Saxena Named to Cornell CPIP Advisory Board

The Cornell University Program in Infrastructure Policy (CPIP), Adds More Distinguished Members to its Advisory Board
ITHACA, NEW YORK – The Cornell Program in Infrastructure Policy (CPIP) is pleased to announce the addition of new members to its Advisory Board. The appointments were made against the backdrop of significant and growing interest by Washington policy makers about large-scale investments in U.S. infrastructure.

The newly appointed members join an existing group of recognized leaders already on the CPIP Advisory Board who have vast experience in the infrastructure space and diverse business interests around the world. CPIP also continues its efforts to forge new strategic alliances with other leading academic centers and thought leaders, including the Global Projects Center at Stanford University and the University of Oxford’s International Infrastructure Consortium, among others, to conduct educational forums and focused research on a variety of infrastructure issues.

CPIP Advisory Board Chair Anthony Ferrari noted, “The remarkable experience, relationships, and global reach of our distinguished Advisory Board across all key infrastructure sectors positions CPIP to successfully pursue its goals.” Mr. Ferrari added, “I personally appreciate the dedication of new and continuing Advisory Board members and, with their support, we look forward to realizing CPIP’s full potential and make significant contributions to our industry.”

CPIP Director and Co-Founder Rick Geddes said, “CPIP continued to gain momentum every day in its efforts to coordinate a global network of policy researchers, widely distribute our findings, and educate and assist the next generation of infrastructure leaders.” Geddes added, “We owe a debt of gratitude to Cornell University, and to all our faculty and student affiliates and visiting scholars, for their committed support of CPIP.”

“Throughout my career I’ve been fortunate to work with many of the finest practitioners in transportation infrastructure, including experts in project development and delivery, finance, engineering, and construction” said CPIP Executive Director Tom Madison. “The individuals and companies on the CPIP Advisory Board are like no other group of its kind, and I am privileged to serve with them to advance the best practices of our industry and, above all, assist the students.”

CPIP is excited by the heightened awareness and accelerated dialogue around infrastructure matters in the wake of the recent U.S. Presidential election. This focus provides the opportunity for CPIP to engage in a meaningful exchange of ideas with policy makers and advocates alike regarding how best to invest in, update, coordinate, and expand the nation’s essential infrastructure assets and facilities.

As we react to these new opportunities, we continue our work to develop strategic alliances with other leading academic centers and thought leaders similarly engaged in infrastructure matters. For example, in the coming months our ongoing partnering discussions with the Global Projects Center at Stanford University and the University of Oxford’s International Infrastructure Consortium, among others, will result in announcements about joint educational forums and research initiatives on a variety of infrastructure matters.

CPIP was founded at Cornell University in 2012 with a Vision “to become the world’s leading academic center for infrastructure policy study, research, and education.” CPIP is focused on improving the delivery, maintenance, and operation of the physical infrastructure that makes up the “built environment.” This will be accomplished through dedicated teaching, research, and outreach efforts in infrastructure policy, with a particular emphasis on innovative infrastructure funding and financing.

CPIP coordinates scholars across multiple disciplines within and outside Cornell University who share an interest in public policies impacting infrastructure and develops and disseminates research relevant to those policies. CPIP also collaborates with various partners in the public, private, and non-profit sectors to achieve the following goals:

Educate the next generation of infrastructure leaders and professionals at the undergraduate and graduate levels;
Coordinate an active global network of researchers in infrastructure policy;
Disseminate research findings through conferences, policy briefs, media availabilities, and other outreach efforts;
Maintain a virtual presence dedicated to global infrastructure policy issues; and,
Track data on infrastructure projects and policies relevant for assessing innovative approaches.

CPIP will continue to serve as a multi-disciplinary platform to integrate expertise across key programs within Cornell University that are connected to the built environment. Accordingly, we will strive to integrate the fields of policy and public affairs, economics, engineering, government, management, technology, environmental stewardship, labor relations, law and other areas wherever possible.

Himanshu Saxena
Senior Managing Director & Co-Head of Starwood Energy
Himanshu Saxena is a Senior Managing Director & Co-Head of Starwood Energy and is jointly responsible for supervision of the Firm’s investment program and strategy, as well as overall management of the Firm. Mr. Saxena sits on both the Investment Committee and the boards of portfolio companies. Mr. Saxena is also responsible for the development and management of the investment team. In addition, he maintains responsibilities for origination, structuring, execution, monitoring and exiting investments across the energy industry. Mr. Saxena has led the acquisition and development of approximately 3,700 MW of power generation and transmission projects in North America, with aggregate enterprise value of approximately $4.1 billion. Prior to joining Starwood Energy in 2008, Mr. Saxena was an investment banker with JPMorgan’s global energy and utilities group, where he advised on more than $10 billion in transactions. Before that, Mr. Saxena worked at American Electric Power, where he focused on managing financial risks in the power trading business and on optimizing a power generation portfolio. Mr. Saxena was previously a Chemical Engineer at industrial gas company Praxair, where he filed for several patents. Mr. Saxena earned an MBA from Duke University, where he was a Fuqua Scholar, an M.S. in chemical engineering from Cornell University, and a Bachelor’s of Technology in chemical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (“IIT”) in Bombay, India.