On 16 December, USUBC, in partnership with the Atlantic Council, Business Executives for National Security (BENS) and International Stability Operations Association (ISOA), held an Industry Day on U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund focusing on private sector engagement with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). The Industry Day was generously hosted by the Atlantic Council.
The program opened with welcoming remarks from Irina Paliashvili, President & CEO of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council; John Herbst, Senior Director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine; and Jonathan Taylor, Associate General Counsel for Private Equity & Investment Funds at the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC).
Panel One addressed the U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund and DFC’s role in deploying equity investments. Moderated by Glenn Goddard, Lead for Ukrainian Assistance and Reconstruction at Parsons Corp., the discussion featured DFC’s Jonathan Taylor, Associate General Counsel for Private Equity & Investment Funds; Will Thompson, Managing Director, Sovereign Partnerships, Jason Frey, Director – Direct Equity, Office of Infrastructure & Critical Minerals and Office of Energy at DFC, Zain Shamim, Director, who were joined by Elizabeth Shortino, Managing Director at Alvarez & Marsal; and Ihor Baranetskyi, Minister-Counsellor for Economic Issues at the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States. Speakers examined investment priorities across energy, minerals, infrastructure, transportation, logistics, telecoms, and emerging technologies, as well as project eligibility, co-investment models, war risk insurance, and pathways to making projects bankable.
Panel Two focused on private sector engagement in unlocking Ukraine’s energy and minerals potential, infrastructure development and recovery. The panel was moderated by Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine and Senior Managing Director, Energy and Critical Minerals Practice at McLarty Associates, and included Derek Berlin, Senior Vice President, Global Government Solutions at Logistics Plus, Inc., Anthony Weiss, Executive Director at TechMet, Karl Jensen, Executive Vice President of the National Governments Practice in the Americas at AECOM and ISOA Vice Chairman, George A. Pickart, Managing Director, Global Government Affairs & Policy at GE Vernova and Matthew Murray, Chair of the Board of Advisors at Velta Holding U.S., Inc. Speakers explored available projects, investment tools and investment de-risking mechanisms.
Panel Three kicked off with the discussion among speakers on practical engagement with DFC and deployment of projects, followed by robust interactive session with the audience. This panel was moderated by Shelby Magid, Deputy Director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, and featured Matt Simpson, CEO of Black Iron, Inc., Jonathan Taylor, Associate General Counsel for Private Equity & Investment Funds at DFC, Will Thompson, Managing Director, Sovereign Partnerships at DFC, and Howard R. Lind, President and Executive Director of the International Stability Operations Association (ISOA), who shared hands-on perspectives on advancing projects from concept to execution and strengthening coordination between the private sector, DFC, IFIs and DFIs and government institutions.
