2010 Global Construction Summit Speakers Say PPP Will Boost Construction in India; 2010 Will Bring M&A Expansion

NEW YORK, March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- India's Minister of Road Transport Highways, Kamal Nath, is promoting private financing for India's road-building and will address plans in a public forum in New York on April 8. According to Nath, "The Government of India plans to develop 7,000 kilometers of national highways a year. To meet this ambitious target, we have created an enabling environment for public-private partnership, which harnesses the efficiency and knowledge base of private sector resources. We look forward to strengthening our engagement with the global construction industry." Minister Nath is a keynote speaker at McGraw-Hill Construction's 2010 Global Construction Summit, taking place April 7-8 at the McGraw-Hill Auditorium, 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY.

At the Summit, noted speakers will share insights into public-private partnership (PPP) and other trends that will help construction firms win business in world markets. Michael Della Rocca, president, North America, Halcrow, offers a few words of wisdom in advance. "Vehicles such as PPP can help secure the monies necessary to accomplish the funding, procurement, implementation, management and renewal of our infrastructure assets," says Della Rocca. "This direction can also power the engines of economic growth, enhance safety and environmental performance, and make a positive difference in people's lives."  

Cross-border mergers and acquisitions (M&A), another area of focus at the Summit, is also destined to be a top trend and major force impacting the construction industry in 2010, says Scott Kolbrenner, Managing Director and Co-Head, Infrastructure Services & Materials Group for Houlihan Lokey. "Cross-border transactions will be particularly prominent given increased competition to provide services to clients throughout the world," he says. "Our panel on global M&A will highlight recent trends and provide real-life examples of deals that went right and wrong."

Raouf Ghali, Hill International's President, Project Management Group, emphasizes the significance of emerging markets. "The rapid growth of Middle East construction offers construction firms tremendous opportunity for expansion, but not without unique risks and challenges that are very specific to the region," says Ghali. "I am looking forward to sharing experiences of how to market, operate and grow in this region with an impressive panel of Middle East construction experts."

Industry thought-leaders from Europe, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East and Australia will come together at the Summit to discuss the global economic landscape and opportunities for the construction industry in 2010 and beyond. Sekip Senturk, USA Director of BAYTUR Construction, offers that "in today's increasingly competitive global construction environment, it is critical to be adaptable to changing trends, techniques and market conditions. MHC's Global Construction Summit provides a unique forum as it presents the exposure and networking opportunities as well as important and timely information about our industry."

Engineering News-Record's 45th Annual Award of Excellence program, a black-tie awards gala, will take place immediately following the Summit.

For more information or to register, visit http://construction.com/events/globalsummitny. Discounted rates apply for CURT Asian Forum Members, SMPS members, RICS members and groups of four or more. For press passes, call +1 212-904-6390.

The 2010 Global Construction Summit's founding partner is the China International Contractors Association. Platinum sponsors include Bentley and Halcrow. Silver sponsors are AECOM, Astadia, CMiC, Hill International, Houlihan Lokey; Microsoft, Odebrecht, Parsons, Turner Construction, and Zurich Financial Services Group. The American Institute of Architects, Construction Users Roundtable, Construction Federation of India, Confederation of Indian Industry, Business Monitor International, O Empreiteiro, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Society for Marketing Professional Services, U.S. Green Building Council, and the U.S.-India Business Council are supporting sponsors.

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SOURCE McGraw-Hill Construction