Martha Harris Davis

The energy and infrastructure sector continues to evolve at pace, driven by the global push for energy security, resilient digital connectivity, delivery against ESG commitments and rapid technological innovation. These pressures demand the use of a full range of investment approaches (including “hybrid” structures) - and, as a part of this, we are seeing increased interest in platform financing.

Activist investors are increasingly scrutinizing the composition and compensation of company boards, in particular pushing for greater alignment between non-executive directors (NEDs) and long-term shareholder interests. This drive, coupled with the ongoing hunt for top-tier talent, is bringing the issue of NED equity ownership and share-based compensation to the forefront, as activists look to internationalise practices already common in the US.

Last week, we had the privilege of hosting an infrastructure policy roundtable at our offices in London, drawing together leaders across private capital and the infrastructure sector. The event featured a spirited conversation between Alastair Campbell, writer, strategist and campaigner, and Rory Stewart, academic, former Cabinet minister and diplomat, in dialogue with Lloyd Rees, Senior Lawyer in our UK Public Affairs team.