November 2017 - Astris opens an office in Spain and announces new hires in Madrid

Edited in January 2018

Astris Finance is very pleased to announce the opening of its Madrid office with full origination and execution capabilities. The Madrid office will serve to accomplish two complementary goals for Astris:

The Madrid office will allow Astris to grow its presence in the Iberian Peninsula, where it is already active. Astris recently closed two refinancings in the Portuguese renewable energy sector and is currently working on a toll road refinancing in Spain. Astris aims to get involved in the Plan Extraordinario de Inversión en Carreteras (known as PIC), a € 5 bn road PPP program about to be launched by the Government of Spain. Astris also strives to expand its global renewable energy franchise into the fast-growing Spanish market and hopes to bring added value in the context of a renewable energy contractual framework that includes a strong element of merchant risk.

The Madrid office will also allow Astris to further support its long-standing Spanish clients who have been active in Latin America, a key market for the firm. Astris has historically supported, and continues to support, clients on major projects in Chile, Peru, Colombia, Brazil and Mexico, among other countries in Latin America, and has been advising a number of Spanish investors, developers and contractors in these markets over the past 17 years.

Astris Finance appoints Gonzalo Ruiz de Angulo as Director & Head of its recently opened Madrid office and Juan Fabregas as Vice-President in its Madrid office.

Astris is pleased to announce the first senior recruits for its Spanish team.

Gonzalo Ruiz de Angulo, a project finance banker with over 15 years of experience, joined the firm on Monday, January 8, 2018 as Director & Head of the Madrid office.

Gonzalo has 15 years of experience in project and corporate finance and has acted as lead arranger as well as financial advisor on a wealth of infrastructure and energy deals primarily in Europe and Latin America. He joins Astris from ING, where he was the director leading the bank’s Latin American effort in the power space. Prior to this, Gonzalo worked for BBVA, where his last role was as Global Head of Energy, Oil & Gas, and Environmental Services. Formerly, he was head of Power for Latin America and Head of Renewable Energy for EMEA, always with a strong focus on financial advisory.

In total, Gonzalo spent 11 years at BBVA, including six in New York working on projects in Latin America and globally, and five in Spain, where he worked intensely in the Spanish renewable market as well as in other sectors and geographies.

Prior to BBVA, Gonzalo had spent three years on the developer side, at Enel Union Fenosa Renovables, based in Madrid, where he ended up as Head of Finance for the Iberian Peninsula.

Juan Fabregas, a project finance banker with close to 10 years of experience, joined the firm on November 27, 2017 as Vice-President.

As a project finance banker, Juan has acted as lead arranger as well as financial advisor in many markets and industries. He joins Astris from BBVA, where he was a vice-president in the infrastructure and energy team. Juan spent 4 years at BBVA, including two in Chile working on Latin American projects, and two in Spain, where he worked intensely in the Spanish renewable market.

Prior to BBVA, Juan had spent four years at Crédit Agricole CIB in London, as an associate in the project finance team.  There, Juan worked on a host of infrastructure deals in the UK, continental Europe as well as the Middle East.

Astris is also in advanced talks to recruit a senior director who will head the Madrid office and work with Juan. The full team is expected to be up and running by year end.