CAREER & EXPERIENCE: Dr. Xanthie, the founder and CEO of NEOX and the Head of our Middle East and International Project & Infrastructure Finance practice, brings a unique global perspective to his work. With over 15 years of international experience in infrastructure & project finance, including a tenure of more than 12 years as Head of Project & Infrastructure Finance for a Project Development Company in the United Arab Emirates and Australia, Dr. Xanthie’s understanding of diverse financial landscapes is a testament to his expertise. His proven track record includes executing transactions from the initial stages of project evaluation and bankability review, term sheet drafting, and modeling to due diligence and documentation to achieve recourse, pricing, and timing objectives.
Dr. Xanthie’s transaction experience ranges from project finance—Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT), Design, Build, Finance, Operate (DBFO), and Public-Private Partnership (PPP)—to conventional contracts—Design and Build (D&B) and Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC)—for large-scale capital projects and service contracts.
Dr. Xanthie’s influence extends beyond his financial/commercial advisory experience. He is a true thought leader in project finance modeling, having not only contributed several guides to the modeling community but also led significant project finance model builds and reviews. His project finance modeling training delivered to clients in the Middle East and Australia further demonstrates his innovative approach. This track record of delivering results underscores his ability to navigate complex financial landscapes and secure favorable outcomes for his clients.
- Developed an independent financial advisory business focusing on clients for which project financing was crucial to their future growth.
- Xanthie has been instrumental in providing actionable advice to clients and facilitating their investment and financing decisions. His expertise has been precious in optimizing the process of raising financing from banks and ECAs for greenfield investment projects with CAPEX ranging from USD 800 million to USD 8 billion. This practical approach has consistently delivered results for his clients.
- Proactively introduced the firm’s capabilities to prospects to originate and execute mandates based on a strategic cooperation agreement with allied advisory groups, collaboration with the Big 4, and international valuation services firms.
- Supported recommendations with cash flow projections and risk analysis for oil & gas, sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), renewable energy, sugar factories, and other infrastructure projects in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia.
- Helped clients raise Mezzanine debt financing of USD500 million loans from local and international lenders.
- Developed a project finance advisory practice from scratch to help startup project development companies achieve growth.
- Structured key financing terms in advisory and arranging roles together with a European-based international bank.
- Coordinated international multi-disciplinary consultants’ teams (technical, market, insurance, environmental) to complete due diligence on time and in line with the lenders’ requirements.
- Spoke at international Environment and Sustainability conferences on project finance issues related to developing and financing large-scale industrial infrastructure projects.
QUALIFICATION & RECOGNITION: Dr. Xanthie is a Finance and accounting professional with an MBA and Ph.D. in business management (graduated with distinctions) at the Philippine Christian University. He attended several training and development programs, including the Strategic Chief Financial Officers Program at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM|). He is presently completing his second Ph.D. – A Post-Doctoral Fellow in Strategic Management and Leadership.
He loves solving business problems and is adept in complex, clean, and green project financing, feasibility studies, due diligence, technology evaluations, project management & development lifecycle. His Ph.D. focus is on strategic leadership platforms for effective strategy implementation of organizations, business ecosystem innovation, environment, sustainability, and regenerative transformation. Articulate communicator, competent business and technical writer, and skilled in quickly engaging team members to achieve company objectives.
SPECIALTIES: Dr. Xanthie’s specialties include Strategic and Corporate Planning, Equity Investment, Project Development and advisory, Debt Financing, Project and Infrastructure Finance, BOT, DB, DBFO, PPP, Corporate Infrastructure Financing (Acquisition hybrids, Refinancing, etc.), and Real Estate Hybrids and Portfolio Financings.
EARLIER CAREER & EXPERIENCE: Dr. Xanthie, Ph.D., an Investment, Project, and Infrastructure Finance expert, is a seasoned and growth-focused multi-industry professional with strong team management and a demonstrated track record in project and infrastructure financing, strategy and corporate planning, and project development of oil, gas, petrochemical, methanol, advanced biofuels, green ammonia, and green hydrogen projects in the Middle East.
Dr. Fronda has 25+ years of extensive track record of success serving as a business partner to senior executive leadership teams connected with defining and delivering short-term and long-term sustainable growth strategies, measuring performance outcomes, and implementing effective corporate, business, operations, environmental, and corporate sustainability strategies.
Dr. Xanthie is an expert in developing Project Information Memorandum, Sustainability strategy and ESMP framework, Project Briefing Memos, and Financial Models for Strategic Planning and Project Financing for infrastructure projects in the Middle East.
Developed and implemented vital Company policies, procedures, manuals, and the organizations’ term of reference (ToR) as follows: Corporate Governance and Policies Manual; Corporate and Business Control Framework; Finance and Accounting Manual; Corporate HSE, OEMS, ESMP Frameworks; Corporate Target Operating Model (TOM); Organizational structure Project and Organizational Health check; Project Company Stage Gates, RACI & Activity Model, and Organizational Roadmap.
I represented the organization in meetings with ECAs in Asia and Europe, including Euler Hermes (Germany), UKEF (United Kingdom), CESCE (Spain), EKF (Denmark), and EDC (Canada), to finance our Clean & Green Energy Projects in the GCC and Australia.
A focal point and overall controller with project counterparties and stakeholders: Financial Advisors – Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG, Grant Thornton; Legal Advisors – Arendt, Allen & Overy, Norton Rose Fulbright, Linklaters, and Dentons; Insurance Advisors – Marsh and JLT; Market & Product Pricing Advisors – Argus Media, Nexant, & IHS; Project Technical advisors – DNV GL, BECHTEL, ThyssenKrupp; EPC Contractors – Black & Veatch/Diode ventures, SNC Lavalin, Abengoa, and Acciona Industrial; FEED/EBED contractors – Black & Veatch, SNC Lavalin, Siemens; Environmental Advisors – CH2M, Royal Haskoning, AECOM, & ERM; PMC consultants – Tebodin Belfinger and Ramboll; and O&M – Spie Oil & Gas.
