Morgan Stanley: infrastructure veteran to head Australia IB

Julian Peck will become joint head of Morgan Stanley's investment banking division in Australia, alongside Richard Wagner, according to an internal memo seen by FinanceAsia.

Peck has been at the US bank for over a decade following roles at two other investment banks and an earlier career in corporate tax and advisory. The move is effective immediately.

In recent years, he has served as head of Australia infrastructure and utilities investment banking at Morgan Stanley and has been heavily involved in many of the largest infrastructure M&A transactions in Australia. 

He was the lead adviser on the A$9.7 billion ($7.6 billion) 50-year lease of the Port of Melbourne, a regular advisor to leading corporates such as Australian urban toll roads manager Transurban and Australian energy group APA. 

Peck roundly criticised the "incomplete and staggered privatisation of existing government assets" in the electricity sector in an opinion piece that appeared in the Australian Financial Review earlier this year. He said the process had "reduced the potential entry of more independent private investors in the market."

Peck is based in Melbourne.

In addition to running investment banking operations, Wagner became chief executive officer of Morgan Stanley Australia in October 2016, a role that includes oversight of the Australian wealth management business.

The Australian government has come under fire for failing to open up infrastructure projects to large investors. Meanwhile the major states of Queensland and Victoria have sought investor support for their infrastructure ambitions.

This article has been updated to reflect that Peck's oped was about the electricity sector