Ex Scotia Man in New Advisory Venture

Conor Kelly, formerly the head of Scotia Capital’s US and Latin America infrastructure advisory team, has started his own business. Named Rubicon Infrastructure Advisors, his start-up will offer M&A expertise.

A veteran infrastructure investment banker has gone into business for himself.

Conor Kelly, whose career path included a turn heading a US and Latin America infrastructure advisory team for Scotia Capital, has opened up shop in Dublin.

His Rubicon Infrastructure Advisors is billed as a niche advisory firm focused on infrastructure mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

Rubicon has identified an “extremely active” M&A climate for infrastructure, with an estimated $60 billion worth in deal-flow expected to close in 2011. Rubicon has 11 people specializing in infrastructure, as well as a location in New York. Kelly became managing director for the Scotia US and Latin America infrastructure advisory team when Scotia lifted his 10 member team from Depfa Bank in 2008. He had been a managing director with Depfa, an Ireland-based lender focused on infrastructure, where he began working in 1999.

Scotia lured Kelly in an effort to complement its Canada infrastructure advisory effort. He worked on the 2004 high-profile Chicago Skyway toll road concession, as well as the Pokahontas Parkway toll road deal in Virginia. He worked on the 2004 high-profile Chicago Skyway toll road concession, as well as the Pokahontas Parkway toll road deal in Virginia. 

Kelly has been involved in the early stages of PPP financing in Japan, Korea, Portugal, Norway, Estonia, Ireland.

The piece was written on September 30, 2011.