Global Infrastructure Partners, a private equity fund dedicated to investing in global infrastructure assets, has appointed Joseph Blum, who has wide experience in the global petroleum ind
Global Infrastructure Partners, a private equity fund dedicated to investing in global infrastructure assets, has appointed Joseph Blum, who has wide experience in the global petroleum industry, as a partner and general counsel based at its London office.
Blum has extensive experience in representing sponsors and financial institutions in all aspects of cross-border project development and financings, as well as joint ventures and privatisations, and specialises in structuring complex project finance transactions involving multiple groups and types of credit providers.
He recently represented Qatar Gas Transport Company in connection with the USD7.2bn financing of 27 liquid natural gas vessels, the largest ship financing ever completed. He also represented RasGas II and RasGas, joint ventures between Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil, in connection with the financing of their USD14.1bn, five-train liquefied natural gas facilities.
Blum has worked on significant transactions in the US, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the former Soviet Union and the Indian subcontinent, for clients such as Chevron, Suez Energy and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation as well as financial institutions including Lehman Brothers, ABN Amro and Morgan Stanley. He joins Global Infrastructure Partners from Latham & Watkins, where he spent 21 years and was a partner and head of the London office’s project development and finance group.
‘GIP is facing a wealth of opportunities in the infrastructure investment sector, across a range of asset classes including energy, transport and water, both in the OECD and in select developing countries,’ says Adebayo Ogunlesi, chairman and managing partner of Global Infrastructure Partners.
‘We are delighted that Joe will be joining us as a partner and spearheading our legal counsel division. His vast experience in both developed and developing markets and the recognition he has gained across various infrastructure sectors distinguish him as a legal expert and we believe that his significant experience will be an asset for GIP and its limited partners.’
Says Blum: ‘Global Infrastructure Partners is at the hub of a fast-paced and burgeoning sector, and I am delighted to be joining such an experienced group and taking on responsibility as general counsel. The global reach of the company and diversity of asset classes it targets makes it an exciting prospect from a legal perspective.’
Global Infrastructure Partners is a private equity fund that invests in global infrastructure assets in both OECD and emerging market countries, targeting investments in single assets and portfolios of assets and companies in the energy, transport and water sectors, including power generation and transmission, gas storage and pipelines, water assets, airports, air traffic control, ports and railroads. The firm, a joint venture between Credit Suisse and General Electric, has offices in New York, London and Hong Kong.
