Executive Management
Corporate Management Committee
Babcock & Brown's global activities are managed by the Corporate Management Committee which consists of the Executive Directors and the Executives listed below. The Executive Chairman and Chief Executive lead this Committee. The Corporate Management Committee will perform the following roles:
- Provide strategic direction for the Group's activities
- Have delegated authority to deploy capital
- Oversight of Group operations and administration
Jim Babcock is Executive Chairman of Babcock & Brown. Jim co-founded Babcock & Brown in 1977. Prior to founding Babcock & Brown, James practiced corporate and tax law. James is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School where he was a member and officer of the Law Review. He is based in the San Francisco office.
Daniel Brickman is Head of the Regional Management Committee for the America’s. He joined Babcock & Brown in 1986. Prior to joining Babcock & Brown, Dan was Vice President and Manager of leveraged leasing for the Chrysler Capital Corporation. Dan is a graduate of Denison University. He is based in the Greenwich office.
Jim Fantaci coordinates the Group's Operating Leasing activities worldwide. He joined Babcock & Brown in 1982. Prior to joining Babcock & Brown, James was Senior Vice President of the New York office of Matrix Leasing International and prior to that he served as Assistant Treasurer of the Bank of New York. James attended the New School of Social Research and graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in Economics. He is based in the New York office.
Phil Green is Chief Executive of Babcock & Brown and and Head of the Regional Committee for Australia / New Zealand. He joined the Babcock & Brown Group in 1984. Prior to joining Babcock & Brown, Phil worked as a senior manager with Arthur Andersen where he specialised in taxation. Phil is also Chairman of Babcock & Brown Infrastructure Limited, Babcock & Brown Environmental Investments Limited and the responsible entity of MTM Entertainment Trust and is a Director of Babcock & Brown Japan Property Management Limited, a responsible entity for Babcock & Brown Japan Property Trust, Babcock & Brown Capital Limited and Everest Babcock & Brown Limited. He is also a Trustee of the SCG Trust. Phillip holds Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Law degrees from the University of New South Wales. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1981 and was admitted as a solicitor in NSW in 1978. He is based in the Sydney office.
Peter Hofbauer is the Global Head of Infrastructure at Babcock & Brown. He joined Babcock & Brown in 1989 and has worked in both the Sydney and London offices of Babcock & Brown. He has more than 15 years' experience in investment banking including corporate finance, project finance, property and structured financing transactions. Prior to joining Babcock & Brown, Mr Hofbauer worked with Price Waterhouse and Partnership Pacific Limited/Westpac Bank. Mr Hofbauer has a Bachelor of Business from the Swinburne University. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, the Taxation Institute of Australia and the Financial Services Institute of Australasia. He is based in London.
Trevor Loewensohn is the head of Babcock & Brown's Equity & Advisory Group and is a Director of Babcock & Brown Environmental Investments. Trevor, in his previous roles at JP Morgan and UBS, led the teams that advised on both the Prime Infrastructure (now BBI) and Babcock & Brown IPO. Trevor provides corporate merger and acquisition and equity advice to all Babcock & Brown's listed vehicles as well as looking to generate third party corporate advisory, principal investment and equity raising opportunities. Trevor has almost 20 years of experience in corporate finance and advisory in Australia and has advised many of Australia's top 100 companies on corporate and financial strategy during his career. Trevor is a member of the Securities Institute Policy and Markets Committee and a director of the Australian Business in the Community Network. He is based in Sydney.
Eric Lucas is the Global Head of Real Estate for Babcock & Brown. Eric is also the CEO of Babcock & Brown Japan Property Trust. He joined Babcock & Brown in 1987. Prior to joining Babcock & Brown, Eric worked in Tokyo at the international law firm of Anderson Mori and Rainbowitz. In 1987, he joined Babcock & Brown at its Japanese joint venture, Nomura Babcock & Brown, where he worked as its representative until 1992. After several years in the San Francisco office of Babcock & Brown, in 1998 Eric returned to Tokyo to establish Babcock & Brown's Japanese office. Eric received his law degree from the University of Melbourne in Australia. He currently splits his time largely between Tokyo and Sydney.
Martin Rey is Head of the Regional Management Committee for Europe / Middle East and Africa and coordinates a variety of European business activities. He joined Babcock & Brown in 2003. Prior to joining Babcock & Brown, Martin held a variety of senior management positions at HVB, most recently Executive Divisional Board Member, Corporate Banking. Martin was appointed a Non-Executive Director and member of the Supervisory Board of Nordex AG, Norderstedt / Rostock in May 2005. Martin earned a law degree at Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University in Bonn and studied business at the University of Hagen. He is based in Munich.
David Ross is the Group Chief Operating Officer. He joined Babcock & Brown in 2004. Prior to joining Babcock & Brown, David was with Lend Lease Corporation for over 10 years where he held positions as CEO of General Property Trust, CEO of Lend Lease, Asia Pacific and Global and US CEO, Real Estate Investments. David holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Western Australia. He is based in Sydney.
Robert Topfer coordinates the Group's Corporate and Structured Finance activities worldwide. He joined Babcock & Brown in 2000. Prior to this Robert was a founding partner of the law firm Atanaskovic Hartnell and prior to that a partner of Allen Allen & Hemsley. Robert is also a director of Commander Communications Limited, ERG Limited and PrimeLife Corporation Limited. Robert holds a Bachelor of Law and Arts from the Australian National University. He is based in Sydney.
Michael Maxwell is Head of the Regional Management Committee for Asia. He joined Babcock & Brown in January 1992. Prior to joining Babcock & Brown, Michael was an executive director of international merchant bank, Morgan Grenfell, focusing on cross-border corporate finance transactions, and prior to then as a corporate solicitor with one of Australia's largest legal firms Mallesons Stephen Jaques. He is based in Sydney.
Michael Larkin joined Babcock & Brown in August 2004 as Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Babcock & Brown, Michael was Group Financial Controller for Lend Lease Corporation, based in London. In this and other roles in his 7 years with Lend Lease he developed a strong set of skills and experiences in dealing with financial and management reporting for a global company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. Michael was with Coopers & Lybrand for 13 years, culminating in the position as Director of Tax Services in the financial services sector.
Michael holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of NSW, is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Taxation Institute of Australia.
Margaret Cole is the global general counsel of international investment and asset advisory firm Babcock & Brown. Prior to joining Babcock & Brown in February 2005, Ms Cole was the executive and managing partner for the international law firm, White & Case LLP in Singapore. Ms Cole was a partner at White & Case for 10 years, working from the London, Bangkok and Singapore offices. In her private practice career, she had experience in various corporate transactions and represented both investors and lenders in international transactions, with particular expertise in emerging markets. Ms Cole has experience in various forms of financings, including limited recourse financings, securitizations, investment funds and private placements and restructurings.