Allan Marks

About Allan Marks

I provide strategic advice to companies, funds, investors, NGOs, and governments. I serve as President & Commissioner of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the US\'s largest municipal utility, and as a private fund independent director. I advise and write on ways to improve the quality of investments, capital allocation, risk management, and public policy. I have handled complex energy and infrastructure transactions globally, finding innovative ways to create value and reduce risk. Throughline: making the world a better place through clean, efficient and reliable energy, transportation, water, digital networks and other infrastructure critical to economic growth, sustainability and resilience.I am a Senior Fellow at the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment at Columbia University’s Climate School and a Nonresident Visiting Senior Fellow at the NYU SPS Center for Global Affairs. I teach law and finance at the UC Berkeley and UCLA Law Schools and previously taught at Berkeley\'s Haas School of Business. And I am a Distinguished Scholar in Energy Law & Sustainability and Professorial Lecturer in Law at GW Law.As a lawyer for over 34 years at Milbank, I advised sophisticated, market-leading corporations, banks, institutional investors and funds in their most challenging commercial and financial transactions, with an aggregate value over $100 billion. Focused on project finance and development, my practice encompassed private equity, corporate strategy, joint ventures, mergers & acquisitions, acquisition finance, capital markets, private placements, international and cross-border business transactions, public-private partnerships, banking and regulatory matters, derivatives, construction and engineering, utilities, environmental permitting, technology, and a wide range of commercial matters.I am a Contributor to Forbes and speak on energy, infrastructure, climate, business strategy, public policy and international transactions. I have been interviewed and quoted in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, POLITICO Pro, CNN Business, Bloomberg, S&P Global Market Intelligence and other media outlets. Earlier I interned at UNIDO’s Special Advisory Group on Energy in Vienna and was an expert on a USAID team in India advising on energy sector reforms.The most satisfying parts of my career have been building teams, mentoring, and fostering collaboration across disciplines and cultures to find practical solutions to diverse challenges. Connecting the dots with creativity and insight. And giving back as much as I can.ALL VIEWS ARE MINE ALONE.

Experience

1. Consultant Strategic Advisor

   Fitch Ratings

   Jun 2025 — Present · New York, NY, US

   Advice on risk analysis, innovative financing structures, current market trends, and regulatory changes in connection with structured and project finance credit ratings. Guidance across strategies and ratings methodologies in multiple sectors, emphasizing energy, transportation and digital infrastructure.(My advice is not with respect to any individual rating, issuer or security and does not involve any public agency issuers.)

Education

• University of California, Berkeley - School of Law

  J.D.

• The Johns Hopkins University

  B.A., International Studies