About
The Company
Volta Associates Pte Ltd
Volta Associates is a strategic investment advisory business serving clients in Asia, particularly South East Asia, from offices in Singapore.
Since its formation 10 years ago, the company has worked in China, India and Kazakhstan and has specialized in Vietnam and Indonesia. The Company is actively helping to match qualified domestic companies with international finance to help them grow, acquire new businesses or change ownership. It is also assisting a number of investors in the privatisation process, including post acquisition planning, business restructuring and change management.
For many clients in the region, a significant challenge facing them is the planning and implementation of successful leadership or ownership succession and transition to place the company on track for its next phase of successful growth.
Volta Associates partners with clients ranging from corporates, investment funds, international financing agencies, government-based entities and not-for-profits.
Sectors include agribusiness, finance, infrastructure, privatization, corporate governance and sustainability.
Volta Associates is well placed to help clients contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, drawing on 30 years of experience of integrating human and social development into private sector investments in more than 50 countries.
The Founder
Robin McPhail
The company is led by Robin McPhail who is Managing Director. As Partner in Deloitte, he co-founded and became Partner in Charge of Deloitte Emerging Markets Group (EMG), running this successful international business for 25 years.
Based in Washington DC, Brussels and London, EMG grew to be a global leader in expanding the role of the private sector in sustainable development in emerging economies.
Since 2007, Mr. McPhail has been an independent advisor to international institutions on strategy, compliance and change management. He went on to found Volta Associates to provide independent advice to investors in small and medium-size enterprises in selected emerging markets, and to serving corporates and not-for-profits as an Independent Non-Executive Director.
The founder brings to Volta Associates a broad and deep professional network, trusted business relationships, and a demonstrated track record of enabling private sector solutions to economic and human development in 50 countries around the world. Sectors include agribusiness, the financial sector, manufacturing, energy, natural resources, health, tourism as well as corporate governance and sustainability.
Following the founder’s relocation to Singapore in 2015, the business was incorporated as Volta Associates Pte Ltd.
Origin of the Company name
Volta Associates
Volta Associates takes its name from a street in Georgetown, Washington DC. Volta Place is home to the Volta Institute for the Deaf, founded by Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone and a native of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Robin McPhail, also born in Edinburgh, lived in Volta Place for many years. Robin’s international career has followed the Scottish diaspora with its long history of contributing to the economic and human development of countries around the world.
This open and borderless view of the world underpins the aspirations and work of Volta Associates.
- A Securities Firm (subsidiary of large SOE Bank), Vietnam
- Development of strategic plan and training program for in-house staff
- A Building Materials Group, Vietnam
- Strategic and business advice to Chairman relating to ongoing operations and future strategy
- Operational efficiency review through business wide interview process
- A Cement Company, Vietnam
- Transition and change management guidance and coaching for newly appointed external CEO
- A High Net Worth Financial Adviser, Indonesia
- Structuring advice to establish investment vehicle or asset management company to be based in Singapore
- An Investment Group, Vietnam
- Development of initial concept and oversight of masterplan development of multi-billion dollar ecotourism project in south Vietnam
- An Agri-business Investment Firm, Vietnam
- Strategy advice relation to crop development in sectors including quinoa, seaweed processing, and fruit.
- A Building Materials Group, Vietnam
- Lead Adviser on successful acquisition through privatization from government
- A Cement Manufacturer, Vietnam
- Exclusive adviser on successful sale of majority shareholding to foreign investor (completed)
- An Industrial Parks Corporation, Vietnam
- Lead adviser to privatization process to assist Vietnamese client to acquire majority shareholding (on-going)
- A Waste-to-Energy Project, Indonesia
- Non-exclusive advisor and source of investment funds for greenfield plant, (on-going)
- An Investment Advisory Firm, Vietnam
- Non-exclusive mandate to introduce foreign investors for country-wide Karaoke business (on-going)
- Non-exclusive mandate to introduce foreign investors for state owned boutique brewery and spirits producer (on-going)
- A Privately held Investment Firm, Thailand
- Exclusive mandate to sell boutique tourist hotel (bidding suspended pending new strategy)
- Advice to state owned conglomerate in Vietnam to redesign organizational structure and reporting lines to improve business performance
- A Securities Firm (subsidiary of large SOE Bank), Vietnam
- Development of strategic plan and training program for in-house staff
- Compliance review of investments by IFC for adherence to Environment and Social Performance standards on behalf of the Compliance, Adviser and Ombudsman (CAO)
- Founder was Director of major projects to advise governments on design and execution of Privatization programs in Russia, Ukraine, India, Uganda, Serbia Hungary, Czech and Slovak Republics
- Mediation of long running contractual dispute between two UN agencies
Board membership (2007- current)
- Chairman, including of Audit Committee. UN Office of Project Services (UNOPS), Copenhagen, Denmark. The UN’s primary infrastructure and project implementation agency with annual revenues of $1B. Operates in 80 countries.
- Member, International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) Independent Panel, overseeing Environment, Social and Governance risk across IFC’s $19B investment portfolio.
- Member, UN Arbitration Panel. Satisfactorily resolved a complex financial dispute between international bodies.
- Non-Executive Director, Pamiga Finance, SA, Luxembourg-based investment fund specializing in the African financial sector, including commercial microfinance.
- Non-Executive Director, Resolution Insurance Ltd., Tanzania.
- Sustainability Adviser, US Infrastructure Investment Fund for South East Asia.
Leadership and Management Expertise
- Team building and people management. 30 years’ experience recruiting, deploying, directing, multinational teams in 50 countries.
- Commercial management. CEO of a financially successful US-based business for 25 years. Experience implementing Risk Management Systems (ERM).
- Directed successful CEO succession planning in private and public sectors, enhancing diversity in both sectors.
- Directed and provided oversight of strategic plans.