Sharpe Pritchard appoints Victoria Heald-Barraclough as partner

Sharpe Pritchard LLP has announced the appointment of Victoria Heald-Barraclough as a Partner, a move aimed at bolstering the firm’s capacity to assist capital providers, developers, and public-sector partners in managing the financing and delivery of intricate green and regulated infrastructure projects. This strategic decision underscores Sharpe Pritchard’s dedication to supporting pioneering initiatives that merge capital investment with environmentally sustainable practices. The firm is committed to helping investors, lenders, sponsors, and infrastructure platforms transform ambitious opportunities related to energy transition and regulated assets into actionable, financeable projects.

Victoria Heald-Barraclough is an experienced infrastructure finance specialist, boasting a background in major Public Private Partnership (PPP) and Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects. Her extensive career has encompassed the entire lifecycle of infrastructure projects, spanning procurement, structuring, financing, construction, operations, expansion, and complex refinancing. She is set to join the ranks of the Sharpe Pritchard Renewables leadership team alongside fellow Partners Steve Gummer, Allan Owen, and Nimoy Kher. Her arrival is expected to significantly enhance the firm’s technical capabilities in capital structures, stakeholder interfacing, and delivery risks, factors critical for advancing major projects from conception to committed investment.

Before joining Sharpe Pritchard, Victoria was a part of the Private Markets and Real Estate Structuring team at the asset management firm Aberdeen. Her previous experience includes serving as a Projects, Energy, and Infrastructure Associate at A&O Shearman. Steve Gummer, a Partner at Sharpe Pritchard, commented on the appointment, emphasising the necessity of combining ambition with practical frameworks: “Green infrastructure does not get built on ambition alone. It needs capital, confidence and bankable structures. Victoria’s appointment is about exactly that. She brings heavyweight infrastructure finance expertise, a lender and investor perspective, and a proven ability to navigate the complex interfaces between funding, regulation, construction risk, public-sector requirements and long-term asset performance.”

Gummer further stated that Sharpe Pritchard aims to make green infrastructure investment viable and that Victoria's extensive experience with sponsors, lenders, and public-sector stakeholders positions her as a vital asset to the firm. “Her track record includes major transport, port, schools and regulated infrastructure projects involving multi-lender financings, institutional debt, concession amendments, refinancings, restructurings, and long-term lifecycle risk.”

Victoria herself is enthusiastic about her new role, expressing her belief in the future of infrastructure investment: “The next wave of infrastructure investment will be defined by projects that can connect policy ambition, technical delivery and capital discipline. Sharpe Pritchard is dedicated to that space: helping clients create investable projects in complex regulated markets. I am excited to join the team as we build a platform that speaks directly to investors, lenders, sponsors and developers who want to deploy capital into green and essential infrastructure.”

Her experience encompasses significant projects, including the BAKAD PPP road financing in Kazakhstan, Bina Istra PPP expansion financing, the Silvertown Tunnel, M6 Toll Road restructuring, M8 Road and AWPR NPD projects, Aggregator Schools PF2 financings, Rock Rail train financings, and the Gdansk Port PPP expansion financing. The addition of Victoria Heald-Barraclough to Sharpe Pritchard not only strengthens the firm's advisory abilities across the capital stack but also enriches its expertise in navigating the project lifecycle, especially in scenarios demanding sophisticated financing and efficient stakeholder management.