Infrastructure

LaGuardia Airport Is a Mess. An Engineer-Turned-Fund Manager Has a Fix

Thierry Déau explains why he built Paris-based Meridiam to put money and know-how behind long-term projects.

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By Sree Vidya Bhaktavatsalam

May 21, 2019 at 4:01 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

This article is part of the May 31, 2019 issue of Markets.

Thierry Déau’s engineering training in France led him early in his career to building government-funded infrastructure. But it was his entrepreneur father back home in Martinique who inspired him to strike out on his own in 2005. He started Paris-based Meridiam to finance, build, and manage long-term projects. Now, with €7 billion ($7.83 billion) in seven funds and nine offices across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and North America, Meridiam is playing a key role in high-profile projects such as the upgrade of New York’s LaGuardia Airport and a road tunnel under the Port of Miami. Déau describes Meridiam’s investment approach in an interview with Bloomberg Markets.

SREE BHAKTAVATSALAM: What led you to start Meridiam?