OMERS Infrastructure to Explore Sustainability Investment Opportunities
Fund giants OMERS have always been a great friend to RAO Global events so it’s great to hear even more about their own efforts to drive towards Net Zero through seeking out joint ventures to accelerate work of companies in food, water, energy and other sectors.
I imagine it may come up in conversation with Vice President Katharine Preston, Head of Sustainable Investing at OMERS who is taking part in RAOGlobal - the Americas on Sept 28th alongside Sara Alvarado of Institute for Sustainable Finance, Paul O’Brien of Low Constraint Investors Limited, Mark Tennant of Centrica Pensions, ably hosted by Lane Jost of communications firm Edelman Smithfield. A few remaining tickets available here. Use code FASTFIVE to sneak in a bargain, but be quick!
The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System Infrastructure group has announced a joint investment opportunity with Spring Lane Capital to explore investments in growing businesses in North America that address sustainability in food, water, energy, transportation and waste.
OMERS Infrastructure’s joint investment venture follows its commitment to a 20% reduction in carbon intensity by 2025. The current OMERS Infrastructure portfolio extends to 31 companies across multiple continents, with portfolio companies based in the U.K., Europe, Asia and North America. OMERS Infrastructure currently has approximately C$32 billion ($23.88 billion) in assets under management, with investments spanning multiple sectors, including energy, digital services, transportation and government-regulated services.
“I’m delighted to announce our new partnership,” Gisele Everett, senior managing director and head of Americas, OMERS Infrastructure, said in a statement. “We both agree on the importance of investing in platforms focused on sustainability. While SLC brings a wealth of expertise in identifying, investing in, and successfully scaling growth infrastructure companies of the future, OMERS Infrastructure brings a strong track record of partnering with, supporting, and creating value in businesses across a broad range of infrastructure sectors.”
Founded in 2017, Silver Lane Capital is a private equity firm based in Boston that focuses on providing capital for sustainable solutions in the energy, food, water, waste and transportation sectors. Christian Zabbal, managing partner of Spring Lane Capital, said in a statement, “SLC and OMERS Infrastructure will together seek to invest in companies with technologies and projects that require a partner that can provide not only substantial capital to accelerate growth, but also knowledge and expertise to help effectively and successfully scale the business. The unique businesses in which we invest tend to be underserved by traditional financial markets. In partnership with OMERS Infrastructure, SLC will now be able to offer a broader set of capital solutions, and we look forward to working alongside a like-minded partner with a long history of successfully investing in, and building, leading infrastructure businesses globally.”
Tags: Gisele Everett, OMERS Infrastructure, Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System Infrastructure, Spring Lane Capital, sustainable investment
