Funds manager and infrastructure investor Industry Funds Management (IFM) has announced a partnership with the Asset Management Council (AMC) that it says will enhance its risk practices.
IFM’s investment director for infrastructure, Danny Elia, will joint the AMC board under the new arrangement, which will run for the next five years.
“Best-practice asset management is an absolute priority for IFM, which is why this partnership makes sense,” said Elia, who has responsibility for the firm’s management strategy across 26 infrastructure assets in Australia, North America and Europe.
IFM, which is owned by 32 not-for-for profit superannuation funds, manages over $35 billion, with a particular focus on infrastructure projects, while AMC is a non-profit member network focused on best-practice asset management.
The AMC moves comes in the same week as the hiring of former Barclay’s banker David Cooper to help build out IFM’s infrastructure-debt team in the UK.
Cooper, an Australian, was in charge of raising Barclay’s £500-million UK infrastructure senior debt fund. He will be based in London and will report to Robin Miller, global head of debt investments and work with IFM’s 12-strong European infrastructure equity team.
Cooper will work closely with IFM’s Australian infrastructure-debt team, led by Kevin Lewis, and will eventually be supported by an additional hire, to be announced in a few months, IFM said.
