Matthew Farnum-Schneider of Prudential will lead the newly created Global Infrastructure Investor Association (GIIA).
Farnum-Schneider, managing director of the chief executive officer’s group at the UK insurer, will become the first chairman of the organisation launched this year by a group of large institutional investors.
He will be supported by Henk Huizing, investment director at Dutch institution PGGM and Andrew Claerhout, head of infrastructure at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, as regional deputy chairmen for Europe and North America, respectively.
GIIA, which aims to increase engagement of infrastructure investors with governments and regulators around the world, has also established an initial management board of 25 individuals, and an executive committee.
GIIA now has the backing of 25 infrastructure investors, which combined oversee more than €200bn in infrastructure assets.
Members include investors Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, APG Asset Management, Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, PGGM, Prudential and PSP Investments.
Several infrastructure investment managers are also members: Alinda Capital Partners, Allianz Capital Partners, Antin Infrastructure Partners, Arcus Infrastructure Partners, Ardian, Borealis, Brookfield Infrastructure, Deutsche Asset & Wealth Management, EISER Infrastructure Partners, Global Infrastructure Partners, Goldman Sachs Infrastructure Partners, IDFC Alternatives, IFC Asset Management Company, IFM Investors, Infracapital (Prudential) Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Estates, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure and 3i Investment.
The creation of an unlisted infrastructure association in Europe has been mooted for some time. IP Real Estate understands that Dutch institutions, which were instrumental in creating Europe’s unlisted real estate association INREV, have been particularly keen.
Former INREV director Lonneke Löwik, who was brought in to manage the launch of GIIA, told IP Real Estate earlier this year that – unlike INREV, which focuses on governance best practice and transparency – GIAA will be aimed mainly at “working with governments, regulators and policy makers to develop attractive and stable political, legal, tax and regulatory environments for infrastructure investment”.
