SEMPERIAN

PPP Investment Partners

Semperian PPP Investment Partners Group Limited (“Semperian”) a UK company launched in October 2007, with the aim of investing in UK Social Infrastructure, providing essential public services to local communities. The company has been established to give Investors access to a large, diversified portfolio of mature Public Private Partnership (PPP) concession based investments, within the Social Infrastructure environment.

Capital Management

Oversees the acquisition of new investments, as well as the maintenance and enhancement of asset value throughout the life of each project.

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Asset Management

Delivery of a broad range of specialist services to individual project companies.

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Assurance Services

Asset compliance and active contract management in UK PFI through a collection of multi-disciplinary specialist resources.

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Semperian Executive

AlanB-cropped-final
Alan Birch
Chief Executive Officer
Andrew-final
Andrew Rhodes
Deputy Chief Executive
gary_cropped-final
Gary Brown
Chief Operating Officer
Rick-final
Richard Little
Chief Investment Officer
Steve-final
Steve McGeown
Group Finance Director
Colin Anderson
Colin Anderson
Group Counsel
Julia-final
Julia McCabe
Managing Director of Asset Management
Luke-final
Luke Body
Managing Director of Professional Services
Emma Lancaster
Emma Lancaster
Managing Director of Assurance Services
Becky_final
Becky Brunt
Managing Director of Business Support

Brand Statement

The Semperian Group is focused on providing essential infrastructure to the public sector and aims to deliver a positive social and environmental impact through responsible Capital Investment and industry leading Infrastructure Management.

Investment

Provide and maintain a platform for investment into sustainable infrastructure projects, where performance is measured against our social impact as well as financial return.

Employment

Foster an environment for all employees that is inclusive, supportive and focused on wellbeing. Our values are the core foundation that allow everyone the opportunity to achieve their potential.

Impact

Strive to ensure a positive impact on society and the environment by working in partnership with our clients and supply-chain to benefit all our stakeholders.

ESG Statement

ESG factors can have a material impact on Semperian’s ability to deliver on its objectives. ESG is therefore identified as an important long-term factor that should be proactively managed as a business priority. The following goals aim to be addressed by our ESG Policies.

Minimise Environmental
Impact

Minimise Environmental Impact

Acting to prevent the worst impacts of climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing our society, this, coupled with the long-term nature of Semperian’s investments, and the nature of social infrastructure, means this is a crucial objective for Semperian.

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Wellbeing and Development of
staff

Maximising the wellbeing and development of staff

Staff are key stakeholders in Semperian’s business, and their wellbeing, and professional development is vital our long-term success.

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Have a positive impact on
society

Having a positive impact on society

Semperian’s assets are critical infrastructure for communities across the UK and play a crucial role in improving peoples lives.

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Enhance and protect Semperian’s
reputation

Strong governance to enhance and protect Semperian’s reputation as a responsible business

Semperian believes that in order to hit the above objectives that the highest standards of corporate governance and disclosure should be put in place.

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Our history

Semperian PPP Investment Partners Group Limited (“Semperian”) was launched in October 2007, with the initial acquisition of a £1.0bn portfolio of infrastructure assets from Land Securities plc.  Semperian provides its investors with access to a large, diverse portfolio of mature PPP infrastructure investments with long term inflation linked returns, matched to investors’ long term liabilities. Although Semperian was formed in 2007, the group’s origins date back to 2001. A brief history of the company can be found in the links below:

  • 2022
  • 2020
  • 2019
  • 2018
  • 2017
  • 2016
  • 2012 -2016
  • 2011
  • 2010
  • 2009
  • 2007
  • 2005
  • 2003
  • 2001
  • Semperian acquired a 25% incremental stake in the A1 (D2D) road project.
  • Semperian acquired an 80% stake in the M3 Toll Road in the Republic of Ireland.
  • Semperian acquired an 80% stake in the M4 Toll Road in the Republic of Ireland.
  • Semperian acquired a 50% stake in the M50 Motorway in the Republic of Ireland.
  • Semperian participates in the equity raise for the Riverside II development within the Cory Riverside project.
  • Semperian acquired a 33% stake in the Aberdeen West Peripheral Route Project.
  • Semperian acquired the remaining stake in the Fife Hospital project from HICL.
  • Semperian acquired a further stake in the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital project.
  • Semperian established a new £75m Revolving Credit Facility to smooth equity raise process for new investment and provide capacity to enter into Letters of Credit.
  • Semperian acquired a stake in the Cory Riverside EfW project
  • Semperian acquired a 50% stake in the Fife Hospital project from Balfour Beatty.
  • Semperian acquired an 80% stake in the Edinburgh University Student Accommodation project from Balfour Beatty.
  • Semperian acquired further interests in the XJ4 portfolio.
  • Semperian acquired further interests in the Wolverhampton Radiology project and 100% of the Glasgow Carpark project from Impregilo.
  • Semperian acquired further interest in the South Manchester Healthcare project from Sodexo.
  • Semperian acquired the 100% interest in Belmarsh West Prison.
  • Semperian increased its assets under management, with a combination of asset rotation from small scale investments to incremental stakes in its larger holdings.
  • PIML is sold to Compass Group, with the TUPE transfer of 411 staff originally employed within the PIML business.
  • Jarvis PPP FM business is placed in administration. SAML TUPE transfer 411 members of staff and takes on the management of these contracts directly to ensure service continuity to our clients.
  • Semperian Investment Partners (“Semperian”) acquired SAML in 2009, when Land Securities Ltd exited the PFI sector, at which point 140 members of staff were TUPE transferred to Semperian to manage a total of 61 MSA contracts.
  • Land Securities Ltd acquires SAML (as part of the acquisition of SMIF). By this time it managed 40 assets and directly employed over 70 members of staff in the Asset Management Companies.
  • The Semperian Group originates from 2005, when the Secondary Market Infrastructure Fund (“SMIF”) created SMIF Asset Management Limited (“SAML”) to provide efficient stewardship of its investments through direct management of the project SPV companies.
  • Semperian as an independent organisation originates from the establishment of the Secondary Market Infrastructure Fund(“SMIF”) that was created to provide shareholders access to 24 PPP infrastructure assets with a value of £123 million and create independent management focus solely on the invested assets.
  • Semperian originates from the establishment of the SecondaryMarket Infrastructure Fund Facility (“SMIFF”) that was created by Abbey National and Babcock & Brown in the first ever UK PFI secondary market transaction, with the acquisition of 24 assets from Barclays bank with a value of £100 million.

Get in touch

If you have any enquiries or would like to contact a member of the team please visit our contact page.

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© 2023 Semperian - All rights reserved

Alan Birch - Chief Executive Officer

Alan is the Chief Executive of the Semperian Group. Alan has been with the business since 2004 and established the asset management capability of Semperian. In 2007, Alan became the Chief Operating Officer and merged the asset and fund management divisions into an integrated business that formed Semperian.

Alan has a broad range of experience through a progressive career in the PFI Sector having been a commercial director since 1995 operating in the Construction and Facilities Management sector. Alan switched focus in 1999 and through a series of transactions he gained experience of the financial environment and joined a finance boutique operating in the PFI sector where he raised and transacted £2.2bn of PFI transactions including refinancing and restructuring of PFI and fund arrangements.

Alan is known for his experience of resolving complex issues and management of change and has successfully guided Semperian through its growth and establishment as an integrated infrastructure manager.

Andrew Rhodes – Deputy Chief Executive

Andrew is the Deputy Chief Executive at Semperian and is responsible for the acquisition strategy, equity and debt funding and overall portfolio performance.

He has worked as a project finance specialist for over 25 years, focusing on Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects in the UK, with a background in major energy, water and infrastructure projects in developing and developed countries. Andrew has been with Semperian from its inception as SMIF in November 2003, after having worked for HSBC, Abbey National Treasury Services and the European Union.

Andrew has undertaken equity fund raising, portfolio leverage and project acquisitions, whilst in addition, focusing on financial modelling, cost benefit analyses, comparative advantage studies, tariff analyses and policy evaluation. Transaction highlights include raising a £1.3bn leverage fund that acquired over 100 PFI assets, plus more widely the A$5.6 billion Sydney Airport privatisation in Australia and the £1.5 bn acquisition of Cory Energy from Waste facility.

Andrew is also registered as a General Representative with the FCA.

Gary Brown – Chief Operating Officer

Gary is the Chief Operating Officer. Since his appointment in 2005, he has held several senior roles within the Group including Managing Director of the Professional Services Division which he helped establish in 2017. With over 20 years’ experience in engineering and facilities management, Gary has spent the last 15 years in PFI / PPP sectors. Gary excels in managing high profile projects delivering key solutions to all areas of commercial, operational and finance with an ability to deliver solutions in even the most complex environments.

As part of the Groups senior management team, he has led and supported the business through the demise of two major FM providers.

With an engineering and project management background in a wide range of sectors, Gary has worked on projects in excess of £200m and has a broad understanding of the key deliverables in a number of areas, with excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

Richard Little – Chief Investment Officer

Richard is the Chief Investment Officer for Semperian and also has managerial responsibility for the Semperian Capital Management division.  Richard has in excess of 16 years of PFI/PPP experience having joined Semperian (then SMIF) in 2005.

Richard has overall responsibility for compiling and reporting the valuation of the Semperian Group and the long term financial projections of the underlying asset base.

Richard leads the asset acquisition and evaluation team having been involved in all asset acquisitions and bids made by Semperian since 2007.  As part of this, Richard is responsible for the raising of equity and long term debt financing.

Richard also serves as a Director on several key project boards within the Semperian portfolio, responsible for ensuring project compliance, managing stakeholder relationships and meeting targeted investment returns.

Prior to joining Semperian, Richard worked for QinetiQ and was enrolled on their Graduate Training Programme. Richard is a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society having obtained a degree in Aeronautical Engineering for Loughborough University in 2002.

Steve McGeown – Group Finance Director

Steve is the Group Finance Director of the Semperian Group. He is an FCA with over 14 years’ experience in Finance, Accounting and Asset Management. 

Steve joined the Group in 2013 and has held various positions across the Group’s finance function. He supports the business on all Group wide financial matters, including; internal and external financial reporting, financial control and compliance, and planning and analysis. He has been heavily involved in the portfolio’s growth, working closely with the Semperian Capital Management team on acquisitions, debt and equity structuring, as well as overseeing the portfolio’s financial performance. 

Steve holds directorships across a number of project boards and delivers at both the Audit Committee and Semperian Group Board. Prior to joining Semperian he trained with PwC in London spending over five years in the Assurance division with a focus on large Asset Management and Insurance clients.  Steve also holds a 1st Class Honours degree in Accounting and Finance from Exeter University.

Colin Anderson – Group Counsel

Colin is a practising solicitor and the General Counsel of the Semperian Group. He provides professional and strategic advice to the Board and oversees legal delivery of the Group’s activities. With further responsibility for the Group’s commercial resource, Colin and his team look to provide wrapped legal and commercial advice and solutions.

As General Counsel, Colin’s responsibilities include anticipating and proactively addressing legal/commercial risk and change, directing the Group’s relationship with external lawyers and keeping the Group briefed on legal and regulatory issues. He is responsible overall for the Group’s Company Secretarial function.

Colin has worked within the PFI industry since its’ inception in the mid/late 1990’s. His roles have included positions in the public sector at TfL and local authorities and in private practice in the City of London. He has also held senior private sector in-house positions, at Skanska and Lend Lease. Those roles have included representing investor, construction, services and engineering entities, as well lenders and equity providers. Colin has also been responsible for the acquisition and disposal of trading companies, PFI businesses and assets.

He joined Semperian in October 2016.

Julia McCabe – Managing Director of Asset Management

Julia joined Semperian in September 2007 and her role within the Group is Managing Director of Asset Management.

Julia has over 20 year’s experience within the PFI/PPP industry, working within the Health, Defence, Housing and Education sectors. She is an experienced solution based leader, who has managed and led on complex projects and the resolution of contractual disputes, ensuring key stakeholder relationships are maintained and enhanced.

Prior to joining Semperian in 2007, Julia spent the previous 12 years working within the PFI sector, latterly with Serco Limited as an Operational Director, working both internationally and within the Government Services Sector.

Luke Body – Managing Director of Professional Services

Luke Body is the Managing Director of the Professional Services division. Luke has been involved with the Group since 2005 at which time the business had suffered the failure of a major building contractor. Luke was part of the team that successfully delivered the remaining construction works which saw the associated projects stabilise and remain as high performing assets.

Luke is an experienced and innovative asset manager who has had a progressive career over more than a decade with the business, spanning roles in project management and lifecycle management. His notable achievements include the creation and development of the Group life cycle planning and delivery models which have contributed significantly to the operational and financial performance of the Group, and led to excellent relationships and reputations with investors, clients and peers alike.

Luke has day-to-day responsibility for ensuring that the Group retains in-house access to a multi-disciplinary team of over 50 experienced technical professionals, supporting the ongoing compliance of its portfolio and providing risk-mitigation through alternative delivery solutions.

The technical and professional services division has provided the Semperian Capital Management team with technical due diligence services drawing on up-to-the minute operational experience for over 10 years, providing valuable insight and supporting competitive acquisition strategy.

Emma Lancaster – Managing Director of Assurance Services

Emma joined Semperian in 2017. She has recently been appointed to the role of Managing Director for Assurance Services. She is also currently a Board Director on several large operational PFI/PPP projects and leads the operational delivery of 13 healthcare projects.

Emma has over 14 years’ experience within the infrastructure management sector and has a wide range of experience in many operating sectors including health, education, defence, custodial, leisure and social care. She has also acted as a Lender’s Technical Advisor to a number of funders of PFI/PPP projects. 

In 2020, she joined the senior leadership team as a Regional Director responsible for the South West and has navigated through challenges across the region managing a number of complex projects. She leads from the front, supporting, sharing lessons learned and best practice, always demonstrating a clear vision. She drives change with a meticulous attention to detail and has a desire to positively influence the wider PFI market and the future of infrastructure.

Prior to joining Semperian, Emma worked in business development, supporting the delivery of PFI projects from bidding and closing to construction and operational management. 

Becky Brunt – Managing Director of Business Support

Becky is Managing Director of Business Support and has been with the business since October 2010. Becky’s area of responsibilities includes  HR, Learning and Development, Administration, IT and Business Standards, and she is focused on ensuring the Business Support team’s efforts drive improvements and best practise across the Group

Becky’s background is HR and she is a Chartered member of the CIPD. In 2017 she was appointed as Director of Business Support and has extensive experience within the PFI market. Prior to joining the business, Becky spent 16 years working for an FM provider, leading a team which managed all aspects of HR management, which included numerous TUPE transfers. She has core change management skills which are utilised to advise on our business’s organisation design and effectiveness. Becky is also a true advocate of Employee Wellbeing and has led our business to embrace significant changes in attitude which in turn has materially improved our employee engagement.