First Sentier rebrands its infastructure business

Mike Taylor

Managing Editor and Publisher

22 March 2022

First Sentier Investors Group (FSI) has renamed its direct infrastructure business to Igneo Infrastructure Partners and given it standalone brand status..

The company announced the move today stating that the establishment of Igneo Infrastructure Partners was part of FSI’s long-term growth strategy to build a global business consisting of in-house investment teams and independently-branded investment teams, offering a range of investment expertise across differentiated asset classes.

The announcement said that as one of the largest direct infrastructure investors in the world, the newly branded team had made 60 infrastructure acquisitions since 1994.

The 65-strong team currently manages a portfolio of 24 high-quality, mature, mid-market core infrastructure companies in the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. It holds A$20.3bn (US$14.8 bn) worth of assets (as at 31 Dec 2021).

Commenting on the move, Igneo managing partner, Niall Mills, said that with a well-established investment process and proven track record of adding value for portfolio companies and clients, now is the right time to introduce a global identity that better reflected “who we are and how we work”.

First Sentier Investors Chief Executive Officer, Mark Steinberg said: “The evolution of the direct infrastructure business to a stand-alone brand reflects the maturity of the business and a belief that growth will be further enhanced through a dedicated brand profile. The advantage of a business like FSI, is the ability to support growth in ways best suited to individual investment teams and their clients.”

Mills added: “Being part of the First Sentier Investors Group affords us the chance to brand our business independently, while still benefiting from the world-class support of the FSI team.”

The new brand name is derived from the word Igneous, a type of volcanic rock and underscores the team’s transformative approach to working with businesses to create investments that have sustainability and permanence.