PFI London took place on 21 & 22 November, hosted by HFW in their offices in central London. The Forum was part of the first PFI London Week, which incorporated 3 key focus sessions – PFI London, a site visit to DP World London Gateway and PFI’s Ports and Terminals Concessions Course. PFI London’s aim was to review trends and outlook for port investments in emerging markets, and over the 2 days leading global ports and terminal executives came together to look at opportunities offered and also discussed how to overcome barriers and challenges, particularly in regions traditionally considered more complex.
Companies in attendance included: HFW, JLT, Moffatt & Nichol, MTBS, Terminal Link, Essar, World Bank, Macquarie, Nectar Group, Walvis Bay, Clyde & Co, Gulftainer, Royal Haskoning, TT Club and many others.
Conference Chair, Jamie Simpson, had this to say about the event: “The quality of participants brought diverse port sector knowledge to each session, which collectively provided sound insights to the challenges of port investment planning, finance and risk management. The conference discussions were especially strong around the criteria determining port investments and how these shape private sector transaction structures and risk allocation; a valuable guide to port authorities and port planners.”
While key sponsor, Andrew Webster, Partner, JLT, commented that he “was very impressed with the level of candour and straightforward talking that the conference engendered.”
Speakers included representatives from government agencies, private operators, public ports bodies, banks, law firms, and insurance:
• Alexander Zotov, Co-Founder, Eurasia Resources
• Andrew Webster, Partner, JLT
• Anthony van der Hoest, Senior Manager Commerce, MTBS
• Asit Ranjan Sikdar, Vice President - PA&SF, SBI Capital Markets
• Chris Borha, Head Analyst, C. A. BORHA (Management and Economic Services), Former General Manager, Nigeria Ports Authority; Member, Ministerial Project Development and Steering Committee of Ibom Deep Sea Port, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
• Daniel van Tuijll, Maritime Specialist, World Bank Group
• Gabrielle Dale, Associate Director/Senior Vice President, Macquarie Capital Funds
• Guy Wilkes, Director, Nectar
• Johny M. Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Walvis Bay
• Matthew Gore, Partner, HFW
• Michel Jenné, Director, MJM Consulting
• Mike Dekker, Partner, Clau Partners
And more.
Alongside the conference were also a number of fantastic networking opportunities, providing superb opportunity for continued discussion and business creation, as well as a fascinating site visit to DP World London Gateway which gave all those participating a chance to visit the UK's most integrated logistics hub.
Port Finance International
