IJGlobal Awards 2022 – North America Judges
We are pleased today to announce the North American judging panel for IJGlobal Awards 2022, identifying a team of industry professionals – all of whom have deep experience of infrastructure and energy financing – to deliberate the company awards section.
IJGlobal Awards should not be confused with IJInvestor Awards which celebrate infrastructure fund activity alongside infra/energy M&A. These awards are hosted in the autumn.
We believe IJGlobal Awards are the single most transparent and peer review in this sector, fielding regional teams of experts to assess submissions and vote (in secret) on the organisations that have been most impressive over the course of the judging period.
The independent panel of judges will meet for Judgment Day today (Thursday 12 January) to debate the merits of companies that closed deals – project finance greenfield and refi – over the course of 2022.
Judges are recused from casting a vote where they are conflicted, as in lawyers cannot vote in the legal segment and bankers are not allowed to sway the decision in the MLA category.
The judges (in alphabetical order) for North American Judgment Day are:
- Emily Hashimoto – Goldman Sachs
- Anthony Ianno – RBC Capital Markets
- Nanda Kamat – MUFG Bank
- Nasir Khan – Natixis
- Sia Kusha – Plenary
- Will Marder – Wilmington Trust
- Sonia McMillan – Amber Infrastructure
- Dolly Mirchandani – White & Case
- Sharon Novak – Shikun & Binui
- Mansi Patel – MetLife
- Mike Pikiel – Winston & Strawn
- Tom Rousakis – EY
- Amrinder Saini – Agentis Capital
- Jonathan Smith – Equitix
- Tim Treharne – Arup
- Lindsay Wright – KPMG
Emily Hashimoto
Emily Hashimoto is a vice president within the infrastructure investment banking team at Goldman Sachs in New York.
She has been involved in numerous transactions in the transportation, digital, and environmental infrastructure space over the years.
Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, she held roles with Bank of Montreal and RBC Capital Markets.
Anthony Ianno
Anthony Ianno is global head of power, utilities and infrastructure at RBC Capital Markets in New York.
He has responsibility for coordinating RBC’s investment banking coverage for power, utility, and infrastructure clients, and specialises in advising clients in M&A, equity finance, debt finance and municipal finance.
In this role, Anthony has advised many boards of directors and management teams with respect to strategy and finance.
Over the course of his 25-plus years in investment banking, Anthony has advised on numerous mergers, spins or strategic separations, and shareholder relations.
He has raised billions of dollars for his clients through numerous debt and equity transactions.
Anthony was previously a managing director in Morgan Stanley’s power team as well as having been an MD in JP Morgan’s natural resources investment banking group.
Before moving into banking, Anthony worked as an engineer for Con Edison, where he worked on numerous assignments in power plants, substations and electrical distribution.
Nanda Kamat
Nanda is the head of infrastructure for MUFG’s project finance group and has more than 15 years of experience in project and infrastructure finance.
Her team has served as financial adviser for multiple infrastructure projects, including – most recently – the redevelopment of Terminal 1 at JFK Airport and the financing of Stonepeak’s acquisition of a minority interest in American Tower’s US data centre business.
Nanda and her team have also led numerous project financings in the infrastructure space, including most recently, Terminal 6 at JFK and Indiana Toll Road opco and holdco.
Nasir Khan
Nasir is responsible for infrastructure finance for power and renewables, transport, social infrastructure and telecoms at Natixis in New York.
He has more than 20 years’ experience in infrastructure and energy, and prior to his new role, he was managing director and head of infrastructure for the Americas at Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ.
In this role, he specialised in business development across lending, advisory and capital markets. He has also held positions at Ports America Group and Citigroup.
Sia Kusha
Sia is a senior vice president and group head, project development and partnering at Plenary Americas.
He is responsible for project development and positioning Plenary with appropriate project sponsors and selecting partners by leveraging industry relationships.
A 40-year veteran of the industry, Sia has delivered a variety of infrastructure programmes and projects for a diverse range of public and private clients.
Will Marder
Will Marder leads the project finance agency services group at Wilmington Trust, which he joined in 2017 bringing more than 25 years of project finance and asset-backed lending experience to the team.
He was previously at Deutsche Bank from 2008 to 2017, where he served as the global product manager for project finance in the global transaction banking business.
Prior to Deutsche, Will worked at Fortis Capital for 4 years, where he originated and underwrote project finance transactions in the energy sector, focusing on renewable energy technologies.
Before moving to Fortis, Will spent 8 years at GE Capital Energy Financial Services, where he focused on troubled and workout transactions, and was involved in numerous restructurings and asset sales. Will was also involved in GE’s earliest tax equity investments in wind energy.
Sonia McMillan
Sonia joined the Amber Infrastructure North American investment origination team in 2021.
She has in-depth experience in both North American and international infrastructure investments.
Sonia also has extensive infrastructure transaction and legal experience as a former managing director and general counsel for Rubicon Capital Advisors and director of infrastructure at InfraRed Capital Partners.
Dolly Mirchandani
Dolly focuses on infrastructure and PPP projects at white & Case and has more than 20 years’ experience working on some of the most significant deals in the sector.
She represents sponsors, infrastructure funds, commercial banks, institutional lenders, contractors, secondary market investors and governments in the tender, development and acquisition of greenfield and brownfield infrastructure projects.
Sharon Novak
As chief executive of Shikun & Binui USA (S&B USA) and chair of S&B USA Construction, Sharon is responsible for the US group’s equity, development and O&M arm – S&B USA Concessions – as well as all US construction activities.
Over the course of the last 4 years, Sharon has served in different roles in Shikun & Binui. He joined S&B as the vice president for finance of the global concession division, later promoted to head of US concessions and, since 2020, has been serving as S&B USA’s chief exec.
In his career, Sharon has led large and complex transactions in the infrastructure, transportation and energy sectors – of which the vast majority are P3 / project finance type deals.
Prior to joining S&B, Sharon led the project finance and infrastructure practices as a partner in a financial consulting firm.
Before that, he served as a senior financial adviser to the Israeli Ministry of Finance where – among other things – he was leading the structuring and drafting of the Israeli P3 Standard documents (which are still in use by government entities to procure P3 projects in Israel).
Mansi Patel
Mansi was promoted to managing director and head of US infrastructure and project finance at MetLife Investment Management in June 2022, having previously held the head of role – both in New York.
Prior to that, she was vice president of infrastructure and project finance at MetLife, which she joined in 2006.
In this new role, she is responsible for transaction sourcing, origination, underwriting and portfolio management.
Mansi primarily focuses on the transport, social infrastructure, power, water, pipeline and energy sectors across the Americas.
Mike Pikiel
Mike is a New York-based partner at Winston & Strawn where he also serves as co-chair of the firm’s energy and infrastructure industry group and co-chair of the firm’s project finance practice.
He represents sponsors, developers, investors, lenders and underwriters in a wide range of projects and complex finance transactions, including project financings and acquisition financings.
Mike has 20 years of experience representing clients in the infrastructure, transportation and energy sectors and significant experience with PPPs.
Tom Rousakis
Tom leads the Ernst & Young Infrastructure Advisors – a team of professionals dedicated to helping US infrastructure projects get off the ground with innovative financial and commercial solutions to complex problems.
Prior to joining EY in 2013, Tom spent 16 years in investment banking leading major financing and advisory engagements in the US public infrastructure sector, particularly around complex project financings and public-private partnerships.
Today, he connects his knowledge of finance and the private sector to the needs of his public sector infrastructure clients to advance some of the highest profile projects in the country.
Tom started his career in the public sector working for city agencies.
Amrinder Saini
Amrinder is an established P3 investment professional with impressive experience across across North American greenfield financing, secondary markets, restructuring, and refinancing P3.
He restructured the $2.7 billion Purple Line which included the defeasance of existing debt as well as structuring new debt (including a $1.76 billion TIFIA loan), alongside the appointment of a new contractor.
Amrinder has also structured the financing stack for the innovative Fargo-Moorhead Flood Diversion P3 that included a $642.6 million revolving credit facility that took advantage of the project’s 58 milestone payments, a $197.7 million delay-draw private placement, and $273.4 million of tax-exempt private activity bonds.
As well as his work on market-leading transactions, Amrinder is focused on developing the skills and abilities of those working around him – as evidenced by his development of P3 training modules (financial modelling, debt processes, legal documentation, rating agency approaches) as well as organising a library of P3 precedents from the US, Canada, the UK and Australia.
Jonathan Smith
Jonathan Smith is the deputy chief executive for Equitix in North America, having joined as financial controller at the launch of the business in 2007. He became finance director and eventually main board member as the CFO of Equitix Group from 2015 until 2021.
Jon is passionate about ensuring that the mission and values that he has been part of building from the UK are instilled throughout the North American team while ensuring that it maintains the highest standard of investment diligence, execution and ongoing management.
His responsibilities include oversight of the management of investments and BD functions and financial performance, control and strategic planning in North American, implementing and maintaining the corporate culture and values of Equitix and acting as member of fund investment committee and board director of the SEC regulated investment adviser.
Jon played an integral role in Tetragon’s acquisition of the Equitix Group in 2015 and has helped lead the business in its growth since. He was instrumental in the initial establishment of the Equitix business, with a particular focus on the finance function, alongside widely utilised processes and controls throughout the business.
He helped lead the business into new investment markets, including Europe where Equitix has established a itself in the education sector, higher education accommodation market and the offshore renewable energy transmission space.
Tim Treharne
Tim leads Arup’s advisory services business in the Americas. He joined Arup in 2018 following a 38-year career in banking and finance, principally in project finance, across a wide range of sectors and geographies.
His specialties include project finance, PFI / P3, privatizations, and restructurings.
In terms of sectors, Tim has delivered projects in transportation, energy, and social infrastructure and has worked with public authorities developing their projects and programs including providing input to necessary legislation.
With experience of delivering projects from multiple perspectives as adviser to public authorities, bidding groups and, as a principal as both lender and equity investor/developer, Tim brings a depth of experience and market knowledge in developing alternative delivery models for public and private clients alike.
Lindsay Wright
Lindsay is a senior manager in KPMG’s infrastructure advisory practice with more than 12 years’ experience.
She provides strategic, financial and commercial advice to a diverse mix of public and private sector clients.
Lindsay has worked across social infrastructure, defence and energy sectors, but with a particular focus on transit and transport.
She specialises in delivering large, complex, city-changing infrastructure around the world.
Lindsay has advised on projects around the world, bringing international leading practice to all of her clients.
Request a Demo
Interested in IJGlobal? Request a demo to discuss a trial with a member of our team. Talk to the team to explore the value of our asset and transaction databases, our market-leading news, league tables and much more.