Mar 26 2010
India's Minister of Road Transport Highways, Kamal Nath, is promoting private financing for India's road-building and will address plans in a public forum in New York on April 8. According to Nath, "The Government of India plans to develop 7,000 kilometers of national highways a year. To meet this ambitious target, we have created an enabling environment for public-private partnership, which harnesses the efficiency and knowledge base of private sector resources. We look forward to strengthening our engagement with the global construction industry." Minister Nath is a keynote speaker at McGraw-Hill Construction's 2010 Global Construction Summit, taking place April 7-8 at the McGraw-Hill Auditorium, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY.
At the Summit, noted speakers will share insights into public-private partnership (PPP) and other trends that will help construction firms win business in world markets. Michael Della Rocca, president, North America, Halcrow, offers a few words of wisdom in advance. "Vehicles such as PPP can help secure the monies necessary to accomplish the funding, procurement, implementation, management and renewal of our infrastructure assets," says Della Rocca. "This direction can also power the engines of economic growth, enhance safety and environmental performance, and make a positive difference in people's lives."
Cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A), another area of focus at the Summit, is also destined to be a top trend and major force impacting the construction industry in 2010, says Scott Kolbrenner, Managing Director and Co-Head, Infrastructure Services & Materials Group for Houlihan Lokey. "Cross-border transactions will be particularly prominent given increased competition to provide services to clients throughout the world," he says. "Our panel on global M&A will highlight recent trends and provide real-life examples of deals that went right and wrong."
Raouf Ghali, Hill International's President, Project Management Group, emphasizes the significance of emerging markets. "The rapid growth of Middle East construction offers construction firms tremendous opportunity for expansion, but not without unique risks and challenges that are very specific to the region," says Ghali. "I am looking forward to sharing experiences of how to market, operate and grow in this region with an impressive panel of Middle East construction experts."
Industry thought-leaders from Europe, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and Australia will come together at the Summit to discuss the global economic landscape and opportunities for the construction industry in 2010 and beyond. Sekip Senturk, USA Director of BAYTUR Construction, offers that "in today's increasingly competitive global construction environment, it is critical to be adaptable to changing trends, techniques and market conditions. MHC's Global Construction Summit provides a unique forum as it presents the exposure and networking opportunities as well as important and timely information about our industry."
Source: http://www.construction.com