Patricia Sulser

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT PATRICIA SULSER

Infrastructure is my passion, as I see how it transforms entire countries and geographic regions. My journey as a project finance lawyer started over 35 years ago, working at Shearman & Sterling in New York, London and Hong Kong. Subsequently, I joined International Finance Corporation, the private investment arm of the World Bank Group. I rose to become Chief Counsel and Global Team Leader for the Infrastructure & Natural Resources Department. Around 15 years ago, I moved into project development. I helped design and launch IFC InfraVentures, a $150 million venture capital fund to proactively develop private and public-private partnership infrastructure projects globally. Over the course of my career, I have worked on hundreds of projects across at 50 emerging markets on 5 continents. My experience spans many sectors, including renewable and thermal energy, ports, roads, rail, solid waste management, water treatment and supply, sanitation, logistics, education and health and more. I have been the lead negotiator with governments on most of these projects and have partnered with many large international companies and organizations and other stakeholders.I synthesized my experience developing infrastructure projects around the world over the course of my career in a book entitled Infrastructure in the most challenging developing countries: Closing the gap, published by International Financial Law Review (link below). I am currently consulting for IFC, other development finance institutions, certain global non-profit organizations in the impact investing space, and serving as an Advisory Board member to several organizations, including a solar rooftop company in Sri Lanka. And I\'m thrilled to have joined the Investment Committee of BlueOrchard Sustainable Asset Fund and also Wilson Williams LLC as Of Counsel in 2022.I am a professional American Arbitration Association arbitrator, Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, Center for Effective Dispute Resolution certified mediator, and Dispute Board Federation certified professional, where I bring my practical experience to bear in resolving disputes to keep infrastructure and construction projects, as much as possible, on track.I care deeply about mentoring and supporting women. I am on the faculty of and am an advisory board member to the Madeleine K. Albright Institute for Global Affairs at Wellesley College, where I lead the long-term strategic planning among the Institute’s advisors. I also teach and speak at other professional organizations on a variety of topics.