Former US Secretary of Transportation and current Vice Chairman of Hill & Knowlton, Norman Y. Mineta, is to serve as a senior advisor to Credit Suisse, consulting with the bank and its clients on infrastructure and transportation projects and transactions.
He will play a key role advising the bank’s public and private clients, working closely with Markus Pressdee, head of Infrastructure within the Investment Banking Department.
“We are delighted to have Secretary Mineta help drive our rapidly growing infrastructure business. He has a unique understanding of and insight into the infrastructure and transportation sectors as well as excellent relationships throughout the industry and federal, state and local governments,” says Marc Granetz, co-head of the Global Investment Banking Department, Credit Suisse.
“Our clients will benefit tremendously from Secretary Mineta’s background and detailed knowledge of the infrastructure sector. He brings with him a wealth of experience that will be invaluable in developing innovative solutions for Credit Suisse’s clients,” adds Pressdee.
“We find ourselves at a critical point in our nation’s infrastructure – one that requires not just resources, but also innovative thinking. The future viability of US infrastructure will require an approach that includes public as well as private investment. Credit Suisse is both a leader in business and in thought in this developing area, and I look forward to working together at this exciting time,” says Mineta.
Mineta has had a distinguished US political career, having served as mayor of San Jose, California, then as a member of Congress for over twenty years, and in the cabinets of both Republican and Democratic presidents. While in Congress, Mineta served as chairman of the influential House Public Works and Transportation Committee, where his lasting legacy includes authorship of the influential Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA).
After spending five years with Lockheed Martin, in 2000 Mineta was appointed United States secretary of commerce by President Bill Clinton. He was then appointed secretary of transportation by President George W. Bush in 2001, where he served until 2006. He was the longest-serving secretary of transportation in the history of the US. He serves as vice chairman of Hill and Knowlton, a global public relations and public affairs consultancy.
Credit Suisse’s Infrastructure practice is actively involved in transactions around the world across sectors including toll roads, airports, ports, railroads, power generation, electric utilities, water, waste and lotteries. Among its current engagements, Credit Suisse is advising the City of Chicago on Chicago Midway International Airport, the Government Development Bank of Puerto Rico on the Puerto Rico Lotteries and the State of New South Wales on its electricity industry.