Columbia Threadneedle builds infrastructure team

Heiko Schupp was named global head of infrastructure investments at Columbia Threadneedle Investments, leading a new investment capability and team.

The position is new. A spokeswoman said he had already started, but declined to provide further information.

A news release by the firm said it has started building an infrastructure investment capability for U.K. and European institutional clients.

Mr. Schupp joins from Hastings Fund Management, now Vantage Infrastructure, where he was a senior portfolio manager.

Columbia Threadneedle said it also appointed Ash Kelso as head of asset management and Antonia Botija as head of acquisitions in the team.

Mr. Kelso joins from PriceWaterhouseCoopers where he was director for energy, utilities and infrastructure. Mr. Botija was an investment director at Hastings.

"In an era of low interest rates, the long-term nature of infrastructure assets and their stable, inflation-linked income characteristics match the longevity and total return requirements of institutional investors' portfolios," said Michelle Scrimgeour, CEO, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, in the release. "The investment opportunity for the private sector is growing — public spending is constrained, yet governments around the world need to construct more assets to maintain their economic growth."

She cited estimates that Europe alone requires €2 trillion ($2.4 trillion) in infrastructure investment by 2020.