Nuveen Launches Global Multi-Asset Infrastructure Platform
Nuveen, a global investment manager overseeing $1.3 trillion in assets, has unveiled a new Global Infrastructure Investment Platform designed to unify its infrastructure expertise under one strategic banner. The move marks a significant step in the firm’s evolution as it doubles down on infrastructure as a cornerstone of long-term portfolio growth and global sustainability.
With this launch, Nuveen is reorganising its investment capabilities into six strategic pillars that reflect the firm’s conviction-led, collaborative approach to asset management. Among these, infrastructure stands out as a central growth engine, building on Nuveen’s $340 billion portfolio in private markets encompassing real estate, natural capital, and private capital.
Accelerating Infrastructure Growth in a Transforming World
The world faces an enormous challenge: an estimated $94 trillion in infrastructure investment is required by 2040 to meet global demands driven by energy transition, digitalisation, and ageing public assets. Nuveen’s new platform is poised to seize this opportunity by integrating sustainable real estate financing, renewable energy, infrastructure credit, and digital infrastructure investments into a single, synergised framework.
Bill Huffman, Chief Executive Officer of Nuveen, emphasised the firm’s readiness to meet this growing demand: “Over the course of multiple decades, we’ve strategically built out our broader alternative investment capabilities, and today we’re ready to meet the unprecedented client demand for infrastructure exposure across both public and private markets.”
He added: “We’re committed to delivering comprehensive infrastructure solutions across the risk-return spectrum, from development-stage clean energy projects to stabilised digital infrastructure assets and differentiated securitised investment-grade opportunities. By bringing together our specialised teams, we can better serve clients who are seeking to allocate capital to the infrastructure investments that are essential to the global economy.”
Leadership and Vision
To spearhead this initiative, Jessica Bailey has been appointed Head of Global Infrastructure. Previously the CEO of Nuveen Green Capital, Bailey is well-regarded for her leadership in sustainable finance. Her new role puts her in charge of scaling one of the world’s top 20 infrastructure platforms by assets under management. She reports directly to Saira Malik, Nuveen’s Chief Investment Officer, ensuring that infrastructure continues to play a strategic role within the firm’s broader investment architecture.
Bailey’s appointment reflects Nuveen’s commitment to integrating sustainability, innovation, and profitability. Under her guidance, the firm aims to bridge traditional investment models with the future demands of a decarbonising global economy.
A Unified Platform Built on Proven Expertise
Nuveen’s infrastructure pedigree is decades deep, boasting $36 billion in assets across private infrastructure debt, equity, and listed infrastructure. The newly consolidated platform merges multiple specialised teams that will continue to operate with their established strategies but under a unified leadership structure.
The teams include:
- Nuveen Energy Infrastructure Credit, led by Don Dimitrievich, offering private credit solutions supporting energy and power infrastructure aligned with trends in digitalisation, electrification, and reindustrialisation across developed markets.
- Infrastructure Equity Teams, overseen by Biff Ourso, managing investments across diversified, clean energy, and digital infrastructure portfolios:
- Diversified Infrastructure focuses on direct investments, limited partnerships, and co-investments in sectors like clean energy, transport, digital, and social infrastructure.
- Clean Energy Infrastructure channels capital into renewable energy and energy storage projects worldwide.
- Digital Infrastructure targets majority private equity stakes in connectivity, data, and technology service providers underpinning the modern digital economy.
- Nuveen Green Capital, co-founded by Alexandra Cooley, a national leader in sustainable finance solutions for commercial real estate, specialising in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and climate resilience. Cooley continues as both Chief Investment Officer and newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of Nuveen Green Capital.
Each team retains its operational independence but gains access to shared resources and a collaborative ecosystem. This structure leverages Nuveen’s extensive experience in municipal finance, with $190 billion in municipal bond assets, underscoring the firm’s strength in infrastructure-linked debt markets.
Expanding the Six Pillars of Investment
Nuveen’s reorganisation extends beyond infrastructure, aligning all its private and public market strategies across six pillars. These pillars are designed to streamline operations, drive scalability, and create cohesive investment pathways across asset classes.
- Global Real Estate Platform: Among the largest globally, managing over $135 billion in assets under the leadership of Chad Phillips. It covers commercial, residential, and logistics properties with a growing emphasis on ESG integration.
- Global Natural Capital Platform: The world’s largest institutional farmland investor with $11 billion under management, led by Martin Davies. This platform covers farmland, timberland, and regenerative agricultural assets, promoting climate-smart land use.
- Global Private Capital Platform: Managing $87 billion, this pillar ranks among the top five global private debt fundraisers. Co-led by Ken Kencel and Anthony Fobel, it recently forged partnerships with Hunter Point Capital and Temasek to enhance access to growth-stage financing.
- Global Fixed Income Platform: One of the largest globally, managing $569 billion in fixed income. Led by Anders Persson, it focuses on credit diversification and stable yield strategies that anchor institutional portfolios.
- Global Equities Platform: Overseeing $536 billion in assets and ranked among LSEG Lipper’s top-performing active equity managers, this division, led by Willis Tsai, continues to drive alpha through fundamental and thematic investing.
- Global Infrastructure Platform: The newest addition, integrating all infrastructure equity, credit, and sustainable financing capabilities under unified leadership.
This reorganisation strengthens Nuveen’s position as a fully integrated, multi-asset global manager. The goal is not merely structural efficiency, but also to deepen client access to diversified investment opportunities that address both risk and sustainability imperatives.
Addressing the Global Infrastructure Gap
With the world’s infrastructure systems under immense strain, private capital has become indispensable. According to the G20’s Global Infrastructure Hub, the current investment shortfall exceeds $15 trillion. Much of this gap lies in renewable energy transition, digital backbone construction, and urban resilience.
Nuveen’s approach addresses these gaps through blended financing, cross-sector collaboration, and technology-led asset management. Its strategy aligns closely with emerging global policies encouraging public-private partnerships (PPPs), climate resilience, and digital transformation.
Furthermore, infrastructure is increasingly viewed as a hedge against inflation and volatility. Assets such as energy grids, ports, and fibre networks generate steady, long-term cash flows while supporting sustainable growth, a combination increasingly sought by institutional investors.
Heritage of Innovation and Resilience
For over 125 years, Nuveen has balanced innovation with reliability, evolving from its roots in municipal finance to a global force in alternative investments. The firm’s expansion into infrastructure represents the next logical step in that legacy.
Its diversified exposure across income and alternative assets, spanning businesses, real estate, infrastructure, and natural capital, positions Nuveen as a partner of choice for institutional and private investors alike. As of June 2025, the firm manages over $1.3 trillion globally, leveraging its deep industry knowledge to deliver consistent, long-term performance.
Saira Malik summed up the firm’s ethos: “Our view of the future drives our ambition to innovate and adapt. Infrastructure isn’t just about physical assets, it’s about building the backbone of tomorrow’s economy.”
Building the Foundations of the Future
As investors increasingly seek long-term value anchored in sustainability, Nuveen’s new platform signals a defining moment for the global investment landscape. The consolidation of infrastructure expertise under one roof is more than strategic, it’s a commitment to powering the transition toward cleaner energy, smarter cities, and resilient economies.
By aligning its resources, leadership, and philosophy, Nuveen isn’t merely managing assets. It’s shaping the future of how global capital fuels progress.
