Empowering growth on the frontline of infrastructure’s emerging economies
Attendees learnt from and networked with a global delegation focused on investment opportunities in emerging markets.
The forum, part of the Infrastructure Investor Network Global Summit, brought together emerging market specialists with investors to push forward change and discuss the current state of infrastructure investing in emerging economies.
Key themes:
- Accessing investment opportunities on the frontlines of innovation
- Which developing frontiers can offer lower relative risk amidst unprecedented global geopolitical instability?
- Assessing sector appetite and viability across regions: renewables, logistics, data infrastructure and more
- How investors can reap long-term rewards through savvy risk-mitigation and diversification
Advance your fundraising
Connect with a global audience of investors with an interest in emerging markets and benefit from focused networking with the right people.
Gain peer-to-peer insights
Find out how to navigate the market amidst unprecedented global geopolitical instability, how to reap long-term rewards through diversification and much more.
Save time building your network
Set up pre-event meetings and continue the conversation after the Summit with your membership to the Infrastructure Investor Network. Gain access to 2,000+ investors and managers globally.
Part of the Global Summit
The Emerging Markets Forum is part of the industry leading Infrastructure Investor Network Global Summit. The Summit took place across four days and included six forums. From ESG to infrastructure debt, the Summit is always your best opportunity to connect with the world’s investors, learn from inspirational speakers and stay at the forefront of the infrastructure market.
Six specialist forums
Empowering growth on the frontline of infrastructure’s emerging economies
Best practice in sustainability to improve investment strategy
Driving global connectivity through investing in innovation
The private infrastructure industry’s annual general meeting
Resilience and returns: unlocking infrastructure debt’s potential in a volatile market
Investing in energy: price, security, and the transition to net zero
Are you an institutional investor?
New for 2023, the Investor Council is a space for investors to come together and share peer-to-peer insights, learn from leading investors and more.
Position your brand at the centre of the infrastructure community
Strengthen your market credibility, put your brand in front of your key target markets and meet your investment and business goals. Sponsorship gives you:
- VIP access
- Thought-leadership opportunities
- High-profile branding
- And much more …
For more information on available sponsorship opportunities, please contact Alexander Jakes at alexander.j@peimedia.com or call +44(0)20 3862 7498
Position your brand at the centre of the infrastructure community
Strengthen your market credibility, put your brand in front of your key target markets and meet your investment and business goals. Sponsorship gives you:
- VIP access
- Thought-leadership opportunities
- High-profile branding
- And much more …
For more information on available sponsorship opportunities, please contact Alexander Jakes at alexander.j@peimedia.com or call +44(0)20 3862 7498
For more information or if you are interested in speaking at the Emerging Markets Forum, please contact Kitty Watson.
kitty.w@peimedia.com | +44 (0)203 953 8587
View agenda page
Agenda
Emerging Markets Forum 2023 - Monday 20th
Emerging Markets Forum 2023
09:10 - 09:15
Introduction from Infrastructure Investor
09:15 - 09:30
Welcome from the chair
Mujde Zeynel
09:30 - 10:15
Emerging markets: a prosperous opportunity in uncertain times?
Andrew Brown,
Deepali Bahl,
Dr. Hubert Danso,
Thomas Walenta,
Ashwin West,
Pushkar Kulkarni
- How are certain markets defying the geopolitical and macroeconomic volatility that is gripping the world?
- What levels of sophistication must investors embrace to open themselves to these prospects?
- Avoiding complacency and adapting risk management: balancing global inflation, interest rate and security concerns with regional risk appetite
Moderator: Andrew Brown, President, Delphos
10:15 - 11:00
Sustainable infrastructure and green energy: the growing, beating heart of emerging economies
Jean-Christophe Barth,
Alexandre Chavarot,
Isabella da Costa Mendes,
Hans-Peter Egler,
Morgan Landy,
Olusola Lawson
- How are emerging market investment opportunities increasingly becoming defined by green initiatives?
- Regulation, government agendas and PPPs: what’s being done on the public side and how global and regional private capital is responding
- Solving a global crisis on a regional scale: to what extent can developing markets help solve a climate problem that transcends borders and jurisdictions?
- How well do the emerging markets perform on the climate resilience and adaptation scorecard?
Moderator: Jean-Christophe Barth, Executive Director, World Association of PPP Units & Professionals
Hans-Peter Egler
Director, Sustainable Infrastructure / Technical Assistance, South Pole Group
Read bio
11:00 - 11:30
Coffee & networking Digital Infrastructure & ESG & Sustainability attendees
Emerging Markets Forum 2023
11:30 - 12:15
LP discussion: Gaining exposure, selecting strategies, and measuring risk
Georg Inderst,
Gergely Horvath,
Dhanpal Jhaveri,
Karsten Sinner
- Where to find optimum emerging markets exposure in an increasingly complex fund market
- Debt, equity, primaries, core and more: what strategies for what regions?
- Demanding efficient ESG and sustainability reporting in the era of green transparency
Moderator: Georg Inderst, Principal, Inderst Advisory
12:15 - 13:00
Urban growth and development: smarter cities with smarter infrastructure
Matthew Jordan-Tank,
Deepti Jerath,
Chandra Reddy,
Wolfgang Teubner,
Dr. Neslihan Vural
- How the sub-sectors of infrastructure investment intersect in these areas of rising-population dependency
- Improving unreliability of transmission infrastructure: the key to urban development in emerging regions?
- Making an impact: the push for greener municipalities
Moderator: Matthew Jordan-Tank, Director, Sustainable Infrastructure Policy & Project Preparation, EBRD
13:00 - 14:00
Networking lunch with Digital Infrastructure & ESG & Sustainability attendees
Emerging Markets Forum 2023
14:00 - 14:45
Embracing frontier market risk in an uncertain environment
Helga Van Peer,
Lucie Bernatkova,
Mariam Akanbi,
Tomas Janeba,
Prerna Soni,
Marieta Stefanova
- Does increasing geopolitical and economic uncertainty threaten or underpin the case for emerging markets?
- How are governments across these regions encouraging infrastructure investment in this climate with enticing policy frameworks?
- Regional study – pricing and measuring different risks across different jurisdictions within regions
- Risk ownership and contracting – how is risk distributed amongst stakeholders within these transitioning and ever-increasingly sustainable economies?
Moderator: Helga Van Peer, Lawyer & Non-Exec Board Member, Independent
Lucie Bernatkova
Vice President, Portfolio Manager, Impact Investments, Allianz Global Investors
Read bio
14:45 - 15:00
Presentation: Bulgaria – Outstanding Investment Destination
Hristo Etropolski
15:00 - 15:30
Coffee & networking Digital Infrastructure & ESG & Sustainability attendees
Emerging Markets Forum 2023
15:30 - 16:05
Emerging markets at the centre of the energy transition
Aditi Bhattacharya,
Rajesh Hemnani,
Ryan Levinson,
James Meffen,
Jochen von Frowein
- Supply and demand: why the demographics of these regions and green energy ambitions are the perfect match
- How are public and private stakeholders utilising the unmatched renewable energy resource across developing markets?
- Putting into action the international co-operation and funding frameworks that must underpin a clean energy agenda
Moderator: Aditi Bhattacharya, Investment Specialist, Asian Development Bank
16:05 - 16:40
Polling debate: Which region provides the most attractive infrastructure investment opportunities?
Jan Brazda,
Olusola Lawson,
Ahmed Ashour,
Aditi Bhattacharya,
Daniel Calderon
Representatives from different emerging regions will argue why their respective regions are providing the most opportunity across different infrastructure assets.
- Africa – Olusola Lawson, Co-Managing Director, African Infrastructure Investment Managers (“AIIM”)
- Middle East – Ahmed Ashour, Co-Founder & CEO, Pylon
- Asia Pacific – Aditi Bhattacharya, Investment Specialist, Asian Development Bank
- Eastern Europe – Daniel Calderon, Co-Founder & Managing Director, Alcazar Energy Management Services
Moderator: Jan Brazda, Partner, PwC
16:40 - 17:10
Presentation: Airport Investments in Emerging Markets
Daniel Bircher
- Drivers for investments and Levels of private sector participation
- Optimal risk allocation and risk mitigation in airport concessions
- Learnings from emerging markets
17:10 - 17:20
Closing comments from the chair
Mujde Zeynel
17:20 - 17:50
Keynote fireside chat: Putting ESG & sustainability at the heart of your real asset investment approach in 2023 and beyond
Bruno Alves,
Isabelle Scemama
- Executing cutting-edge sustainability methods across a global alternatives business unit
- How infrastructure and real estate are increasingly intersecting and how this is defining your ESG approach
- Reality bites? How can infrastructure funds counter present-day challenges like inflation, valuation volatility, soaring costs and other factors, whilst staying the distance on their ESG journey?
Moderator: Bruno Alves, Senior Editor, Infrastructure Investor
17:50 - 18:50
Members' welcome drinks reception in the Listo Lounge
Mariam Akanbi
General Counsel, ARCH Emerging Markets
Mariam Akanbi is General Counsel at ARCH Emerging Markets Partners Limited (ARCH). ARCH is an owner-managed investment advisory firm founded in 2018 that specialises in private equity and alternative investment opportunities across EM jurisdictions.… Read full bio
Bruno Alves
Senior Editor, Infrastructure Investor
Bruno Alves is the Senior Editor of award-winning publication Infrastructure Investor. Bruno has been a journalist for nearly 20 years and first joined Infrastructure Investor in December 2009, where he quickly rose to become Associate Editor and a l… Read full bio
Ahmed Ashour
Co-Founder & CEO, Pylon
Ahmed has worked in the utilities and Energy business for over 14 years. He’s led the development and implementation of smart metering technologies in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. As co-founder and CEO of Pylon, the utilities management… Read full bio
Deepali Bahl
Managing Director, Augment Infrastructure
Deepali Bahl is a Managing Director at Augment Infrastructure with 20+ years of infrastructure and private equity investment experience. Previously, she worked with IFC Asset Management Company for 8 years including as Head of the IFC Global Infrastr… Read full bio
Jean-Christophe Barth
Executive Director, World Association of PPP Units ＆ Professionals
Jean-Christophe (also known as “JC”) Barth-Coullaré is the Executive Director of the World Association of PPP Units ＆ Professionals (WAPPP), based in international Geneva. WAPPP is a global network with currently 45 PPP Units ＆over 300 public-private… Read full bio
Lucie Bernatkova
Vice President, Portfolio Manager, Impact Investments, Allianz Global Investors
Lucie Bernatkova is an investment professional in Allianz Global Investor’s Impact Investments team where she is primarily responsible for the execution of Emerging Market Climate Action Fund (“EMCAF”), a strategy focused on financing climate transit… Read full bio
Aditi Bhattacharya
Investment Specialist, Asian Development Bank
Aditi is an Investment Specialist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), a $30 billion multilateral financing institution focused on mobilizing private capital for sustainable infrastructure in developing Asia and the Pacific. She has 14 years of exper… Read full bio
Daniel Bircher
Managing Director, Zurich Airport International AG
Mr Daniel Bircher is the Managing Director Zurich Airport International. He further acts as Chairman of Yamuna International Airport Private Ltd., the Indian special Purpose Vehicle the build the Delhi Noida International Greenfield airport. Daniel B… Read full bio
Jan Brazda
PwC CEE Partner, PwC CZ
More than 17 years with PwC. PwC CEE ESG and Capital projects & Infrastructure partner with an extensive expertise in infrastructure financing, greenfields, brownfields, PPPs, concessions and infra M&A in transport, social infrastructure and… Read full bio
Andrew Brown
President, Delphos
Since 2021, Mr. Brown has served as President of Delphos International, an independent financial advisory firm focused on arranging capital for transactions in emerging markets. With over 20 years of experience, Mr. Brown is an expert in project fina… Read full bio
Daniel Calderon
Co-Founder ＆ Managing Partner, Alcazar Energy
Daniel is the Co-founder & Managing Partner of Alcazar Energy, which was established in 2014 and focuses on investing in renewable energy infrastructure across emerging markets. Daniel has led the development and investment in several GW of renew… Read full bio
Alexandre Chavarot
Founder, Climate Finance 2050
Alexandre Chavarot is an independent finance professional focused on delivering solutions to the challenges posed by climate change and sustainable development. He been advising clients on project & corporate acquisitions, risk assessments, inves… Read full bio
Isabella da Costa Mendes
Founding Partner, ImpactA Global
Isabella is Founding Partner of ImpactA Global, acting as Co-CEO and Chair of the Risk Committee. She is an established emerging markets professional, with 25 years’ experience across law, investment banking, structuring, and consultancy. Her experti… Read full bio
Dr. Hubert Danso
CEO ＆ Chairman, Africa investor (Ai) Group
CEO and Chairman: Africa investor (Ai), Chairman: AiSWPFF, Chairman, African Union Continental Business Network (CBN), African Green Infrastructure Investment Bank Advisory Board (AfGIIB). Dr Danso is the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Afric… Read full bio
Hans-Peter Egler
Director, Sustainable Infrastructure / Technical Assistance, South Pole Group
Hans-Peter Egler is currently Director Sustainable Infrastructure / Public Sector with South Pole. He has 30 years of experience in international cooperation in the areas of infrastructure, investment, trade, and production including environmental an… Read full bio
Hristo Etropolski
Deputy Executive Director, InvestBulgaria Agency
Hristo Etropolsky is a Deputy executive director of InvestBulgaria Agency. Prior to the current position since 2012 Mr. Etropolsky served as a Director “Marketing and investment services” department. He has a Master's Degree in economics from the Uni… Read full bio
Rajesh Hemnani
Investment Manager, British International Investments
Rajesh has over 13 years of investment experience in emerging markets across renewable energy, transport, urban infra & telecom sectors. He has a track record of making investments to the tune of $500m across the infrastructure sector in Asia and… Read full bio
Gergely Horvath
Investment Officer / Infrastructure & Climate Action Funds, European Investment Bank
Gergely Horvath joined the European Investment Bank in 2017 and is responsible for investments in infrastructure and climate funds outside the European Union within EIB Global. Gergely’s primary focus is on private equity funds targeting infrastructu… Read full bio
Georg Inderst
Principal, Inderst Advisory London
Georg Inderst is an independent adviser to pension funds, institutional investors and international organizations, based in London. He is a member of various international investment and advisory committees. Georg authored several key studies on infr… Read full bio
Tomas Janeba
President, Czech Infrastructure Association
Tomas Janeba has been the President of the Czech Infrastructure Association, a private sector think-tank for the Czech public infrastructure over the past ten years, uniting interests and views of over 50 major infrastructure players – leading engine… Read full bio
Deepti Jerath
Head - UK, Global Head - Institutional Investors, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
Deepti Jerath heads the UK region and is also Global Head for Institutional Investors, at the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), the political risk insurance arm of the World Bank Group. In addition, she leads the Carbon markets strateg… Read full bio
Dhanpal Jhaveri
Vice Chairman, Everstone Group and CEO, EverSource Capital
Dhanpal Jhaveri is Vice Chairman-Evestone Group, a premier investment group focused on India and South East Asia, with assets in excess of US$7 billion across private equity, real estate, credit, climate change and green infrastructure, and venture c… Read full bio
Matthew Jordan-Tank
Director of Sustainable Infrastructure Policy and Project Preparation, EBRD
Matthew is the Director of Sustainable Infrastructure Policy and Project Preparation at EBRD, covering the energy, transport and municipal sectors. His work covers upstream policy support, PPP transaction advisory, and project preparation/technical d… Read full bio
Morgan Landy
Director, Global Infrastructure, IFC
Morgan Landy is the Director of Global Infrastructure at the International Finance Corporation (IFC). IFC is a member of the World Bank Group and the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector. As a member of IFC… Read full bio
Ram Krishna Khatiwada
Chief Executive Officer, Nepal Infrastructure Bank
Ram Krishna Khatiwada is a development finance professional with more than 21 years of professional experience and in providing leadership in economic development, infrastructure development, and finance, energy sectors & regulation, public-priva… Read full bio
Pushkar Kulkarni
Managing Director Infrastructure & Sustainable Energies, CPP Investments
Pushkar Kulkarni is an Electronics Engineer with an MBA with over 25 years of experience in the infrastructure sector. His leadership experience has been across the value chain of Infrastructure; Technology, Operations, M&A and finally as an Inve… Read full bio
Olusola Lawson
Co-Managing Director, African Infrastructure Investment Managers ("AIIM")
Olusola was appointed Managing Director and co-Head at AIIM, Africa's largest infrastructure equity internment manager, in August 2020. He has significant experience in corporate finance and infrastructure equity investing experience across European… Read full bio
Ryan Levinson
Head of Emerging Market Energy Transition, Mirova SunFunder
Ryan Levinson is the Head of Emerging Market Energy Transition for Mirova SunFunder. Ryan co-founded SunFunder in 2012 to address climate change and energy access by solving the financing bottleneck for clean energy companies in Africa and other emer… Read full bio
James Meffen
Director, The AES Corporation
James is the CFO of Son My LNG Terminal a joint venture company of AES and PetroVietnam Gas. In this capacity he leads finance related functions of the company including the project financing for the 3.0 MTPA terminal. In addition to this role, James… Read full bio
Chandra Reddy
Advisor, GMR Infrasructure
Chandra is a Sydney based former lawyer and now an advisor in business and capital strategy to multi-national companies involved in infrastructure development, clean energy, industrial real estate and technology. Chandra is also the CEO of Beyond Adv… Read full bio
Isabelle Scemama
Global Head of AXA IM Alts, Member of AXA IM Management Board, Member of the Board of Directors of EPRA
Isabelle Scemama is Global Head of AXA IM Alts. Isabelle oversees AXA IM’s €184bn alternative business unit, AXA IM Alts, which employs over 800 people located in 17 offices, serving the needs of more than 500 clients globally. AXA IM Alts is a globa… Read full bio
Karsten Sinner
Head of Infrastructure Funds and Regional Head of Funds North Africa, the Levant and Türkiye, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Karsten Sinner is responsible for EBRD's investment activities in infrastructure funds (which includes renewables funds) across the entire EBRD geography and for private equity funds in North Africa, the Levant and Türkiye. Karsten has more than 30 y… Read full bio
Prerna Soni
Vice President, Invest India
Prerna Soni holds over a decade of experience in Financial Services including Infrastructure Financing and Treasury. Currently, Prerna leads the Financial Investors Initiative, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Energy verticals at Invest India, the Nat… Read full bio
Marieta Stefanova
Associate, Sustainable Finance, SYSTEMIQ
Marieta Stefanova is leading sustainable finance projects at Systemiq, working with commercial and development finance actors and seeking to mobilise large scale capital for the transition to a low-carbon and nature positive economy. Prior to joining… Read full bio
Wolfgang Teubner
Regional Director Europe, ICLEI European Secretariat
Wolfgang Teubner is the ICLEI Regional Director for Europe and the Managing Director (CEO) of the ICLEI European Secretariat with a staff of 140 people. He is responsible for the strategic and economic development of ICLEI in Europe. He has more than… Read full bio
Helga Van Peer
Lawyer, Mediator and Non-Exec Board Member
Helga Van Peer is a senior lawyer specialising in transactional public law and projects. She advises public and private sector clients, creating and supporting innovative and effective solutions for PPP tenders and contracts in the interest of all st… Read full bio
Jochen von Frowein
Director –Infrastructure & Energy, Global Equity, DEG
Jochen von Frowein heads the newly established team responsible at DEG for direct equity investments in infrastructure and energy as well as commitments to infrastructure equity funds in emerging markets. Previously, he focused on Project Finance in… Read full bio
Dr. Neslihan Vural
Director of Finance, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality
Dr. Neslihan VURAL was born in 1983. She completed her undergraduate education about Public Administration at Süleyman Demirel University in 2004. She completed her master's and also her doctorate degrees in banking and finance at Marmara University.… Read full bio
Thomas Walenta
Senior Investment Officer, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)
Thomas is Senior Investment Officer at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a multilateral financial institution whose mission is financing the Infrastructure for Tomorrow — infrastructure that is green, technology-enabled and promotes re… Read full bio
Ashwin West
Head of Sustainable Infrastructure Investments, Blue Orchard
Ashwin is responsible for BlueOrchard’s sustainable infrastructure investment team, overseeing the origination and execution of infrastructure transactions across emerging and frontier markets. Prior to joining BlueOrchard in 2021, he was an Investme… Read full bio
Mujde Zeynel
Origination and Business Development, CCN Group
Müjde Zeynel is an international infrastructure professional with experience in the private and public markets spanning climate smart capital investment planning and management, upstream pipeline development, PPP transaction advisory and capital rais… Read full bio