Global & Branch Councils

Rafael Alonso, Head of our Spanish offices, has a large and reputed professional experience in providing legal advice to national and international clients.

His primary practice is Corporate Finance. He regularly advises his clients on M&A deals, general corporate work, restructuring and group reorganizations, joint ventures, transactional work, etc.

He has also developed a vast experience within the real estate sector, advising to developers of different type of projects, investors and real estate funds, constructors, engineers and other players.

His professional profile is characterized by his ability to add value to his clients in the management of their legal affairs and to get involved in the strategic decision making of his clients

Mark Bain is consistently recognized as one of Canada’s leading infrastructure and project finance lawyers. He has acted on over 50 major public-private partnership (PPP) and alternative financing and procurement (AFP) transactions.

Mark has acted on a broad range of PPP, AFP and other infrastructure transactions across multiple sectors, including transport, transit, water/wastewater, healthcare, education, justice and urban redevelopment. He has represented all of the principal parties to such transactions, including sponsors, funders, contractors and public authorities.

Recent mandates include SRO Renewal Initiative (for the successful proponent), Ottawa Light Rail Transit (for the lenders), City of Regina Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrade (for the public authority), Windsor Essex Parkway (for the successful proponent) and Mackenzie Valley Fibre Link (for the public authority).

Mark is the head of Torys’ Public-Private Partnerships practice, and co-head of the firm’s Infrastructure and Energy practice.  He is a Director of the Canadian Council for Public Private Partnerships.

David Borthwick is practice head of Marsh’s Structured Finance Practice. David’s role is to provide insurance related advice to either the senior lenders to structured financed transactions world wide or in respect of public private partnerships, to the public sector grantor or the sponsors of large infrastructure projects. His experience includes projects in the space, aviation, marine, energy (onshore and offshore), petrochemical, power, metals & mining and PPP & other infrastructure, sectors.

David entered the insurance business in 1976 and joined Marsh in 1989. Prior to Joining Marsh, David’s principal activity was the servicing of major commercial clients in all classes of insurance together with broking and claims handling.

Daphne Broerse is Managing Partner of the Amsterdam office of global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright and member of the management committee of Norton Rose Fulbright LLP. She also heads the Infrastructure team in Amsterdam. With a combined administrative law and civil law background, she advises governmental authorities as well as private parties on a wide range of issues in the projects sector. Keen interests of Daphne are securing the best risk allocation for the project, stakeholder management and alternative tender arrangements (e.g. Early Contractor Involvement).

Since 2008, Daphne has advised on and negotiated major project finance transactions in the port, infrastructure and energy sector, with a focus on the negotiation and drafting of the required project documentation.  In the Netherlands, Norton Rose Fulbright advised – amongst others – on the Coentunnel project, A15, Rotterdam World Gateway, A9 and the accommodation projects RIVM and De Knoop.

Daphne studied at the University of Utrecht and joined the Amsterdam Bar Association in 2001. She started her career as a legal adviser in the field of administrative law and environmental law at PWC in 1999.

Neil Collins has advised on PPP, project finance, mergers, acquisitions and disposals, corporate valuations, feasibility studies and other corporate finance assignments for fifteen years having joined KPMG in 1996. Neil’s PPP experience includes the €3bn NRA First Roads Programme, the €1bn NRA Second Roads Programme, the Metro North and Metro West projects, the Criminal Courts Complex PPP and the Northern Ireland Roads DBFO Programme.

Didier De Vliegher (partner) is head of the Real Estate Practice and of
the PPP focus group. His work includes corporate real estate work for
Belgian and international investors (acquisitions, real estate financing,
real estate fund work, sale & lease backs, etc.) and asset & project
finance work including PPP’s primarily as lenders’ counsel.
He regularly helps clients structure complex transactions and advises
on the ensuing regulatory and compliance issues.
Didier’s practice won the Best Real Estate and Construction Law Firm
Award in 2006, 2009 and in 2010 and the Via-Zaventem road
infrastructure PPP deal on which he represented Fortis won the
Project Finance Deal of the Year Award for European Transport Hub
and PPP in 2007.
Didier is a member of the Council of the Brussels Bar, an officer and
the Regional Representative Europe of the Real Estate Law
Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA) and a Council
member of the European Forum of the IBA.
Didier graduated from the University of Leuven (1983). He also holds a
post-graduate economic law (ULB) and an MBA from the Solvay
Business School.

Olukayode Fabunmi is a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He has focused his practice largely on Structured Finance, International Business Law, Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), Foreign Investment (direct and portfolio) and dispute resolution. He has also been actively involved in the negotiating, drafting and preparation of agreements for concession of port terminals for The Nigerian Ports Authority and is currently working on other Public Private Partnership transactions in Nigeria including capacity building for public sector and structuring PPP transactions.

Mr. Fabunmi sits on the board of many companies. He is a business promoter and he has promoted a number of businesses in Nigeria including the newly established Business Law Academy Lagos. He was a student at Hague Academy at World Court in Hague. He is a member of the Infrastructure Working Group of Nigeria Economic Management Team as well as Investment Climate Policy Commission of the Nigerian Economic Summit. He is the currently the Chairman of International Project Finance Association (Nigeria branch).

Andy Garbutt is a Principal in KPMG’s Infrastructure Advisory team in the US, based in Austin, Texas and responsible for leading and developing KPMG’s P3 advisory services.

Andy has been with KPMG for 10 years and established the US Infrastructure Advisory team in 2006. Prior to joining KPMG, Andy was a project financier in the Royal Bank of Scotland’s public sector finance group, involved in advising and structuring a number of the early PFI transaction s in the UK.

Ian Greer has over 24 years project finance experience. Until July 2014 he was Managing Director at Standard & Poor’s, the global rating agency, holding positions including: Asia-Pacific Analytical Manager Infrastructure and Project Finance and Global Analytical Coordinator Project Finance. He was the key architect and lead author of Standard & Poor’s revised project finance criteria. Prior to this he was a project finance banker for seven years based in Australia. His experience covers PPP/PFI, transportation (tollroads, airports, rail), resources (mining, oil & gas, shipping), and energy (power, LNG, pipelines). In addition Ian has worked on traditional infrastructure concession financings and M&A across global debt markets. Ian’s early career in the mining industry as project coordinator for a major mining exploration project in West Africa resulted in the grant of a mining lease and investment by the IFC.

Ian has delivered project finance training programs in many global centers, including Tokyo, London, Sydney and Singapore and has lectured on finance for Kaplan, Melbourne University, Commonwealth Secretariat, and Bond University where he is an adjunct professor. Ian is a regular speaker at premier infrastructure conferences throughout Asia.

Ian holds an MBA from Cranfield, UK, and qualifications in finance and investment, science (geology), and adult education. He is a Fellow Financial Services Institute of Australia; Graduate Australian Institute of Company Directors; Member Australian Institute of Management, and Member Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.

James Harris is a Partner of Jones Day in Singapore. He has expertise in project finance, infrastructure privatisation and public private partnerships (PPPs). He has advised governments, corporate and lenders across Asia, the Middle East, the UK as well as Australia, on numerous greenfield and brownfield infrastructure based transactions.

James is recognized as a leading project finance lawyer in several industry publications. He is well regarded for energy/power projects (including renewables), transport (roads, ports, sea ports, airports), water/waste projects as well as being experienced in projects involving hotels, resorts, casinos, sporting stadia, health facilities/hospitals and educational facilities.

Pekka Lehtinen has many years of experience in banking and finance and capital markets. He has been the lead counsel in a number of complex cross-border projects such as syndicated lending and acquisition finance deals, structured financing transactions such as PPP projects, restructurings, securities offerings, public tender offers, as well as sale and purchase transactions of shares or assets of various Finnish and foreign corporations. Since 2008, Mr Lehtinen has been a partner in the firm’s Russian Desk, with particular focus on Russian-related financing arrangements. He is internationally acknowledged as one of the leading Finnish experts on banking and finance law.

Language: Finnish, English, Swedish, German, Russian, Spanish

Professional organizations: American Bar Association (ABA), Finnish Bar Association, International Bar Association (IBA), The Association of Finnish Lawyers,

Education: Master of Laws, University of Turku 1987

Career: Castrén & Snellman 1995-, Partner 1999-White & Case 1992-1995, Kansallis-Osake-Pankki (presently Nordea Bank), Helsinki and New York, USA 1989-1992, O’Callaghan, Saunders & Stumm, Atlanta, USA 1988-1989

Patrick McMeekin joined the Strategic Investment Board in 2008, initially working on the development of a £20bn Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland,  establishing mechanisms to monitor the implementation of key infrastructure projects and providing up-to-date information on project pipeline and deal flow.  Since then his areas of work have expanded considerably, advising government on wider infrastructure development, project finance, procurement, PPP and commercialisation.  His sectoral experience covers healthcare, education, transportation, and energy. Most recently, Patrick’s work is focussed on the implementation of a Revenue Financed Investment (RFI) Programme for the NI Executive and supporting the development of thinking on the economic impact of infrastructure investment using private capital.  He is a member of the Health Infrastructure Programme Board delivering a £300m programme of PPP investment in Primary and Community Care across Northern Ireland.  He is also a member of  the European Investment Bank’s European PPP Expertise Centre (EPEC).

As a Chartered Accountant, Patrick’s background is predominantly in financial and consulting roles, and prior to joining SIB has over eight years combined experience with PricewaterhouseCoopers and Deloitte.

Richard Palmer is an Advisor in the Project and Corporate Finance Unit of Mubadala Development Company where he structures the financing related to many of Mubadala’s investments and advises the various Industry teams on the financial aspects of their investments. Prior to joining Mubadala he worked at BayernLB where he was responsible for Project Finance in the Middle East focusing on Energy and Utilities. Richard has worked in the field of Project Finance since 1989 and has arranged and advised on transactions in the Power, Water, Petrochemical, Infrastructure and Telecoms market across the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Mike Peo is the head of the Infrastructure, Energy and Telecommunications business of Nedbank Capital. He is also the Chairman of the South African Chapter of the International Project Finance Association, is a member of the Governing Board of the African Infrastructure Investment Fund, one of the largest Infrastructure Funds in South Africa and is also a Director of Companies.

Mike is a CA (SA) who spent 10 years at Arthur Andersen and has had 20 years investment banking experience, with the past 16 years being primarily focused on the financing of large scale infrastructure projects in Africa. He has been extensively involved in most of the large scale infrastructure projects in South Africa and over the past five years has originated and led a number of landmark transactions, which have secured in excess of 20 international awards for Nedbank Capital.

Daniel Reichert-Facilides has been a partner of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer since 2002 and works in their Frankfurt office. He is a member of the finance practice group and specialises in project and asset finance and the financing of public private partnership (PPP) transactions, as well as general banking work and related litigation.

Daniel was born in Hamburg in 1965. He completed his legal education at the universities of Freiburg, Munich and Paris II, and at the New York University School of Law. Before moving to Frankfurt in 2001, he was based in Freshfield’s Berlin and New York offices.

He speaks German, English and French.

Sergio Sambri, achieved broad and specific experience, not only in activities connected with privatisations and structured finance with reference to public works, energy law and public evidentiary procedures (work, equipment and services), but also in environmental and urban planning law.

In the project finance area, Mr. Sambri advises both financial institutions and companies on the structuring of proposals and enterprises to realise projects in both the energy and public works sectors at all project stages. More specifically, he prepares proposals; licensee tender offers; drafts documentation related to construction and management; drafts financing contracts and related security packages; and drafts and analyses commercial contracts related to specific transactions (e.g. EPC, O&M, supply, etc.).

In administrative law, Mr. Sambri advises both private and public entities on the development of joint venture transactions between local public authorities and local entities (Società di Trasformazione Urbana) and takes part at each stage of the project. He advises operators during the different phases of decontaminating polluted sites and analyses the issues concerning the environment, urban-planning and public laws. He has broad experience in public works realisation, as well as public tenders for the supply of goods and services. In this sector, he advises his clients in litigation matters before the Regional Administrative Court (TAR) and Consiglio di Stato.

His clients include energy and construction companies, public administration and financial institutions.

He has been a speaker at numerous congresses and seminars on laws related to project finance, energy and public tenders.

Barry White is the Chief Executive of Scottish Futures Trust and leads the executive team of SFT in delivering its central remit of improving value for money in infrastructure investment in Scotland. Barry and his team manage the £2.5 billion project financed pipeline of work in Scotland using the NPD model. Previously the Managing Director of BAM PPP UK, the UK arm of a major European infrastructure investor and developer, Barry worked earlier as a Director at Skanska Infrastructure Development. Previous roles were at Partnerships UK and Morrison Construction, which he joined after serving in the Army. Barry has wide experience of projects across a range of sectors, particularly in roads, health, education and justice.