Building a Project Finance and Infrastructure Advisory Practice

Our client wanted to establish a credible project finance and infrastructure advisory practice in a market where experienced teams are scarce and highly mobile. The challenge was not simply to hire a few individuals, but to build a practice with enough technical depth, market credibility, and internal cohesion to compete from day one.

This search drew heavily on deep knowledge of the project finance and infrastructure advisory market, including the structure of teams, the dynamics between boutiques and larger platforms, and the motivations of senior professionals in a highly specialised field. Rather than approaching the mandate as a sequence of disconnected hires, the work focused on identifying an existing cluster of talent with the right technical complementarity and growth potential. By combining sector expertise, careful market mapping, and trusted dialogue with senior stakeholders, it was possible to create alignment around a move that made strategic sense for both the client and the individuals involved.

We facilited the transaction for a creation of a 16 person team to help form and strengthen the practice, giving the client immediate scale, technical credibility, and delivery capability in project finance and infrastructure advisory. The result was the successful build-out of a functioning team rather than a collection of isolated hires, allowing the practice to enter the market with real substance.