Mark Harrington

Executive summary

Mark is an infrastructure and project finance Partner with BDO in Adelaide, working with clients nationally. He works collaboratively with diverse multidisciplinary (e.g. technical, economic, legal, tax, insurance) teams. His clients include government agencies, infrastructure investors/financiers, industry/mining companies and developers/contractors. Mark has previously worked as an adviser for a federal cabinet minister infrastructure investor and consultant (e.g. ARUP, PwC, Deloitte) in Australia and internationally.

Mark and his team provide consulting advice for infrastructure and property projects, including development (e.g. governance, regulation, strategy, financial modelling, feasibility studies and business cases), delivery (e.g. transaction management bids and commercial/financial advice) and management (e.g. investigating accountant, independent verifier, valuations, refinancing and contract variations). This includes commercial structuring, bankable risk profiles, project agreement development and negotiations, arranging finance and mergers, sales and acquisitions. Mark has unique experience with precedent setting pathfinder public-private partnerships, integrating infrastructure with urban development, hybrid regulated public private partnerships and concessional loan programs.

Expertise

• Infrastructure and property
• Project and corporate finance
• Procurement and valuations
• Feasibility studies and business cases
• Public policy and regulatory frameworks
• Corporate strategy

Experience

Infrastructure and urban regeneration projects

• Inland Rail - Largest transport project in Australia connecting Brisbane and Melbourne, supporting regional development and shifting goods on to rail, making roads less congested and reducing emissions.
• United States Department of Transportation - USD $70 billion Build America, Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) and Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing (RRIF) programs, providing credit for significant projects.
• Atlanta Beltline - USD $5 billion USD significant integrated land use and transport project that uniquely combines a concessional federal loan with value capture. This project was linked by the redevelopment of 22 miles of unused railroad tracks and green space circling the city centre, connecting diverse neighbourhoods and catalysing social development.
• Bobov Dol - Integrated mines, rail and power station privatisation and upgrade to meet European standards, whilst maintain employment and power supply.

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs)

• Northern Water - Desalination plant and 600km pipeline for green steel, copper, hydrogen, and utility supply to replace less sustainable ground and river water.
• Transbay and Presidio Parkway - the award-winning connection between the Golden Gate Bridge and the city of San Francisco, working with the natural and historical features of the landmark Presidio Park. This project had complex funding and was the first PPP in California, under new legislation. It transforms the previous standard form elevated highway that divided the former military base from the harbor and city into an impressive parkway entrance to the city, extending the Golden Gate Bridge experience.
• Royal School of Military Engineers PPP - 30-year GBP £3 billion contract for training relieving army officers and a seven-year build program with 32 new builds and 21 refurbishments. This project was service-heavy, and its use of public finance was unique, being the first PPP contract based on SoPC version 4, without private debt and with more services than construction, and releasing land for the Thames Gateway development project.

Energy and renewable power

• Energy Industry Reform and Privatisation - Programs in National Electricity Market, South Australia, Western Australia, Romania and Pakistan.
• Financial and commercial advice for projects
  • CBA Investigating Accountant for Energy Equity
  • Take-over defence for Pacific Hydro
  • Tasmania Hydro corporate strategy
  • CSIRO distributed generation technology financing
  • NRME and United Utilities Green Energy refinancing with Macquarie
  • Contract and joint venture negotiations
• Energy transactions
  • Alinta asset sales/purchases of China Light & Power vertical integration strategy
  • Tohoku purchase of interest in Millmerran power station
  • Alcan Gove gas supply contract
  • DBNGP, MAP and SWQ gas transmission pipelines
  • Alinta Alcoa cogeneration
  • CMS Parmelia and Goldfields pipelines
  • Energex power stations, CBA sale of equity interest in Loy Yang A
  • Arrow and Queensland Gas
• NSW Renewable Energy Zones and industrial water - Combining regulated asset regimes with project financed assets for hybrid regulated public private partnerships.

Qualifications and affiliations

• Management Program
• Public Asset Valuation
• Corporate Finance Qualification, ICAEW
• Graduate Diploma Sustainability Leadership
• Bachelor of Commerce

Professional engagements and activities

• Director, Housing Choices Australia
• Expert Panel Member, Infrastructure NSW and Infrastructure SA
• Authorised Person, Financial Services Authority
• Approved Person, SEC, MSRB