On Wednesday, Investcorp, the Middle East-based private real assets investor which currently manages more than $40 billion in client assets, announced plans to launch a private infrastructure investment business in North America. According to a company announcement, the new platform will apply the firm’s global expertise and track record in real estate and private equity to make investments in critical infrastructure companies and projects across the continent.
Investcorp has hired Michael Ryder, a private equity and infrastructure investment veteran previously with Morgan Stanley, Blackstone and OMERS, to lead the infrastructure business. During his tenure at OMERS, Ryder was responsible for deployment of almost $4 billion of equity in the renewable power, regulated utilities, midstream, and government services sectors. Ryder has led teams responsible for all stages of the investment lifecycle from transaction origination, structuring and execution, asset management and value creation, through to successful exits.
“The launch of Investcorp’s North America infrastructure business builds upon our long history of success investing in private alternatives on behalf of our global client base, leveraging our strong and established experience in real estate and private equity. Infrastructure is a critical focus area as we see increased activity to upgrade the region’s aging infrastructure,” Investcorp Executive Chairman Mohammed Alardhi said in an official statement. “This initiative will expand our range of capabilities, generate additional value for our clients and stakeholders and lead us steadily forward in our growth strategy. We are deeply impressed with Michael’s extensive experience and knowledge of the infrastructure space and look forward to welcoming him to our team.”
“I am proud to be joining the Investcorp team at this exciting time, especially as we anticipate a steady rise in infrastructure investment activity in North America during the next decade,” said Investcorp’s Michael Ryder. “Investcorp has been a best-in-class alternative investment manager for 40 years, I look forward to contributing to the firm’s growth strategy by leading this important new initiative.”
Originally founded as an alternative investments firm in 1982, Investcorp established its first Infrastructure investment business in the Gulf Cooperation Council region in 2019 through a strategic joint venture with Aberdeen Standard Investments.
Earlier this week, Investcorp announced the launch of eLydian Lion, the first dedicated institutional blockchain fund based in the GCC with a global investment mandate The fund will be led from Investcorp’s Abu Dhabi office, but will be deployed globally, focusing on investments in companies leading the next digital evolution driven by blockchain technology. eLydian Lion will mainly invest in early-stage companies operating in areas within the blockchain ecosystem, such as blockchain infrastructure, platforms and exchanges, decentralized finance, and data analytics.
