May 2011 Issue

    Time for GPs to get on our wavelength

    Currency risk, emerging markets and fee structures are some of the topics on the minds of prominent European LPs, who don’t always find it easy to see eye-to-eye with the managers who pitch them for commitments. By Cezary Podkul

    Here comes the wave

    A combination of abundant natural resource and government support has made Latin America - and Brazil and Mexico in particular - increasingly attractive to infrastructure funds eyeing renewables. Alexandra Atiya reports

    The EU's €1trn puzzle

    European leaders have ambitious plans to better connect the continent’s energy infrastructure. But planning and funding crossborder projects will not be easy, argues Bruno Alves

    Notes from Berlin

    Cezary Podkul highlights some of the compelling exchanges at this year’s Infrastructure Investor: Europe forum in the German capital

    Tips from LPs

    To catch investor attention, funds need to differentiate themselves, think smaller, cut fees and have management teams with a track record in the space.

    From Babcock to Hermes

    In an exclusive interview with Andy Thomson, former Babcock & Brown global infrastructure head Peter Hofbauer discusses his new role at the helm of Hermes GPE’s infrastructure operation.

    Be careful what you wish for

    The bankruptcy of the South Bay Expressway in Southern California demonstrates why it’s good the infrastructure lobby doesn’t always get what it wants in Washington DC.

    India’s debt dominance

    Indian banks took a stranglehold on Infrastructure Investor’s global mandated lead arranger (MLA) league table for the first quarter of 2011, accounting for no less than four of the top ten places.

    Why cheque books are closed

    The infrastructure fundraising dip in the first quarter of 2011 was notable. Fund managers should not be panicking yet, but nor should they underestimate the difficulties facing LPs.

    The need to build bridges

    A recent Macquarie media gathering in New York highlighted that the public and private sectors need to identify common ground on how to proceed with the massive Tappan Zee bridge replacement project.

    Abandon ship

    The recent foreclosure of a UK ferry operator owned by three Australian pension funds and Macquarie is a textbook example of how a perfectly acceptable deal in 2005 can go very wrong in 2011.

    He’s back

    Arnold Schwarzenegger has transformed himself into a cartoon superhero. But will he still stand up for infrastructure?

    Tendering the Colosseum

    Tod’s, the Italian shoemaker, will foot (pun intended) the €25m bill to restore Rome’s world-famous Colosseum in exchange for some branding.

    Breaking down barriers

    Some Greek drivers are refusing to pay road tolls - another blow to the credibility of traffic forecasting.

    Can Gerry and Spence fix infrastructure?

    In one of the many television series in which he has featured, leading businessman Sir Gerry Robinson was challenged to drive down waiting lists in Britain’s health service. Now, his challenge is to return to health infrastructure assets battered by the Crisis. Andy Thomson met with Robinson and fellow founding partner Spence Clunie to find out more about their new venture, Ancala Partners

    How to get parking deals right

    Despite a succession of pulled parking privatisations in the US, Kent Rowey of law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer maintains that such deals are not doomed to failure. He outlines a set of principles that should be adhered to in order to ensure future success.