Structuring Approaches to Make Blended Finance PPP Projects Investable

Meet our expert moderator and speakers!

JYOTI BISBEY
Executive Committee Member
WAPPP

Jyoti Bisbey, a WAPPP Executive Committee member, is a global expert with 20+ years of experience in green and resilient infrastructure finance and PPPs in developing countries. She has worked with the World Bank Group and the UN, supporting governments in preparing PPP projects and financing climate-focused infrastructure. Jyoti helped establish global benchmarks like CP3P and PCM and serves on the FAST-Infra Label’s Executive Advisory Committee and UNECE PIERS Climate Panel. She advises ISRC, sits on InfraBlocks’ Advisory Board, and is Associate Editor of the Journal of Infrastructure, Policy and Development at NUS. A published author, she holds an Executive Diploma from Harvard, an MBA from George Washington University, and an honors degree in mathematics from St. Stephen’s College.

JOAN M. LARREA
CEO
Convergence Blended Finance

Joan M. Larrea, a seasoned expert in emerging markets investments with nearly 30 years of experience, specializes in catalyzing investment in underserved regions. As CEO of Convergence since its inception, she has established it as a leading authority on blended finance. Previously, she led OPIC’s efforts to partner with philanthropic and private investors, launching innovative programs to finance high-impact funds using blended finance structures. Her career includes roles as Managing Director at Global Environment Fund, focused on energy and natural resources, and Investment Officer at IFC, where she spearheaded pioneering infrastructure and manufacturing projects across Asia. Joan also serves on several advisory and investment committees, including the Global Environment Facility’s Blended Finance Advisory Group and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet.

CHRIS CLUBB
Managing Director
Convergence Blended Finance

Chris Clubb, with over 20 years of experience, has financed development projects across 50+ emerging and frontier markets. At Convergence, he draws on his leadership at EBRD, where he grew annual investments fivefold in early transition countries and pioneered blended finance programs, including a local currency initiative for SME finance. Previously, he financed European infrastructure projects at the European Investment Bank, supported cross-border financing at Export Development Canada, and started his career in corporate banking at Toronto Dominion Bank. Chris has also held senior roles in strategic risk management, designing enterprise-wide frameworks at EBRD and EDC.

ZIAD-ALEXANDRE HAYEK
President
WAPPP

Ziad Alexandre-Hayek is President at WAPPP and Vice-chair of the Working Party on PPP of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and High Commissioner of the World Business Angel Investment Forum for Lebanon.  Following a long career in international finance and as an investment banker with Citibank, Salomon Brothers, Indosuez Capital, Bear Stearns, he led the Republic of Lebanon’s High Council for Privatization and PPPs for 12 years until he was nominated for President of the World Bank Group. He owns Hayek Associates, a PPP advisory boutique, and sits on numerous boards.

VYMALA THURON
Director Programs & Investment
African Venture Philanthropy Alliance

Thuron is a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience in impact investing, policy advocacy, and socio-economic development. As Director of Programmes and Investment at AVPA, she spearheads the establishment of the Africa Social Impact Exchange (ASIEx), mobilizing catalytic finance for sustainable development. With expertise in managing large-scale funds, gender-lens investing, and digital transformation, she has worked with global institutions to drive inclusive economic growth across Africa.

JIM MUGUNGA
Executive Director, PPP Unit,
Ministry of Finance, Republic of Uganda

Mugunga is a Certified Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) practitioner with over 20 years of experience in investments and private sector engagement. He was part of the Government of Uganda’s technical team that developed the country’s PPP legal and institutional framework, including the PPP Policy (2010), PPP Act (2015), and related regulations and guidelines. Mugunga holds a Master’s degree from the University of Leeds (UK) and currently serves as the Executive Director of Uganda’s PPP Unit at the Ministry of Finance. In addition, he is the official Spokesperson for the Ministry and has played a key role in implementing divestiture and privatization policies, transforming state-owned enterprises (SOEs) into self-sustaining, publicly listed entities on the Uganda Stock Exchange (USE). e also serves as a Board Member for various public, private, and charitable organizations.

Emilio Cattaneo
Global Head of Technical Assistance
PIDG

Cattaneo joined PIDG in 2015 as Executive Director of The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund and became Head of TA in December 2019. With over 35 years of experience in corporate finance, asset management, and advisory, he has worked across Africa, Latin America, India, and Southern Europe. He spent nearly 20 years at HSBC in the UK and abroad before transitioning to smaller firms, including an M&A advisory boutique he founded and ran for seven years, and a commodity brokerage firm focused on emerging markets, particularly Africa. Before joining PIDG, Emilio was Director of Asset Management at Climate Change Capital, a London-based fund manager specializing in climate mitigation investments. There, he played a key role in developing renewable energy and agri-business transactions in Africa.

A graduate of the University of Oxford, he studied Biochemistry (with Economics) at Hertford College.