Q&A with Alicia Teh: Helping deliver long-term energy security

Alicia joined Macquarie as an Analyst in 2019 and is now a Vice President (VP) in Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) Green Investments. Since joining Macquarie, Alicia has worked across a number of high-profile European renewables transactions and, prior to joining Macquarie’s London office, worked in Singapore and Australia.

In acknowledgement of the 10-year anniversary of the Women in Private Markets Summit, we caught up with Alicia to talk about her role, her position as a role model for junior females in her team and how she is planning her imminent transition back to work from parental leave.

Tell us about your role as a VP in the MAM Green Investments team.

I work across core renewables transactions, which involves lots of financial modelling, valuations and due diligence. Recent projects have included onshore wind farms in Scandinavia; solar, batteries and offshore wind in the UK; and an investment into a renewable energy development business in Greece.

I like the broad scope of the role and I’m proud to be working in the renewables space, playing a part in delivering long-term energy security and helping countries meet their net zero targets.

But it keeps my brain active and my adrenaline pumping.
 

Are there any projects that stand out?

Before I went on parental leave, I led the team that closed the acquisition of a 50 per cent stake in Island Green Power – a leading developer of renewable energy projects. Solar is an exciting technology and it’s great to be supporting Island Green Power to expand its pipeline of projects across the globe. It was a unique transaction involving complex negotiations, and it was fantastic to close the deal before the baby arrived.

You’ve done a lot of work developing and mentoring more junior members of the team. What does that involve and what does it mean to you?

I’m passionate about investing in the career journeys of women rising in this industry, and I’ve adopted an unofficial mentoring role, guiding more junior colleagues in their careers. This can be on-the-job mentoring as we work together on projects, but also a cultural aspect of ensuring everyone is included and feels like an empowered and respected member of the team.

I help ensure they have exposure to our business leaders, opportunities to present, and encourage them to speak up and explore what’s possible for their careers.

You’ll shortly be returning from parental leave. How are you preparing for the transition?

When I return, I want to do it properly – I want to be as engaged and making the same impact as before my leave. I’ll be doing a phased transition and I’m getting more organised with my schedule, diligently planning my days in the office, and setting up a support system at home that also enables me to spend meaningful time with my family – and people are respectful of that.

I’m getting all the time, space and support I need from senior leaders and from my team, so it’s been a great confidence boost to see the significance of this life event being acknowledged.

I’ve also been inspired by some incredible career stories from women role models over the years, which has led to my confidence in knowing that I don’t need to choose between having a career and having a family.

How can we attract more women to the industry? And what is your advice for women looking for a career in private markets?

There are plenty of women interested in a career in private markets, especially at the junior levels – so, from my perspective, attracting women to the industry isn’t the issue. We need to ensure we keep women progressing and supported, so we don’t lose them along their career path to leadership.

My advice would be for women to be confident that they are capable enough to pursue roles that weren’t typically held by women in the past. So being bold, expanding networks and having confidence in knowing you can and will excel is key.