The Global Infrastructure Investor Association (GIIA) has appointed Andy Rose as its chief executive.

Rose joins the GIIA from the UK government’s Homes and Communities Agency, where he spent three years as chief executive. Rose, who takes up the role from April, has also previously served as chief executive of Infrastructure UK, the body in HM Treasury responsible for the production of the National Infrastructure Plan.

He was also an executive board member of Partnerships UK, a predecessor body owned by both the public and private sectors, with a remit to support the delivery of major infrastructure projects sponsored by the public sector.

Rose has also worked for debt advisor and asset manager, AgFe and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.

At GIIA, Rose will take responsibility for establishing the association as the leading body representing equity investors in infrastructure and those associated with the asset class.

As reported last March, European and North American institutional investors came together to create the global lobbying organisation for the infrastructure asset class.

In June, Matthew Farnum-Schneider of Prudential was named chairman of the association.

An initial 19 investors with €177bn in infrastructure assets, including APG, PGGM, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB), the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and PSP Investments, launched the GIIA after several months of talks.

The GIAA said the Association today represented more than 40 infrastructure investors globally managing more than €300bn in infrastructure assets.

Europe’s unlisted real estate association, INREV, has been approached on a number of occasions over the years about the possibility of extending its remit to cover the infrastructure asset class.

Lonneke Löwik, brought in to manage the launch of the GIIA last year, was previously director of professional standards at INREV.