Financing the Future of Low Emission Fleets

This online panel will explore the opportunities and challenges of investing in low emission fleets, the funding currently available in the market, and examples of projects that have successfully achieved financial viability. This panel will bring together industry leaders to share insights, lessons learned, and forward-looking perspectives on accelerating fleet decarbonization.

Panelists will have the opportunity to shape the discussion, highlight successful initiatives, and provide practical guidance for investors, operators, and policymakers navigating this fast-evolving sector.

The panel will explore:

• Where private-sector investment in low emission fleets is currently flowing
• What types of low emission fleet projects are being financed
• The main barriers to scaling investment without public subsidy
• Examples of project structures that have achieved financial viability

All discussions will be anchored in the guiding question: Are clean fleet projects getting funded? And how?

Panelists

Jeffrey Mathews, Managing Director and Head of Private Infrastructure Origination, Principal Asset Management
Jeffrey Mathews is Managing Director and Head of Origination within Principal Asset Management’s Private Infrastructure platform. Prior to joining Principal, Jeff spent 12 years at Barclays as a Managing Director in the Energy, Power, and Climate Technology Group, where he oversaw the origination and execution of infrastructure transactions across M&A, private placements, and project finance. Earlier in his career, he was part of the Energy and Infrastructure banking teams at Nomura, BMO Capital Markets, and Scotiabank. Jeffrey graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a degree in Business and Psychology.

Dr Julia Kowalle, Head of Asset Strategy - Global Structured Finance Department, SMBC Bank International plc 
Julia is based in London and her work covers the EMEA region. She has over 15 years of industry experience as arranger, financial modeler and adviser of social infrastructure and transportation transactions. Julia started her professional career as a Graduate Trainee with RBS. Amongst other qualifications, Julia holds a PhD in Economics from the Technical University in Berlin, Germany, and a Master's in European Business from the ESCP-EAP in Paris, France.
 

Kartik Gopal, Global EV Industry Specialist, International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Leveraging more than 28 years of C-suite and international leadership experience across 14 countries, Kartik drives scalable financing models for electric mobility at IFC—leading strategic initiatives, developing the investment pipeline, evaluating opportunities, and advising governments on policy. He has served as the industry specialist for over $1.4 billion in EV investments to date. A long-time innovator in fleet electrification, Kartik pioneered India’s first battery-leasing program, advanced EV adoption across new commercial fleet segments, and led the product planning behind India’s best-selling electric three-wheeler, while continuing to shape emerging opportunities in electric trucks and buses.

Liliana Pereira, Senior Vice President, Steer
Liliana is a transport-sector leader with over 25 years of experience across the private sector, government, and academia, bringing deep expertise in strategy, investment, and project delivery. For more than 15 years, she has advised private clients on financing and transactions for greenfield and brownfield projects, including P3S, due diligence, forecasting, asset optimization, and environmental and social strategies—contributing to more than $5 billion in successful financial closures. Her work spans over 60 projects across rail, transit, toll roads, mobility hubs, airports, ports, and electrification in the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. Recognized with the 2020 Amazon Everywoman in Transport & Logistics Award, she also serves on the Passenger Rail Advisory Committee of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board.