CGLA's Infrastructure and Energy Practice offers world-class expertise, high-level experience, and contacts in strategy and policy formulation in energy, infrastructure and urban development in emerging markets. Various directors have held ministerial responsibilities in governments, high-level management positions in international institutions, and posts in the private sector focusing on the formulation and financing of strategies and policies concerning emerging-market infrastructure and energy. The Principals have direct knowledge and understanding of infrastructure needs, host-country policies, and institutions in the most important sectors-including power, gas and oil, transport, water supply and sanitation, and municipal and urban infrastructure. Centennial Group principals, including those of CGLA, have conceived, led, and managed World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and country strategy, policy, and lending programs for infrastructure development throughout the world, in over 30 countries. The practice, drawing on the full resources of the Centennial Group, is directed by Mr. Armando Araujo (Bio.) and Mr. Luis Avella (Bio.).

CGLA excels particularly in providing strategic advice to the following clients:

• Public-Sector clients and donor agencies, both bilateral and multilateral, regarding infrastructure policy, project, and program review and formulation;
• Public-sector clients in urban- and municipal-development-related activities, including advisory services related to policy formulation and financing of local government investment activities;
• Private-sector clients, and Public-Private partnerships, regarding participation and financing in the energy and infrastructure sectors;
• Governments, international institutions, and private-sector clients concerning policy formulation, selections of strategic partners, and the financing of Private/Public Partnerships. CGLA provides these services in close collaboration with its Development and Financing Practice.
• National financial institutions, concerning the establishment of debt or investment capital funds to finance infrastructure projects.

One of the principals led the World Bank initiative in the mid-1990s to promote private sector participation in infrastructure in Asia. Another principal directed the Bank's worldwide strategy and initiatives in infrastructure programs. Other principal directed the Bank's worldwide strategy and initiatives in infrastructure programs. Another principal managed the World Bank's infrastructure program in Latin America. Another Principal was a Minister of Energy in Brazil and a Board Member of the Itaipu Binational Project, one the largest hydroelectric projects in the World.

Recent programs and projects involving Centennial Group principals include:

• Advising a major Asian financial institution on its proposal to set up a large debt and quasi-debt fund to finance infrastructure projects throughout East and South Asia.
• Leading a World Bank-sponsored program to formulate a strategy and program to accelerate private investments in infrastructure in Africa and coordinating an Asian Development Bank effort to formulate a new institutional approach and strategy to support transport sector development throughout Asia.
• Assessing, for the Asian Development Bank, prospects for and strategy towards sub-national initiatives to finance infrastructure programs at the state level.
• Advising a number of private companies interested in investing outside their home countries and assisting them in identifying and negotiating with potential strategic partners to enter new markets.
• Reviewing the system, including its viability, and innovative modalities for financing urban infrastructure services in Tamil Nadu, India.
• Analyzing the existing systems and recommending ways in which sub-national governments in Vietnam can meet their needs and plan, procure, and finance infrastructure; how they can access domestic financial markets; and how donor institutions can best facilitate that process.