Australia

Ian Greer

IPFA Australia Branch Chairman

Ian is a project finance specialist with over 38 years’ global experience working on many high profile project financings. He was a Managing Director at Standard & Poor’s, where he led Standard & Poor’s infrastructure and project finance practice in Asia Pacific and was Global Analytical Coordinator Project Finance. In this role he was involved in debt financings across Asia-Pacific, North America and Europe. He led the team that completed a major revision of Standard & Poor’s project finance criteria.

Prior to this he was a project finance banker covering mining, oil & gas, power and roads. His experience covers the development of PPP/PFI and infrastructure finance across major global markets. In addition Ian has also worked on utilities, airport and infrastructure concession financings and M&A across global debt markets. Ian’s interest in project financing started with his role as Project Coordinator for a gold mining project in Ghana that was was financed by the IFC.

Ian has been delivering project finance training programs for many years across Asia Pacific including Sydney, Auckland, Tokyo, Singapore, Manilla, Hong Kong, Seoul and Kuala Lumpur. His programs have also been delivered in London and New York. He has lectured on finance for Melbourne University, Commonwealth Secretariat, Kaplan, and Bond University where he was an adjunct professor. Ian has spoken at many premier infrastructure conferences throughout Asia including the World Bank and ADB annual events.

Ian holds an MBA from Cranfield, UK, and qualifications in finance and investment, science (geology), psychology 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.

Charlie Reilly

John Holland Pty Ltd

General Manager Facility Management Services

Charlie Reilly is a Chartered Professional Engineer and Business Leader with over 25 years broad-based experience in strategic asset and facilities planning, property management, operations & maintenance and project management across a variety of industry sectors. These  include Social Infrastructure (PPP), Resources, Industrial, Data Centres, Laboratories, Defence, Health, Justice & Corrections, Education, Commercial, Retail, Major Sporting Stadiums, Conventions & Entertainment.

Charlie has held senior positions in Contracting, Consultancy and Client organisations including Commonwealth Government and has worked in numerous overseas countries during his career. He is a former Chairman of the Facility Management Association NSW and is currently Vice Chairman of the International Project Finance Association (IPFA Australia). Charlie is also co-author of a book ‘Risk Management in Projects’.

Over the last 20 years Charlie has held Senior Executive Director roles with Australian Tier I property and infrastructure companies including Multiplex, Brookfield, UGL, DTZ, Cushman & Wakefield. He joined John Holland in October 2017 and has a particular focus on promoting ‘whole of life asset solutions’ within the JHG integrated property & Infrastructure model.

Neil Bovington

Senyth Advisory

Neil is an experienced insurance professional having provided insurance advisory and due diligence services to large international contractors, financiers, government authorities and agencies.

Neil has worked for major international insurance broking companies both in Sydney and London, including Aon and Jardine Lloyd Thompson and now provides specialist advisory services to public and private sector organisations.

Over the past 18 years, Neil has provided services to infrastructure, privately financed, Alliance and PPP projects in insurance broking and advisory roles. Neil provides the following services:

Advice on types of insurance products available to meet the insurable risks of a project;Development of insurance procurement strategies for a project, including advice on the most appropriate parties to effect insurance;Drafting, reviewing and commentary on insurance and indemnity provisions within contractual documentation;Preparation of detailed underwriting submissions for provision to insurers for the purpose of obtaining project insurance quotation terms;Review of insurance documentation provided by project participants to ensure compliance with the contractual and statutory obligations;Creatively develop a portfolio of insurances that will provide the required insurance protection for a project whilst maintaining value for money;Advice on the treatment of uninsurable risks;Insurance premium estimates for budgeting purposes; andAssisting with the provision of risk management solutions, including compliance with various codes and standards, e.g. Risk management in tunnel works

Leilani Frew

NSW Treasury

Executive Director, Head of Commissioning and Contestability

Martin Locke

Independent

Martin is an infrastructure finance specialist with over 30 years of experience and has closed high profile PPPs in various sectors, such as the Lane Cove Tunnel, Gold Coast Rapid Transit and Royal North Shore Hospital Redevelopment. He is a Former Partner of PwC having led the infrastructure advisory practice in Sydney for over 12 years. Before that he was an investment banker with the Deutsche Morgan Grenfell group with a focus on infrastructure project financing and worked in London, Sydney, Singapore and Johannesburg. He has established an independent private consultancy, Lidunian Partners, and has a portfolio of consulting and non-executive director roles. His clients include Cushman & Wakefield (asset manager), DIF (European PPP equity investor), Urban Growth (NSW Government). He is an Adjunct Professor at UNSW, member of the Board of Advice of Sydney University’s Institute of Transport and Logistic Studies and Council Member of International Project Finance Association.

Jason Loos

Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance

Director, Partnerships Victoria

Jason is the Director of Partnerships Victoria at the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance where he is responsible for providing strategic commercial, financial and risk management advice to the Victorian Government on significant infrastructure projects.  He has led the DTF involvement in projects such as: Rail Refranchising, Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Desalination Plant,  BioSciences Research Centre, Peninsula Link, East-West Link, Ravenhall Prison and City-Link Tulla Widening.

Jason’s team is also responsible for the development and application of Government’s Market-Led Proposals Guideline.

Peter Mansfield

Investec

Head of Infrastructure Finance & Investment

Peter is head of the Infrastructure Finance & Investment team at Investec in Australia. He has over 20 years experience in infrastructure project finance as a lender, advisor and developer. Prior to joining Investec he was in the Utilities, Transport & Infrastructure team at Rothschild and before that worked in a variety of corporate and project finance roles at Lend Lease.

Peter has experience across a broad range of infrastructure sub-sectors and a wide array of financing instruments. He has advised on or arranged project finance for conventional and renewable power generation projects, pipelines, transmission lines, water treatment plants, ports, airports, railways, toll roads and PPP/PFIs. His experience includes senior bank debt, institutional lending, subordinated finance, fund finance, capital markets instruments, export credit finance and structured finance.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Economics (Actuarial Studies) from Macquarie University, a Bachelor of Applied Science (Energy Studies) from Murdoch University and has qualified as a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia.

Michelle Sichlau

Plenary

Associate Director

Michelle has over eleven years’ experience in originating, structuring, negotiating, executing and managing structured debt and project finance transactions (Greenfield and Brownfield), restructures and workouts, export credit agency finance, as well as undertaking financial advisory roles, covering power, renewables, utilities, infrastructure, mining and metals, oil and gas, and diversified industries. Michelle is an Associate Director in Plenary’s origination team having recently joined from Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited, where she was the Head of Power and Utilities, Project & Export Finance.

Plenary is an independent long-term investor, developer and manager of public infrastructure with a portfolio of 42 projects worth more than A$30 billion across Australia, Canada and the US. The origination team secures infrastructure development opportunities through industry-leading expertise in the tendering, financing and structuring of infrastructure projects and has been successful across major projects in the transport, health, education, water and defence industries.

Anna Squire

Arup

Australasia Rail Business Leader

Anna is the Australasia Rail Business Leader at Arup in Sydney. She is a chartered civil engineer and project director with more than 25 years’ experience in the design and construction industry. Anna has led multidisciplinary engineering teams on large, complex infrastructure projects at all stages from conceptual design through to construction and commissioning.

Anna relocated to Australia in 2007, having previously worked in the UK and in the USA. She has led engineering teams on major projects such as the Jubilee Line Extension, High Speed 1, London Underground PPPs, Sydney’s North West Rail Link and Sydney Metro. Since 2011, Anna has led the Arup team responsible for the reference design and technical procurement advice for Sydney CBD & South East Light Rail.  She is currently Arup’s Project Director for Canberra’s Light Rail project, Capital Metro.

Anna is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers Australia (IEAust) and a Certified Practising Project Director with the Australian Institute of Project Management.

Rob Ward

MUFG

Managing Director, Head of Advisory

Rob the Head of MUFG’s Advisory business in Australasia, with over 19 years’ experience in structured finance. Prior to joining MUFG in 2012, he worked at RBS, ABN AMRO and at Bankers Trust.

Rob’s key expertise is in financial structuring and project financing of large projects, having led transaction teams in all key sectors.

He has extensive experience in the successful execution and delivery of PPPs, having worked on more than 12 projects including the Mundaring Water Treatment Plant and Royal North Shore Hospital financings.

Rob has also advised clients in the infrastructure, renewables, utilities and resources sectors across Europe and Asia Pacific. He has financed LNG projects, renewable generation, gas pipelines, power stations, mines and electricity networks. His financial structuring expertise is reflected in a number of award-winning transactions. He played a leading role in the first investment grade structured issues in Russia (Gazprom, 2004) and Kazakhstan (Tengizchevroil, 2004). He also achieved the first investment grade rated project financing in the Australian resources sector.

Rob is a member of the Infrastructure Partnerships Australia Energy and Transport Taskforces. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Law from the University of New South Wales.

Emma Warren

Allens

Partner and Head of Sectors

Emma is an infrastructure and major projects specialist, having advised some of Allens’ most significant clients on the management and delivery of large-scale public infrastructure projects. Emma has been at the forefront of PPPs being implemented in Victoria and across Australia since her leading role on the Allens team that advised the Victorian Government on the first PPP that was delivered in Victoria – Southern Cross Station. Since then, She has led teams working on many PPP projects across Australia including most recently on the Sydney Light Rail Project, North West Rail Link and the Queensland New Generation Rollingstock PPP.

In addition to managing her busy practice, Emma is the Head of Sectors at Allens, which includes responsibility for business and client development strategies for the firm’s most strategic clients. Emma is also a member of the firm’s Leadership Team (consisting of senior partners and executives) that is responsible for implementing the strategic direction of the firm.

Lee Worthington

PwC

Partner

Lee Worthington is a Partner in PwC’s Australian Infrastructure Advisory business specialising in major infrastructure procurement, advising both Government and private sector bidders. Lee’s sector expertise includes transport, healthcare, social housing, education and wastewater projects.
Over his career Lee has provided commercial and financial advice in the European, Middle East, and Australian infrastructure markets. In his early career he worked at PwC advising Government and the private sector on PPPs in the UK and Australia. On moving to Macquarie Capital he relocated to Abu Dhabi for three years, leading a team focused on bidding social infrastructure projects across the GCC and North Africa.
Since returning to PwC, Lee has advised Government on a number of major infrastructure projects, including New Generation Rolling Stock PPP, New Intercity Fleet Project, Sydney Growth Trains Project, Northern Beaches Project, Toowoomba Second Range Crossing PPP, and the Logan Road Upgrade Project.