pre and post contract administration services to some the world’s leading Property Developers, Consultants and Infrastructure clients that included; Network Rail, Northcroft, Parsons Brinkerhoff, Balfour Beatty Rail, Track and Build and Turner and Townsend (to list a few).

Alistair has been involved in the infrastructure and project finance market for over the last 22 years.  He is currently employed as Head of Project Finance with NN Investment Partners (formerly ING Investment Management) since 2013. Previously, he held positions as Head of Debt Restructuring at Dexia as well as sitting on its Management and Risk Committees following five years as a Director of Dexia’s Global Project Finance Group. Prior to that, Alistair headed the infrastructure advisory team at NIBC Bank for five years and also held positions in project finance with CIT in New York and Newcourt Capital in London. Alistair started his career in the mid-1990s as a Civil Engineer with John Mowlem & Company plc (now part of Carillion) where he worked on many of the early UK DBFO road schemes and public private partnerships in addition to his experience in many power, energy and renewables schemes across North America and Europe.

Alistair holds a Bachelor’s degree (BEng) in Civil Engineering and an MBA from the University of Nottingham.

Julia has an extensive background in project funding, having acted as an investor, adviser both to Governments and to the private sector and provider of debt and junior funding in respect of a large number of PPP projects around the globe for more than 25 years. Julia’s past roles have included Head of Project Finance at Hill Samuel in London, Co-Head of Project Advisory at Charterhouse Bank to Senior Director and Head of Eurozone Infrastructure Finance at Bank of Scotland. In 2005 she moved to work on the development and realisation of Meridiam Infrastructure from its foundation. She is now Chief Strategy Officer, a Partner and a Member of the Board of Meridiam Infrastructure Managers (“Meridiam”).

Meridiam is an award winning  PPP fund manager, making equity investments to date in 32 transport, environment and social infrastructure projects in Europe and North America. The team comprises an integrated team of 70 professionals spread across offices in Paris, New York, Toronto, Istanbul and London. Meridiam has some $3.5bn equivalent under management and has recently commenced raising a new fund – Meridiam Africa.

Julia has been involved in originating, managing and investing in major projects for Meridiam as well as fund raising and the focus of her role is now developing longer term strategies. She is also President of the Sustainable Infrastructure Foundation, an NGO based in Geneva supported by a number of global multilateral development banks providing enhanced improved early stage project preparation capacity. She is also a member of the Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum and lectures on infrastructure at University College, London.

Mark, a partner within the leading international law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP (www.bclplaw.com) within their Energy, Environment & Infrastructure Finance Team.

Mark has over 20 years of experience in providing multidisciplinary advice to public and private sector clients on a wide range of high value, innovative and complex infrastructure projects structured using PPP techniques.

Mark has been involved in some of the most high profile infrastructure deals both in the UK and overseas, including advising on equity (including secondary market trades), debt structures (including institutional debt and commercial bank financing), infrastructure fund trades and concession based structures.

Mark is recognised as a leading PFI/PPP adviser and is rated as a PFI/PPP expert in the latest edition of Legal 500 and Chambers Guide to the Legal Profession.

He regularly writes, chairs and addresses audiences on Global PPP structures.

Mark is qualified as a Solicitor in England & Wales and also US Qualified (New York State).

John is the head of the Mott MacDonald infrastructure finance advisory business in the Europe, Russia and Africa regions. He supports PPP and private finance advisory teams in London, Paris, Arnhem, Warsaw, Istanbul, Prague, Moscow, Kampala, Nairobi and Johannesburg. John and his 60+ colleagues from these teams also support Mott MacDonald technical teams elsewhere in the world where such advisory services are required.

John’s PPP experience includes all types of social infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and housing as well as waste, transportation and railway infrastructure.  He regularly presents at conferences and seminars and runs training and knowledge sharing workshops on PPP procurement and was responsible for the drafting of several UK standard PPP procedures and guidelines including the 4ps PPP Project Directors Guide and PPP Contract Management Guide. John is also a work stream lead for the UNECE initiative to draft a new Healthcare PPP policy.

The advisory teams that John manages provide cross-sector technical, transactional and commercial advisory services to governments, sponsors and lenders. In 2013 alone, Mott MacDonald infrastructure finance advisors were involved in over 350 PPP projects in 62 different countries around the world making them the number one global provider of PPP technical advisory services.

Caroline has over fourteen years’ experience in project finance, across the infrastructure and transportation sectors as well as over a decade in energy and natural resources. She joined SMBC in 2007 and now heads the Oil, Gas & Petrochemicals Execution Team, working across both lending and advisory project finance mandates throughout the EMEA region. Caroline frequently acts as financial advisor to high profile projects including Liwa Plastics Industries Complex in Oman, and the Rabigh Phase II project in Saudi Arabia, raising USD 5.2bn of debt.

She has previously played a lead role in the Ichthys LNG project and has also been a key part of the arranging team on numerous landmark transactions such as SATORP, Saudi Polymers and Sakhalin II. Caroline has previously worked on the Infrastructure Project Finance team at Société Générale, acting as advisor and lead financial modeller on numerous roads projects, and at Operis Group plc, where she gained extensive experience in financial modelling and model due diligence across a wide variety of sectors.

David is a Vice President within Macquarie Capital’s Infrastructure, Utilities and Renewables team. Since joining Macquarie in 2013, David has advised private and public sector clients on project finance, acquisitions and PPPs as well as on Macquarie’s principal investments in the social infrastructure and renewables sectors.
Prior to joining Macquarie, David worked at J.P. Morgan and Scott Balice Strategies in San Francisco and Chicago respectively. During this time, David advised public sector clients including the States of California, Washington and Alaska, Energy Northwest, San Francisco International Airport, and New Jersey Transit on asset sales and municipal bond capital raisings.
David is an active member of the infrastructure business community in Australia, having co-authored a position paper on the benefits of private investment in infrastructure for Infrastructure Partnerships Australia and assisting in the development of the B20 Infrastructure Task Force recommendations in 2014.
David holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Development from McGill University and a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago.