Mr. Hugo Virag has 18-year of M&A & project finance experience, most recently as Managing Director of the Infrastructure Group of StormHarbour in Asia-Pacific, a global and independent investment bank. Between 2007 and 2010, Hugo was senior manager of an infrastructure private equity fund sponsored by French Caisse des Depots et Consignations among other European financial institutions. Hugo started his career practicing law with the corporate and asset finance practice of international law firm Hogan Lovells (1999 - 2005).
Hugo has an extensive experience as principal, developer, financial and legal advisor across Asia-Pacific and Europe. His experience spans across real asset financing, with a specific focus on infrastructure/ transportation, power and renewable energy sectors, as well as downstream Oil & Gas. At StormHarbour, Mr. Virag was in particular responsible for the origination, structuring and placement of primary greenfield projects and secondary buy-sale transactions in the infrastructure sector, having been directly involved in connection with over USD 10bn of M&A and project finance advisory mandates across Asia-Pacific, and as such has acted as (i) co-lead advisor on the structuring of a USD 5bn refinery/petrochemical complex and associated marine infrastructure in Vietnam, for which a USD 40m ECA-backed development financing has been secured, (ii) originator and lead advisor on the successful placementto a Japanese investor of a AUD 50M senior debt financing tranche related to an Australian desalination plant, (iii) originator and lead placement advisor for the Asia-Pacific region in connection with the completed divestments of equity participations in two high profiletransportation assets in Europe and USA, or (iv) co-advisor on the structuring and arrangement of the winning bid for the construction of a portfolio of solar farms in Thailand.
Hugo has received an MBA from the ESSEC & Mannheim Business Schools. He also graduated from the Law Schools of University of Virginia (USA) and University of Paris-La Sorbonne (France). Hugo is the co-President of the Energy and Infrastructure Committee of the French Chamber of Commerce of Singapore.