Macquarie bolsters European executive team

Macquarie has appointed John Bruen as a managing director in its London office.

Reporting to Edward Buckley, head of Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) in Europe, Bruen will be tasked with developing the asset manager’s transport unit.

He joins from Spain-based Ferrovial Aeropuertos, where he has served as corporate development director in Madrid since 2008. This role led him to oversee all M&A activity at BAA – the British airport operator bought by a Ferrovial-headed consortium in 2006 (and since renamed Heathrow) – and Ferrovial Aeropuertos, including BAA’s divestment and business development strategies.

He was previously a director in the structured finance team at Royal Bank of Canada, where he focused on infrastructure.

The news comes shortly after MIRA hired Michael Nebot, the former head of Citigroup’s French M&A activities, as managing director in Paris. Earlier this week, the firm also announced its intention to set up a joint venture with Japanese group Maeda Corporation to invest in renewables and infrastructure in the country.

The world’s largest infrastructure manager, MIRA also manages real estate, agriculture and energy assets. It has $101 billion under management in 114 companies, 300 properties and 3.6 million hectares of farmland.

Its Fund IV – focused on Europe – closed on €2.75 billion last May, beating a target of between €1.5 billion and €2.0 billion. The fundraising also comprised a further €2.0 billion in co-investment arrangements.