Patricia Sulser ’79 Chief Counsel, International Finance Corporation
She is based in Washington. She is the Global Lead Lawyer for IFC InfraVentures, a $150 million internally managed fund established by IFC in 2008 to fund and proactively develop private and public-private partnership (PPP) infrastructure projects in the poorest World Bank countries. IFC InfraVentures addresses one of the most significant constraints to private investment in infrastructure projects in these countries, including the limited availability of funds and experienced professionals dedicated to private infrastructure project development. Infrastructure projects on IFC InfraVentures’ agenda include hard infrastructure such as power (especially renewable power), wastewater treatment and water supply, ports, airports, roads, and airports, as well as so-called “soft” infrastructure such as healthcare facilities and hospitals and schools—all critical to countries’ economic development and the World Bank Group’s agenda of bringing people out of poverty.
Ms. Sulser has been involved in the financing of complex infrastructure projects for her entire career at IFC and before in private practice in the New York, London and Hong Kong offices of Shearman & Sterling. She leads the IFC Legal Department Public Private Partnership practice group and coordinates with colleagues from around the World Bank Group and other development financial institutions on the G20 and World Bank Group PPP agenda.
Ms. Sulser is also a certified mediator and has provided legal support for IFC’s establishment of mediation centers around the world. In addition, she actively promotes the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution in PPP and infrastructure projects around the world. She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, the Dispute Board Federation and various other institutions specializing in alternative dispute resolution, and is the ADR thought leader for the IFC Legal Department, which supports the use of ADR not only in commercial dispute avoidance and management but also as a tool to engage meaningfully with communities affected by World Bank Group projects.
