Digital Infrastructure Forum Global Summit Online 2021

Jussi works as a Senior Investment Manager at Finnfund, leading the origination and execution of Telecommunications, Technology, and Fintech -sector investments.

Recent transactions include investments into Lebanese Telecom-ESCO company IPT Powertech, South African based financial technology firm JUMO World, and a leading telecommunications operator in Iraq, Zain Iraq.

Prior joining Finnfund Jussi was a corporate finance advisor at EY and worked in various emerging markets investment banking roles at Standard Bank plc. Jussi holds a master’s degree in finance from Durham University and a bachelor’s degree in international business.

Finnfund

Finnfund is a development financier which builds a sustainable world by investing in responsible and profitable businesses in developing countries. We provide businesses operating in developing countries with risk capital, long-term investment loans, mezzanine financing and expertise on how to invest in the developing markets.

We expect our projects to be profitable, socially and environmentally responsible and produce measurable development impact in their target countries. Finnfund invests in businesses that drive sustainable development, whether they are companies are already operational or in the process of being set up.

Every year, we make 20-30 new investments worth 180-250 million euros and our current portfolio plus undisbursed decisions is nearly 1 billion euros.

Matteo leads Whitehelm’s equity investment activities in Europe & North America for economic infrastructure and digital investments. He is a partner of Whitehelm’s European Infrastructure Fund, a mid-market focused core infrastructure strategy, and the Smart City Infrastructure Fund, a global investment program with a unique focus on next generation digital infrastructure and smart city applications. Matteo is a board member of SiFi Networks, one of the largest community-wide open access fiber developer in the USA, and Saren Infrastructure, the owner of energy-related investments in the Nordics with focus on sustainable technologies and circular economy. His investment experience at Whitehelm also includes Connexin’s IoT networks, Kvitebjørn Varme’s district heating and Kinland’s social infrastructure portfolio. Prior to joining Whitehelm, Matteo held roles at Macquarie, Societe Generale and Natixis where he was involved in the development of private financing for major infrastructure projects in continental Europe. Matteo holds an M.Sc. in Aerospace Engineering from the Ecole Centrale Paris and the Politecnico di Torino, and studied finance and business administration at the Collège des Ingénieurs in Paris.

Whitehelm Capital

Whitehelm Capital is one of the worlds most experienced infrastructure managers, partnering with clients to invest in true infrastructure assets for over 23 years. With €6.7 billion in direct infrastructure debt and equity investments made since inception, and €3.7 billion of funds currently under management. Whitehelm invests in true infrastructure assets that protect investment value, while providing predictable cash returns.

The firm is majority staff-owned, with employees owning 70%, and benefits from an independent perspective and experienced investment managers. Whitehelm has successfully generated attractive returns from infrastructure assets for its investors for over two decades and through several economic cycles.

Dr. Dmitriy Antropov is Co-Head of the Private Infrastructure Integrated Investments business unit, based in Zug. He is a member of the Private Infrastructure Investment Committee. Dmitriy is leading Partners Group datacenter thematic globally and has been involved in multiple digital infrastructure investments in the US, Europe and Asia. He has been with Partners Group since 2008 and has 17 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Partners Group, he worked at UniCredit Group, L.E.K. Consulting and Apax Partners. He holds a PhD in world economics from Financial University under the Government of Russian Federation, Moscow. He is also a Financial Risk Manager.

Partners Group

Partners Group is a leading global private markets firm. Since 1996, we have invested over USD 170 billion in private equity, private debt, private real estate, and private infrastructure on behalf of our clients globally. We seek to generate strong returns through capitalizing on thematic growth trends and transforming attractive businesses and assets into market leaders. We are a committed, responsible investor and aim to create sustainable returns with lasting, positive impact for all our stakeholders. Partners Group received USD 25 billion in new commitments from its global client base in 2021 (2020: USD 16 billion), bringing the firm's total assets under management ("AuM") to USD 127 billion as of 31 December 2021, an increase of 17% year on year. Partners Group is fully aligned with our clients and provide bespoke solutions to institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, family offices and private investors globally.
We have over 1,500 employees, including more than 500 private markets investment professionals, across 20 offices. Our global footprint is built on the deep experience and expertise of our local teams.

Oliver Bradley is Managing Director, Digital Infrastructure Investing at Macquarie Capital, the advisroy, capital markets and principal investment arm of Macquarie Group Limited. The Digital Infrastructure team invests directly in and supports the growth of companies that are facilitating the increasing data consumption of businesses and consumers, including fibre networks and data centres.

Since returning to Macquarie in 2019 (he previously worked at the firm from 2005-15), Oliver has led Macquarie Capital's investment into Voneus, a UK rural Fixed Wireless to Fibre broadband developer and Onivia, a new SPV Macquarie established to acquire Fibre to the Home networks in Spain, creating Spain's first wholesale only FTTH network with a footprint in excess of 3.5m homes.

Prior to re-joining Macquarie, Oliver was Corporate Finance Director at CityFibre, the wholesale FTTx business and largest UK Altnet. Before CityFibre, Oliver was a commercial specialist at the Infrastructure and Projects Authority, part of the UK government. There he advised ministers on digital infrastructure policy and was responsible for the Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund, which saw the UK government commit £400m, matched by private sector investors on the same terms, to invest in UK fibre.

Macquarie Capital Infrastructure & Energy Capital

Macquarie Capital’s IEC division specialises in investing our own capital in smart, sustainable infrastructure projects, and companies. We sponsor the development of landmark projects that strengthen communities by creating new digital, energy and social infrastructure. We also offer flexible, partnership capital to infrastructure companies to help fund capital expenditure, business

Phil Cooper is a Director of the Digital Infrastructure Accelerator. The DIA exists to help accelerate investment in emerging market digital infrastructure. Currently the DIA is working with digital infrastructure investors and owners in Asia, Africa and Emerging Europe.

Previously, Phil was a Managing Director at Digital Bridge / Digital Colony, covering Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Before Digital Bridge, Phil was a founder and CFO of Apollo Towers Myanmar where he was responsible for two landmark infrastructure financing transactions.
Prior to Apollo, Phil worked with Eaton Towers as Group Commercial Manager, where he managed the acquisition of a number of MNO owned tower portfolios across sub Saharan Africa.

The Digital Infrastructure Accelerator (DIA)

Working closely with investors and management teams, the DIA exists to help accelerate the growth of emerging digital infrastructure ventures. The DIA works across all pillars of digital infrastructure and creates value through originating, vetting and where required creating investable neutral host platforms.
The DIA is focused on emerging infrastructure markets, including India, South East Asia, Africa and central & eastern Europe.

Manuel runs Corporate Development at Loon, where he primarily focuses on fundraising and acquisitions. Before joining Loon, he worked at SAP targeting Boards and C-levels of companies controlled by Private Equity funds, as well as projects backed by Multilaterals.
Previously, Manuel was in transformative roles including Turnaround/Post-Merger Integration Advisor to the controlling investors in ABInBev and Bunge, Interim Manager Brazil at Fleetcor, Group CFO of Spring Wireless (www.springglobal.com) and the lead structurer of a pioneering securitization of Private Equity assets at Capital Dynamics for Temasek.

LOON

Loon is on a mission to connect people everywhere by inventing and integrating audacious technologies. Loon is built on a sophisticated system of products and services that combine advancements in materials science, atmospheric modeling, machine learning, and communications systems. These platforms enable Loon to harness the stratosphere, transforming global connectivity and creating endless possibilities for new applications by bridging ground, sky and space. Loon is one of the newest independent companies within Alphabet.

Uwe Fleischhauer is Founding Partner and member of the Executive Board and Investment Committee of YIELCO Investments AG in Munich, Germany. YIELCO, established in 2011, is an innovative alternative investment service provider with focus on the asset classes Infrastructure, Private Debt and Private Equity, offering multi-manager portfolios, co-investments, and managed account solutions and advisory. The company presently manages approximately EUR 9.1 billion in capital commitments from institutional investors and family offices.

Before YIELCO, Uwe worked almost 14 years (1998 to 2011) in his own Private Equity advisory firm Fleischhauer, Hoyer & Partner (FHP), Private Equity Consultants, as independent consultant and advisor for institutional investors.

Uwe performed advisory and consulting projects for institutional investors around the asset class Private Equity including all sub-segments as well as Infrastructure. He has been one of Germany’s most respected independent researchers and published on a regular basis market surveys and studies on current topics in Private Equity and Infrastructure.

Beforehand, Uwe was over seven years a management consultant / project leader at the international consulting firms Arthur D. Little and Mercer Management Consulting. He graduated in Business Administration from University of Bremen, followed by a postgraduate degree in “European Enterprise Management” at Dorset Business School in Bournemouth (England) and University of Barcelona (Spain).

YIELCO Investments AG

YIELCO is an independent, globally active, specialized investor and service provider in the field of alternative investments, focused on asset classes that generate attractive and / or long-term predictable and sustainable returns. YIELCO Investments is managed by experienced investment experts who have been supporting institutional investors in all areas of alternative investments for an average of over 15 years. On this basis, YIELCO has developed an innovative range of products and services that are characterized by attractive conditions and a high level of interest alignment with customers. An international advisory board complements the expertise with extensive direct investment experience. Optimally diversified multi-manager portfolios, co-investments, and managed accounts considering individual requirements, enable investors to set up cost-effective, alternative investment portfolios in the segments of infrastructure, private debt, and private equity, whilst also taking into account ESG criteria.

Stefan has been active in financial services since 1999 initially focusing on M&A and from 2002 onwards on private equity, with over fifteen years’ experience in telecoms, media, information technologies and services.

Prior to founding investment42 in Düsseldorf, Germany, Stefan worked at GMT Communications Partners, where he was a Partner, focusing on small and midcap investments in the European communications industry.

Before joining GMT in 2010, he was a Principal in the London office of Cinven, focusing on large buyouts in TMT as well as other industries. He joined Cinven in 2002 from Merrill Lynch’s M&A team in London.

Current investments include an IT Services provider (MIVITEC GmbH) to the German “Mittelstand” as well as a project development business for fibre optics networks (BBV-Deutschland GmbH). Previous directorships include Karnov Group, MeetingZone, IT-Ernity and Grupo Redext.

Stefan has an engineering and economics degree from the Technical University in Berlin (Diplom-Ingenieur, Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen) as well as a Diplôme de l’ESCP from the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris.

He is a German citizen and speaks fluent English, Spanish and French.

Matthias Hamel focuses on strategy advice of European and Global telecommunication companies and their shareholders. He works with integrated telcos as well as fiber, mobile / 5G and cable companies. He supports data centers, cloud / SaaS providers and enterprise software players. Matthias regularly advises investment committees of worldwide leading infrastructure and buy-out investors as well as shareholders and board members of leading telco players. His functional focus is on the development of product portfolios, infrastructure strategy, digitalization, innovation and business plans as well as investment advice and due diligence support.
He became Managing Director of Solon in 2013 and Partner in 2017. Matthias joined Solon in 2005 and was one of the founding members of the CEE office in 2006. He headed the company’s Technology and Innovation Practice since 2009 and has been a board member of CTAM Europe since 2011.

Altman Solon

Altman Solon is the worldwide largest strategy consulting firm with an exclusive focus on the TMT sectors. The firm serves leading corporations as well as shareholders and investors in more than 100 countries from offices in Munich, London, Paris, Milan, Warsaw, Boston, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Singapore and Sydney. Altman Solon combines strategic, commercial, operational and technical expertise as well as capital markets perspective. It is a trusted advisor to C-level executives from blue-chip companies worldwide conducting hundreds of strategy projects each year.

Chris is a Senior Investment Director at Amber Infrastructure focused on digital infrastructure across Europe, including fibre, data centres and towers investments. Chris has led many of Amber’s investments here and currently sits on the boards of Community Fibre, Greenergy Data Centres, Airband, Toob and NextGenAccess.

Chris joined Amber from Arma Partners, a TMT M&A advisory firm focussed on the European mid-market, where he also covered the digital infrastructure sector. Previously, Chris was with Merrill Lynch and he started his career with PwC in London.

Amba Infrastructure

Amber Infrastructure (‘Amber’) is a specialist international investment manager, focused on investment origination, asset management and fund management. Amber’s core business focuses on sourcing, developing, advising, investing in and managing infrastructure assets across the transport, energy, digital, public and demographic infrastructure sectors that support the lives of people, homes and businesses internationally.

Amber is headquartered in London with offices in Europe, North America and Australia and employs over 150 infrastructure professionals.

Alexandra Horn has been head of SME promotion at DIN since August 2019. Ms. Horn is committed to ensuring that SMEs have easier access to standardization and are actively involved in the processes. Ms. Horn was previously head of association cooperation and projects at the Federal Association of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses, where she acquired and managed publicly funded projects, including: as consortium manager of the Mittelstand 4.0 competence center in Berlin, which is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. In previous professional positions, she advised groups and associations in Brussels in the field of pharmaceuticals, consumer protection and SME policy as a public affairs consultant. She studied history, French and Spanish at the universities of Heidelberg, Montpellier and Madrid and completed her studies with the first state examination.

DIN, the German Institute for Standardization, is the independent platform for standardization in Germany and worldwide. As a partner for industry, research and society as a whole, DIN plays a major role in helping innovations to reach the market in areas such as the digital economy or society, often within the framework of research projects.
More than 34,500 experts from industry, research, consumer protection and the public sector bring their expertise to work on standardization projects managed by DIN. The result of these efforts are market-oriented standards and specifications that promote global trade, and encourage rationalization, quality assurance, and the protection of society and the environment, as well as improving security and communication.
DIN was founded in 1917 and celebrated its 100th year anniversary in 2017.

Dr. Ayesha Khanna is Co-Founder and CEO of ADDO AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) advisory firm and incubator. She has been a strategic advisor on artificial intelligence, smart cities and fintech to clients such as SMRT, Singapore's largest public transport company, SOMPO, Japan's largest insurance firm, and Smart Dubai, the government agency tasked to transform Dubai into a leading smart city. In 2017, ADDO AI was featured in Forbes magazine as one of four leading artificial intelligence companies in Asia and Ayesha was named one of South East Asia's groundbreaking female entrepreneurs by Forbes magazine in 2018.

Khanna spent more than a decade on Wall Street developing large scale trading, risk management and data analytics systems. She was cofounder of the Hybrid Reality Institute, a research and advisory group established to analyse the social and economic impact of accelerating technologies. She directed the Future Cities Group at the London School of Economics, and has been a Faculty Advisor at Singularity University.

Khanna has been named one of Singapore's leading female entrepreneurs and a leading Asian fintech influencer by Fintech Asia. She also served on the Singapore Ministry of Education’s Steering Committee on future skills and applied learning for emerging industries.

Khanna is author of Straight Through Processing and co-author of Hybrid Reality: Thriving in the Emerging Human-Technology Civilization. She is the Founder of 21C GIRLS, a charity that delivers free coding and artificial intelligence classes to girls in Singapore.

Kristof Kostencki is a Director on Deutsche Bank’s Global Credit Trading Platform in London and has 15 years’ industry experience. In his role, Kristof originates structured credit opportunities with institutional investors in the Infrastructure & Energy sector.

Prior to joining Deutsche Bank in 2013, Kristof spent three years with Barclays in London and six years as a Corporate Finance advisor in Hamburg.

Kristof holds a Master Business Administration from The University of Edinburgh Business School

Bernd Kreuter is managing partner and co-founder of Palladio Partners, Frankfurt, Germany. He advises German institutional investors on their infrastructure and other illiquid asset portfolios, including strategy definition, structuring, investments, and asset management.

From 2001 to 2011, Bernd was head of alternative investments and partner at Feri. He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science, masters’ degrees in mathematics from Bonn and Paris VI, a master’s degree in economics, and is a CFA charterholder.

Palladio Partners

Palladio Partners is an owner-managed investment boutique and specializes in providing independent advice on the implementation of real asset strategies for German institutional investors including investments in infrastructure funds, direct investments, and co-investments.

Paul joined AIIB in 2018 and is currently leading the development of the Digital Infrastructure Strategy, which guides AIIB's engagements and investments in the sector. He has over 7 years of investment and corporate venturing experiences in technology, digital infrastructure and capital markets.

He was an adviser to UN High-level Panel on Digital Cooperation on digital inclusiveness in 2018 and selected as one of the G20 Global Young Changers during G20 Germany in 2017.

Paul holds Mphil in Economics and Finance from University of Cambridge and Certificate of Innovation-Driven Entrepreneurship (IDE) from MIT. Paul is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Fellow of Royal Society of Arts.

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)

The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank is a multilateral development bank with a mission to improve social and economic outcomes in Asia. Headquartered in Beijing, we began operations in January 2016 and have now grown to 102 approved members worldwide. By investing in sustainable infrastructure and other productive sectors in Asia and beyond, we will better connect people, services and markets that over time will impact the lives of billions and build a better future.

Philippe Lefebvre is responsible for the Commission’s 5G deployment strategy including policy development and economic aspects, in particular regarding the implementation of the "5G Action Plan for Europe".
Before his current position, he was responsible for the broadcasting sector as well as the general secretariat of the Radio Spectrum Policy Group in the EU spectrum policy unit. He also worked in several other Commission's departments between 1996 and 2003 including electronic commerce and financial technologies.
Prior to joining the European Commission, Philippe Lefebvre held middle management positions in the Belgian’s Generale Bank (1983-1986), as Vice President for MasterCard Europe (1987-1991), and as Director Debit Products with Visa International in the US (1992-1995).
Philippe Lefebvre was born in Luxembourg. He graduated in electrical & mechanical engineering (MS) from the Brussels University and in economics (MBA) from the same university.

Steffen Leiwesmeier is heading the Financing Digital Infrastructure franchise of Hamburg Commercial Bank. He has over 20 years' experience in project finance. Coming initially from structuring the wide range of infrastructure such as PFI/PPP, Steffen has focused mainly on digital infrastructure since almost 8 years. He became one of the first movers in the rapid-growing optic fiber sector in Europe and in Germany in particular. His main activity is on structuring of growing cases of fiber SMEs, greenfield roll-outs as well as re-enforcement of existing FTTH-networks. Before joining Hamburg Commercial Bank Steffen worked at NIBC and HBOS Frankfurt and London. He started his career at IKB. Steffen earned a Masters Degrees of Economics from the Freiburg University and holds an MBA (Düsseldorf Business School).

Hamburg Commercial Bank is a private bank which operates its corporate client business with sector knowledge, always closely linked with the expertise gained from its focused capital market business. In project finance such as real estate, renewable energies and infrastructure sectors, HCOB ranks among the market leaders. HCOB is the first mover in the digital infrastructure landscape and earned a huge level of structuring and arranging expertise in this sector over the last 7 years.

Carlo Maddalena is a Senior Portfolio Manager in the APG Global Infrastructure team, focussed on origination and asset management activities across the infrastructure sector. At APG, he is a core member of the Smart City Infrastructure Fund team.

Prior to joining APG, Maddalena worked for Whitehelm Capital, Marguerite Fund and Antin Infrastructure Partners. Maddalena holds non-executive directorship at Brussels Airport, 2i Rete Gas, Compañia Logistica de Hidrocarburos and Noatum Ports.

APG Asset Management

APG Asset Management manages pension assets of approximately €520 billion (as of Q2 2019) on behalf of its Dutch pension funds. APG has been an active infrastructure investor since 2004, investing approximately €15.0 billion to date and managing more than 30 direct stakes in portfolio companies. APG’s investments include assets within energy and utilities, telecommunications, and transport infrastructure.

Steven Marshall is Chairman of Cordiant’s Digital Infrastructure practice. He is Co-Head of both Cordiant Digital Infrastructure Limited (CORD:LSE) and Cordiant Digital GP/LP fund (in fundraising).

Formerly President of American Tower’s core business (AMT:NYSE; market capitalisation ~$120B), he oversaw two $5 billion acquisitions, as well as a significant programme of organic growth and tuck-under acquisitions during his 10 year tenure. Prior to that he helped American Tower establish operations in EMEA, India and parts of Latin America. Before AMT he was CEO of National Grid Wireless (then Europe’s largest digital infrastructure business) and Executive Chairman of a $1.5 billion fibre joint-venture between France Telecom, Sprint and National Grid. He served as Chairman of the Wireless Infrastructure Association in USA, and as a Director of the CTIA (the mobile carriers’ association in the USA). He currently Chairs the Boards of CRA, Czech Republic; NextGenAccess a fiber developer in the UK; DataGryd, an interconnected Data Center in NYC; Paradigm Infrastructure, a tower developer in Africa; and Brasil TowerCo, a tower developer in Brasil. He is also a non-executive director of Tawal, Saudi Telecom’s wholly owned Tower Company. Mr. Marshall trained as a building and civil engineer at the University of Manchester, UK and subsequently earned his MBA at Alliance Manchester Business School, UK.

Cordiant

Cordiant is a sector-focused investor in “Infrastructure 2.0”: where technology change and operating expertise drive IRR. Deploying operator-heavy sector teams, we focus on digital infrastructure, renewable energy infrastructure and agriculture value chain in equity and credit. With ~$4 billion of institutional capital, Cordiant orients towards middle market, growth capital investments. An early signatory of UN PRI, and a founding signatory of Operating Principles for Impact Management, Cordiant aims to combine profitable investment with sustainability and a responsible approach to capital deployment. Partner-owned and -run (ensuring tight alignment with LPs), Cordiant welcomes co-investment partnerships. The firm manages permanent capital vehicle Cordiant Digital Infrastructure Limited (CORD:LSE) and GP/LP funds (such as the pending Digital Infrastructure II). Cordiant has offices in Montreal, London, Luxembourg and Sao Paulo.

Cara is a seasoned business executive with over 20 years of experience in the telecommunications and internet industry. Before founding EdgeInfra she had various executive roles in marketing, product management and innovation with Eurofiber Group, Liberty Global and earlier Orange. Prior to the roles in fiber and cable she was Chief Marketing Officer at AMS-IX, the Amsterdam Internet Exchange, building the company to the leading IX worldwide. At Logica Consulting (now CGI) she spent several years in senior management consulting and interim roles in the telecommunication & media industry.

Cara holds a a dual degree MBA from TIAS University & Bradford School of Management and has a Computer Science & Telecommunications engineering degree from polytechnic University of Utrecht.

EdgeInfra

EdgeInfra B.V. is a new venture founded in Amsterdam that provides neutral micro-datacenter based colocation and interconnection services at the ultra local edge of fixed and mobile network infrastructure in Europe. We create ultra local interconnection and colocation micro eco-systems for content & application platforms, cloud operators and network providers in places where our customers need them.

Our high –end micro-datacenters will be the ultimate solution for edge computing and content distribution nearest to the user or IoT, including but not limited to edge processing for AI, IoT, gaming, smart industry, HD video and AR/VR applications.

The business model is neutral with regards to the different customer groups e.g. networks, content and compute platforms. We aim to bring to market a relevant and valued, highly distributed number of places throughout Europe where parties can do business with one another with a mutual benefit. Neutrality and trust are an integrate part of our business.

He has more than 10 years of experience in private equity and investment banking. Waldemar is a member of the Investment Advisory Committee of DTCP and serves on the board of Cellnex Netherlands, Keepler Data Tech and maincubes. Previously, he had board positions at Cellnex Switzerland and Cellwize. Waldemar has been a Deal Team member for the investments in Open Dutch Fiber, Community Fibre, Fiber Experts and Cloudreach, and advised Deutsche Telekom on the sell-down of its Scout24 shareholding and the sale of Strato to United Internet.

He joined DTCP in July 2016 after having gained industry experience in the Investment Banking teams of Lazard and Nomura over a course of five years. He executed M&A and capital markets transactions across various industries and advised both corporate and financial sponsors.

Waldemar holds a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD. He received a Bachelor of Science from EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht

DTCP

DTCP Infra is an investment management firm focused on European digital infrastructure with its current Digital Infrastructure Vehicle II fund.
DTCP Infra invests in mobile access, fiber, and data center infrastructure.
The driving force behind the firm’s strategies is the belief that the convergence of networks, devices and the internet is creating more wealth, disrupting more businesses, and unleashing more innovation than any force in the history of technology.
DTCP Infra is headquartered in Hamburg with offices in London and Luxembourg

Maarit has an extensive expertise in telecoms, broadband and internet matters. She joined ETNO from the Internet Society, where she served as a Senior Manager Europe and where she has acquired strong experience of broadband policies as well as extensive links with internet and tech stakeholders.
Maarit also had direct experience of the telecoms business during her 6 years at Cisco and has developed a strong service-oriented, hands-on profile acquired in leading consultancies Interel and Schuman Associates.
She also has a strong European academic background from the College of Europe, LSE, King’s College and SciencesPo. Maarit is a Finnish national, she also speaks English and French.

ETNO has been the voice of Europe’s telecommunication network operators since 1992 and has become the principal policy group for European electronic communications network operators. Its 40 members and observers from Europe and beyond are the backbone of Europe’s digital progress. They are the main drivers of broadband and are committed to its continual growth in Europe.
ETNO members are pan-European operators that also hold new entrant positions outside their national markets. ETNO brings together the main investors in innovative and high-quality e-communications platforms and services, representing 70% of total sector investment.

Alessandro is a Partner based in Analysys Mason's London office. He specialises in advising businesses on organic and inorganic growth strategies. In the last ten years, he has completed over 200 assignments in more than 80 developed and emerging markets across six continents. His areas of expertise include telecoms commercial and technical due diligence, business planning, valuation, IPO process support, investment opportunity scouting, market sizing and forecasting, spectrum strategy and valuation, cost modelling and telecoms regulation.
Alessandro has advised on some of the major transactions involving telecoms assets in Europe, working for both financial and strategic investors. His experience in this area covers telecoms infrastructure (access and long-distance fibre networks, towers, data centres, submarine cables and digital real estate), operators (mobile, fixed incumbents, altcos, cablecos and mobile virtual network operators), mobile money and fintech businesses, and vendors (hardware, software and telecoms infrastructure service companies).

Analysys Mason

Analysys Mason is the world's leading management consultancy focused on TMT, a critical enabler of economic, environmental and social transformation.
We bring together unparalleled commercial and technical understanding to deliver bespoke consultancy on strategy, transaction support, transformation, regulation and policy, further strengthened by globally respected research.
Our clients value our advice which combines deep domain knowledge with global reach and local insight into markets to help them achieve meaningful business results.
We are committed to our clients, employees and communities – contributing to a world where technology delivers for all.

Infrastructure asset manager with extensive experience in the energy sector working in strategy and finance teams in world leading utilities, also worked on industrial environments as production control engineer and is currently working as asset manager supporting management on the assets to address risks making sure that the investors’ interests are protected. Carlos is also in charge of the coordination of governance activities on the assets, supporting the board on strategic decisions and steering management in different infrastructure assets.

Carlos is involved in origination activities of smart city infrastructure opportunities in a range of sectors related to the digitalization of urban areas, he took part on the OECD roundtable on financing water, collaborates with the European Union’s EIP- Smart Cities and Communities Marketplace and was the COO on an fibre optic network of more than 1,000km which is currently being built in California.

Whitehelm Capital

Whitehelm Capital are an independently owned infrastructure manager with an outstanding track record spanning over 21 years, €6.1 billion in direct infrastructure debt and equity investments made since inception, and €3.0 billion of funds currently under management, and are one of the world’s largest and most experienced independent infrastructure managers. Whitehelm are a long-term investor, partnering with clients to invest in true infrastructure assets that protect real investment value, while providing predictable cash returns. This is achieved by investing in assets with clear and measurable cash flows and adding value through active asset management.

Dominik is a social entrepreneur and Co-Founder of the IOTA Foundation. He is focused on creating digital infrastructure that brings trust, data security and new business models.

A global non-profit foundation incorporated and headquartered in Germany, the IOTA Foundation's mission is to support the research and development of new distributed ledger technologies (DLT), including the IOTA Tangle. The Foundation encourages education about and adoption of distributed ledger technologies through the creation of ecosystems and the standardization of these new protocols.

IOTA
A global non-profit foundation incorporated and headquartered in Germany, the IOTA Foundation's mission is to support the research and development of new distributed ledger technologies (DLT), including the IOTA Tangle. The Foundation encourages education about and adoption of distributed ledger technologies through the creation of ecosystems and the standardization of these new protocols.

The IOTA Tangle moves beyond blockchain by providing the world's first scalable, feeless and decentralized distributed ledger technology. The Tangle uses its own unique technology to solve three fundamental problems with blockchain technology: high fees, scaling, and centralization. It is an open-source protocol connecting the human economy with the machine economy by facilitating novel Machine-to-Machine (M2M) interactions, including secure data transfer, fee-less micropayments, and secure access control for devices

Simon joined Antin in 2014 and was promoted to Partner in 2016. He holds boards seats for Fund II portfolio company Eurofiber and for Fund III companies FirstLight, Lyntia and Solvtrants. He previously held a board seat for Fund II portfolio company Roadchef.

Simon has over 16 years’ experience in Corporate Finance, Principal Investing and Corporate Development, working across the Infrastructure, Transport, Energy, Industrials and Financial Services sectors.

He was previously at Macquarie Capital where he was Senior Vice President in the Infrastructure, Utilities and Renewables team. Whilst at Macquarie, Simon was involved in M&A, principal investments and corporate finance advisory to Infrastructure Funds, Private Equity and Corporates and worked on a range of mandates including Energy-from-Waste, Toll Roads, Ferries, Car Parks and Towers. He joined Macquarie after roles at Westpac and Lacima Group.

Antin Infrastructure Partners

Antin Infrastructure Partners is a leading independent private equity firm focused on infrastructure investments. Based in Paris, London and New York, and fully owned by its partners, the firm employs over 140 professionals. Antin targets majority stakes in infrastructure businesses in the energy and environment, telecom, transport and social infrastructure sectors. Since its founding, Antin has €19.9 billion in Assets under Management and has made investments in 28 companies.

Steven Sonnenstein is a Senior Managing Director and member of the Investment Committee at Digital Colony. Mr. Sonnenstein is an accomplished telecommunications infrastructure executive with over 24 years of global mergers and acquisitions, asset management and operations experience. Mr. Sonnenstein is responsible for the origination, evaluation, completion, and ongoing asset management of new investments for Digital Colony globally. He has been responsible for over $1B in equity committed/deployed since joining Digital Colony.

Prior to joining Digital Colony, Mr. Sonnenstein was a Senior Director at the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments), one of Canada’s largest pension investment managers, where he was responsible for leading all telecommunication infrastructure investments within the broader infrastructure group in addition to his other investment management responsibilities.

Before joining PSP Investments, Mr. Sonnenstein worked for Brookfield Asset Management in its Private Equity and Infrastructure Groups with a particular focus on and experience in South America. Prior to that, Mr. Sonnenstein spent several years working in mergers and acquisitions and distressed advisory.

Mr. Sonnenstein shares management oversight of Andean Telecom Partners and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Aptum Technologies, Highline do Brasil, Beanfield Metroconnect, Wildstone and Edgepoint.

Mr. Sonnenstein received a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University in 1996 and a post-graduate degree in Chartered Accountancy.

Digital Colony

Digital Colony is a leading global investment firm dedicated to digital infrastructure. With a heritage of over 25 years investing in and operating businesses across the digital ecosystem including towers, data centers, fiber, and small cells, the firm manages a $30 billion portfolio of digital infrastructure assets on behalf of its limited partners and shareholders. Digital Colony, a subsidiary of Colony Capital Inc. (NYSE:CLNY), is headquartered in Boca Raton, Florida, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.digitalcolony.com.

Darragh Stokes is a Managing Partner and Director of Hardiman Telecommunications Ltd., (“HTL”), which he joined in 1998. HTL advises major investment banks, private equity funds and telecommunications carriers on Company Valuations, Flotations, Mergers and Acquisitions, Performance Optimisation, Competitive Strategy, Market Entry, Market Positioning, Operations, Licensing, Service Development, Service Positioning, and Technology Management and Transition.

From locations in London and Singapore, the company's expertise spans Western Europe, Central / Eastern Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Rim. As measured by transaction value and volume, HTL is one of the leading telecommunications consultancy active in emerging markets worldwide.

Darragh has led have include strategy and market entry work for telecommunications operators, M&A work for telecommunications operators and towers operators, government consultancy work and extensive facilitation and support of project, debt and equity financing.

David Zimmer (born in 1973) has been an entrepreneur since 1990. He is founder of inexio and responsible for the strategic business development, corporate communications and sale of telecoms activities within inexio. David Zimmer was ‘Entrepreneur of the Year' in 2012 in the category "start-up companies". In 2016 he receives the Titel “Technologierat” from the prime minister of the Saarland.

Inexio is based in Saarlouis and is investing in the development and extension of the most modern telecommunication infrastructure in the Land of Rhineland-Palatinate, at Saarland, Luxemburg, Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.

Inexio

Founded in 2007 inexio has become a leading provider of fibre-optic broadband networks in Germany. The Company benefits from a state-of-the-art fibre optic network with over 10,000 km of modern fibre optic lines and operates six wholly owned data centers, bringing customers both security and high performance. inexio provides high speed internet access to business and residential customers in underserved, primarily rural areas across Germany. Over 6,000 commercial customers – from corporations to small and medium sized enterprises (“SMEs”) – and over 110,000 households rely on the internet access provided by inexio.