Industry Funds Management (IFM) announced in late May that it has appointed industry veteran Nicolas Villen as an external Senior Adviser to its US$7.1 billion Global Infrastructure Fund.  Nicolas will provide advice and support to IFM, particularly in enhancing strategic industry relationships in Spain and Latin America.

Nicolas joins IFM following a 20 year career at Ferrovial. He was Chief Executive Officer of Ferrovial Aeropuertos, the Airport Division of Ferrovial, from 2009 to 2012, and Chief Financial Officer of Ferrovial from 1993 to 2009. Earlier in his career, Nicolas was Managing Director of Midland Montagu Ventures, as well as CEO of Smith Kline & French for six years.

Nicolas has held a number of board positions with infrastructure companies based around the world, including BAA Ltd. as Vice-Chairman, the transport infrastructure developer Cintra, services provider Amey, Indiana Toll Road, Chicago's Skyway Concession, the Spanish telecom operator ONO and Polish construction company Budimex.

Commenting on the appointment, Frederic Michel-Verdier, Executive Director for IFM in London, said: "We are extremely pleased to welcome Nicolas, who has worked with some of the biggest infrastructure initiatives around the world.  His experience and relationships in the sector will help drive IFM's future development, as we continue to build our global footprint as a long-term, client aligned investor in infrastructure."

IFM has eleven Senior Infrastructure Advisers across sectors and geographies, four of which have been appointed in the past 12 months. Most recently, IFM appointed Alec Dreyer, the former CEO of the Port of Houston Authority in Houston, Texas, Keith Forman, former Partner / CFO of Crestwood Midstream Partners, and Dr Uwe Franke, the former Chairman of BP Europe, as Senior Advisers to the IFM Global Infrastructure Fund, to support IFM's expansions in the US and German markets.

Source: IFM