Claude Devillers
Claude founded the Merzbach Group, and its affiliate Merzbach Carbon
Finance, a company focused on financing and aggregating environmental attributes under various regulatory schemes. A pioneer
in the carbon markets since early 2002, Merzbach has arranged capital for various sponsors in excess of $190 million to date.
The group has offices in New York, Amsterdam* and Paris.
Claude
Devillers started his career with the French Ministry of Finance supporting export to Africa. He joined Banque Paribas in 1985 where he held various responsibilities: until 1990, he was the lead transactor for
the financing of projects in Africa and the Middle East
at Paribas, today BNP-Paribas. Thereafter he headed groups covering various industries in Europe including oil and gas, paper and packaging and high tech. Claude joined ANZ Investment Bank in 1996 and successfully
built and headed the investment bank in France. From mid 1998 until early 2002, he was Director and Head of Natural Resources, Americas, at ANZ Investment Bank in New York where he restructured the Oil and Gas business of ANZ and built a franchise with this industry. Claude has been involved
in number of LNG projects as early as the 1980's and was selected by FERC to make recommendations on the regulation for LNG
terminals in the US.
Claude is a regular speaker
at energy conferences in the US and Europe and has published articles on the monetization of carbon attributes, and the financing of LNG and GTL
projects. He is a member of the Gas Utilization Research Forum, and a Counselor of the Atlantic Council of the United States.
Claude has in excess of 20 years of investment banking experience including with Paribas (1985-1996),
then ANZ Investment Bank (1996-2002). During
his banking career, Claude Devillers has advised and arranged on over 60 transactions ranging from a few million to USD4.6
billion, for a total amount of more than USD17 billion, for issuers based in the U.S., Europe, Australia, the Middle East,
Asia, Latin America and Africa.
Key
skills include:
·
Recognized expertise for strategic and financial matters in several
industries, notably the paper and packaging, oil and gas, and water industries. A member of prominent professional organizations,
Claude publishes regularly on gas matters, and is a speaker at industry conferences.
·
Direct structuring and negotiation experience. Claude has advised
numerous clients in Europe and the U.S. on their expansion and restructuring plans. In Western
Europe, Claude has been an important player in the restructuring of the French paper and oil services industries in the 1990s,
tackling issues similar to those in Eastern and Central Europe. He has monitored actively bankruptcy situations in Europe.
·
Second-to-none experience in emerging countries (Africa, Middle East, Asia, Latin America, Eastern and Central Europe), including advisory work in Eastern Europe for the World Bank, arranging work for a private projects. Claude has developed over the years
a vast network in several regions of the world. He has access at proper levels to
the realms of politics, administration, industry, banking, investment, and legal professions, and has a robust relationship
with multilateral bodies and various governments.
Claude received his education in France, earning graduate degrees in Business/Administration
and Law.
The Merzbach Group has a network of senior professionals
associated with group and junior associates, who can be mobilized in accordance with the requirements of its clients. Among
them:
On-the-ground network: The Merzbach Group
is nurturing existing contacts in selected countries.
