“What we’re really about is long-term capital aimed at long-term assets,” reflects Martin Stanley, global head of Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA), talking exclusively to Infrastructure Investor.
“So we intend to be strong and successful in infrastructure with much more depth in Latin America and Asia and a strong platform in real estate, energy and food.”
Talking in the Australian infrastructure giant’s London offices, Stanley is asked about the evolution of the business – and what the priorities are as MIRA plots its future course.
Accounting for just 10 percent of the firm’s total assets under management at the end of last year (compared with 57 percent in Europe and 29 percent in North America), Asia is high on the agenda.
“Asia is very important,” Stanley stresses. “You have growth, increasing industrialisation and the relative importance of these economies on the global stage. Plus, pensions in Asia are accumulating capital and want investment opportunities both within and outside the region.”
MIRA will look to build on an existing presence that has seen the firm launch a Korea fund (back in 2002) as well as form fund partnerships with the likes of China Everbright, State Bank of India and the Philippines’ Government Service Insurance System.
Having become easily the largest infrastructure investor globally – having created $23.7 billion for investment in the asset class over a five-year period, according to last year’s Infrastructure Investor 30 ranking – Stanley is now keen to build up the “RA” in “MIRA”. This is another key aspect of the firm’s planned evolution.
He explains: “The development of our business across the real asset platform is very important. Infrastructure will remain an important element but we want agriculture, food, real estate and energy to be important too.”
To find out more about these plans – and to read Stanley’s thoughts on fundraising, strategy, the need for a regional focus, deal drivers and plenty else besides – you can access the full version here.