Stirling Infrastructure’s Investment and Advisory Board consists of members who have:
Michael Stirling is the Chairman of the Investment and Advisory Board. Michael has over 25 years of experience in investment banking, economics and law. He oversees the firm’s international expansion and client activities. He leads the review of investment propositions and uses his global network of contacts to add value by connecting investors and businesses. Michael is an experienced corporate finance lawyer and M&A transactions specialist. Collectively with the fellow members of the Investment and Advisory Board, Michael determines which investments are suitable for the firm to advise on for both capital raising and M&A transactions.
Paul Hodgson-Jones is the Chief Operating Officer for the firm. He has over 35 years of experience in trade and project finance working with leading producers, contractors and investors across a range of industry sectors around the globe.
Prior to joining Stirling Infrastructure Partners Paul spent 16 years with SMBC Bank International Plc where he was responsible for structuring and arranging project and export finance transactions, working with a broad range of Export Credit Agencies, Multilateral Agencies and Development Finance Institutions. His previous experience includes working in investment banking, assessing surety credit risk at a global insurer and working at an export credit agency.
Paul has experience in infrastructure projects in dozens of countries across six continents. In recent years he has played a leading role in financing some of the foremost renewable energy projects, including new technologies.
Paul studied English and French Law and holds an LLB from King’s College London and a Maîtrise-ès-Droit from the Université de Paris (Pantheon-Sorbonne).
Don Kern is based in Houston, Texas and is a member of the Advisory Board. He has an extensive background in the energy industry, specifically in leading major energy related commercial transactions in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
Don has had a long and distinguished career with Chevron. He played a major role in Chevron’s corporate business development efforts and has been an officer and director of various Chevron affiliates. His responsibilities included the execution of Chevron’s major worldwide commercial transactions including commercial agreements for some of the world’s largest energy projects. He has broad experience in transactions such as divestitures, acquisitions, mergers, production sharing contracts, joint venture formations, operating agreements and commercial disputes. He has also been responsible for completing foundation commercial agreements for major LNG projects in Australia, Canada and Angola.
Don holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada, and an MBA from the Anderson Graduate School of Management at the University of California in Los Angeles.
Yukio Kanazawa is based between Tokyo and Istanbul and is a member of the Advisory Board. He brings over four decades of international experience within the energy sector and was recently a General Manager at Sumitomo Corporation. Prior to this position, he held a variety of senior roles across key business units in Europe, Middle East, and Asia. Yukio has established trusted relationships with energy and finance ministers and with executives at major global corporations in the markets in which he has represented Sumitomo over the course of his career. He has led Sumitomo's strategy in executing numerous large and complex transactions across international markets. Over his career, Yukio has developed significant sector and market knowledge and has built influential relationships globally in the energy and infrastructure sectors. His work has included leading investments into LNG, power and mineral resource projects.
Victoria is a member of the Advisory Board and she supports the firm’s relationships with institutional investors including sovereign wealth funds. She also works at the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IFSWF) as Director of Strategy and Communications. The IFSWF is a global network of sovereign wealth funds with members from 40 countries. Victoria has trusted relationships with sovereign wealth funds and her work includes knowledge-sharing, research and networking activities related to all aspects of investment strategies and corporate governance.
Victoria is a recognised author and commentator on sovereign wealth funds. In 2012, she founded the Sovereign Wealth Center, an online provider of data and analysis about sovereign wealth funds, now part of Institutional Investor’s Sovereign Investor Institute. Before joining IFSWF, Victoria was Director of Investec Asset Management’s Investment Institute, which was responsible for the firm’s thought leadership. She started her career as senior analyst in the Office of the Chairman at Monitor Group, a strategy consultancy now part of Deloitte.
Victoria earned a PhD in History from Pembroke College, University of Cambridge. She also has a BA (Hons) and MA with distinction in History from the University of Durham.
Randel Young is based in Houston and serves on the Advisory Board of the firm. With over 40 years' experience in managing US and cross-border projects and business strategies, he focuses on structuring and raising debt and equity capital for cross border transactions and investments in the energy and infrastructure sectors, particularly in the renewables, natural gas and LNG markets of the Americas, Asia and the Middle East.
Prior to joining Stirling Infrastructure’s Advisory Board, Randel was a senior energy transaction partner in the global law firm, K&L Gates where he served in senior leadership positions including as Global Practice Area Leader, Energy Infrastructure and Resources, and as a member of the firm’s global management committee and global advisory council. As Global Practice Area Leader, Randel co-led K&L Gates’s globally integrated energy and infrastructure practice platform in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas.
Randel is a Distinguished Research Fellow and Advisory Director at the Center for Energy Law at Tulane University in New Orleans, where he lectures on the structuring, development and execution of large-scale cross-border energy projects. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Houston and Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from the University of Houston Law Center.
Li Zhang is based in London and is a member of the Advisory Board. She has extensive experience in advising clients on acquisition, development, construction and financing of cross-border energy and infrastructure projects with a particular focus on renewables, nuclear, transmission and distribution networks, battery storage, hydrogen, and other energy transition solutions.
Prior to joining Stirling Infrastructure, Li was a senior energy and project finance lawyer with leading international law firms in London. She is dual-qualified in the United Kingdom and the United States and her practice expands across the UK, Europe, Middle East, and Asia Pacific regions.
Li holds a Master of Law from Renmin University of China and a L.L.M from George Washington University Law School, United States. She also studied and completed a European law program from University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne.
Based in London, Mike Adam has over 30 years' experience arranging finance for major projects, including commercial property, data centres, Public Private Partnerships, renewable energy and stadia. Mike's credentials encompass successful completed transactions as a lender, debt adviser and principal across UK, western Europe, CEE and APAC markets.
Mike began his career at ABN AMRO Bank in London and subsequently worked with Nomura in Hong Kong and Babcock & Brown in London, Luxembourg and Vienna. Mike also has over 20 years' experience as a member of a leading Local Government Pension Scheme investment committee.
Mike holds an MA from Cambridge University.
Prof. Paik is based in London and is a member of the Advisory Board. He was affiliated with Chatham House between 1995 and 2020 as research fellow, senior research fellow and associate fellow, and with Oxford Institute for Energy Studies as senior research fellow between 2007 and 2019.
Prof. Paik is a recognised global authority on Sino-Russian oil and gas cooperation studies, based on his 38 years research work. He served as advisor to the Sino-Russian Oil and Gas Cooperation Committee, under CNPC and then of Government of Sakha Republic, and made a pivotal contribution to the Power of Siberia's gas pipeline development.
Prof. Paik studied at Yonsei University in Korea for his undergraduate and graduate studies (1979-1985) and was awarded his Ph.D by the University of Aberdeen in 1994.
Paul Audu is based in London and is a member of the Advisory Board. He has held many senior positions in the pensions industry for more than 25 years and is an expert in pensions investment. His role involves assisting large pension funds to develop and implement their investment strategies and selecting fund managers and overseeing their investment programme. He has a proven track record of managing investments, diverse relationships and corporate governance for pension schemes.
Paul has worked in both public and private sector financial services, including FTSE 100 companies during his career and is a multiple award-winner in pension fund investment. Paul also worked as a Senior Investment Consultant at HSBC Actuaries and Consultants and was Head of Investment at three public sector pension funds.
Paul holds a BSc (Econ) in Financial Economics and a Postgraduate Certificate in Accounting and Management from the University of London. He has also completed a postgraduate certificate programme in Public Finance and Leadership from Warwick Business School.
Jeremy Fern is based in London and serves as the firm’s Corporate Communications Director. He has had many years’ experience in corporate communications and public affairs. Jeremy also worked for fifteen years with the City of London Corporation on the business environment and the promotion of financial and business services globally, engaging with intra-governmental bodies, institutional investors and multinational corporations. His background was in securities and asset management.