First Sentier Investors, a leading global asset manager and one of the world’s largest infrastructure investors, today announced the appointment of Karine Rougé as a director on the firm’s direct infrastructure team.
Rougé brings more than 15 years of industry experience managing large industrial business units, including integration projects and transformation initiatives, as well as mergers and acquisitions, to First Sentier’s expanding North America direct infrastructure investment team in New York. She reports to John Ma, partner and head of direct infrastructure investments, North America. Her position is new, and she will focus on sectors including water, wastewater and energy transition.
“We see growing opportunities for investments in water and water treatment infrastructure, especially with greater focus on a more circular economy in the U.S. and Canada,” Ma said. “Karine’s background and capabilities are a great fit for our team.”
Before First Sentier Investors, Rougé was chief transformation officer for Suez Water Technologies & Solutions, based in New York, and a senior executive at the Paris-based water treatment provider. She joined Suez in 2010 and during her tenure built and led global and diverse teams across a variety of businesses in Paris and New York.
“First Sentier Investors is widely recognized as a leader in infrastructure investing, and I’m delighted to join my new colleagues and help build on the firm’s success,” Rougé said.
Earlier, Rougé worked as an investment banker for Goldman Sachs in South Africa, France, and the U.K. She holds a master’s degree in quantitative economics, with honors, from the Paris School of Economics and a master’s degree in management from the HEC School of Management in Paris.
First Sentier Investors manages more than US$12.7 billion of direct, or unlisted, infrastructure investments across the U.K., continental Europe, Australia, New Zealand and North America, with a focus on mid-market companies in the transportation and utility sectors worldwide.
Since 2019, First Sentier Investors has completed several direct infrastructure investments in the United States, including Patriot Rail and Ports, the Rialto Bioenergy Facility, and Terra-Gen.
With Rougé, First Sentier’s New York-based North America direct infrastructure investment team now has six members.
About First Sentier Investors
First Sentier Investors manages US$180.3 billion in assets (as of March 31, 2021) on behalf of institutional investors, pension funds, wholesale distributors, investment platforms, financial advisers and their clients worldwide.
The firm operates as a standalone global investment management business with offices across Europe, the Americas, and Asia Pacific. First Sentier Investors’ expertise spans a range of asset classes and specialist investment sectors focused on delivering sustainable investment success based on responsible investment principles.
Formerly First State Investments, the firm was acquired from the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in August 2019 by Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc.
