Hogan Lovells promotes new infra partner

London- and Washington-headquartered Hogan Lovells has promoted Emma Clarke as partner in its infrastructure, energy and project finance team.

In her new role she will remain specialised in infrastructure finance, project finance, Public-Private Partnerships (PPP)/Project Finance Initiative (PFI), infrastructure M&A and fund financings transactions. She will continue to advise sponsors, lenders and borrowers on infrastructure deals across sectors including waste, wind and renewable energy, regulated utilities, transport and healthcare.

Key transactions she recently worked on include the £900 million (€1.1 billion; $1.5 billion) bank refinancing of the Inexus and GTC regulated gas, electricity and water businesses in the UK; the £190 million Essex Waste PFI Project; all nine of the UK's first-round Offshore Wind Transmission Opportunities (“OFTOs”), involving debt commitments in excess of £1 billion; the £600 million Nottingham Express Transit Phase 2 light rail project; and the £700 million financing of the acquisition by JP Morgan Infrastructure Fund of the Spanish ports business of ACS Dragados.

Clarke’s move is part of the 29 promotions to partnership just announced by Hogan Lovells, which counts more than 800 partners globally. It also comes with the promotion of Florian Agnel, who will now be of counsel within the firm’s project finance team.

Since joining Hogan Lovells, Agnel has had a particular focus on secondary market infrastructure transactions, particularly with infrastructure funds. Clients he has advised include Innisfree, M&G, HSBC Infrastructure Company Limited, Babcock & Brown, Secondary Market Infrastructure Fund, John Laing plc, Lend Lease, Semperian and Land Securities Trillium.