Meet our experts: Colin Johnson

Wednesday, November 23, 2011 | Posted by: Grant Thornton
Categories: Brazil, India, Interviews | Tags: India, Grant Thornton, Colin Johnson, international, insight, due diligence, energy, Brazil, staff, Meet our experts, profile, Q&A, disputes, arbitration, investigations, expert witness, Latin America, profile, Q&A, insight

This month we welcome Colin Johnson to our blog series, which goes behind the scenes of our emerging markets services. Colin, who speaks Spanish, Portuguese and several other languages, communicates with an average of six different countries each day. But with his focus on Latin America, it is Brazil’s growth story that he recommends companies take a closer look at.

What is your job title?
I am a director in our advisory practice, sitting within our Forensic and Investigation Services Department.

What does your job involve?
I specialise in three things: Energy, Arbitration and Emerging markets (especially Latin America and India), where I chair CityUK’s Brazil Group. My job involves either providing the expertise in these areas or finding the right people to do so.

For example?
I recently advised an Indian client on a large solar power-related arbitration, then after that I was off to Latin America to work with our local due diligence team advising a Chinese client in relation to a power company it was looking to invest in.

What does a typical day involve?
Thankfully for me – as routine bores me – there is no such thing as a typical day. One day I might be wandering around a power plant and talking with management to see how their future plans shape up, the next I could be working on a report to quantify a claim in a major arbitration or chairing an event in relation to Latin America.

What runs throughout, though, is working with colleagues across the Grant Thornton global network, talking about oil in Kazakhstan, biofuels in India or solar power in the US. An average is probably six different countries per day, including an open channel with Brazil. Most of them I know personally which makes emails and conversations a lot easier, thankfully.

What have been some of the more interesting, unusual or challenging projects you have worked on?
The assignment that first took me into expert witness work – acting on behalf of the Government of India on a US$6 billion arbitration in relation to Enron’s investment in the Dabhol power plant – enabled me to get behind all the hype and what the business school studies taught into the realities of what had happened.

Another unusual one involved being lowered down inside a dam in India as part of understanding how the plant would operate.

One that will probably stay with me, though, was meeting Eddie O’Connor, then CEO of Irish wind farm company, Airtricity, as part of some due diligence we were doing on his business. He talked about a ‘supergrid’ connecting electricity grids and offshore windpower plants across the North Sea. I know this was ridiculed by many back then, but now it would probably be described as visionary.

Which part of business do you enjoy most?
I’m lucky to like all three of my roles. I love the opportunity that the Chairmanship of the Brazil Group for CityUK gives me to make a real difference to how UK companies approach that market and the wider Latin American markets – as well as getting the chance to use my Portuguese and Spanish.

I greatly enjoy working with colleagues across the Grant Thornton International network on the energy side and finding the right expertise for particular clients.

And finally there is nothing I like better than using all I have learned in these areas when tackling a big arbitration and what would really have happened to an energy or infrastructure investment.

What was a pivotal career moment?
Probably the biggest impact on my career was before it started. My Sliding Doors moment, when my life suddenly changed, was going on a schools exchange to Spain at the age of 14.

Much of my career since then – including working in Spain, Costa Rica, the US and the Dominican Republic – all ties back to that. That was what led to my involvement in emerging markets (and from there into arbitration) and what really got me into languages. Oh, and it is also what led to my wife and children… so just a bit of an impact!

What was the last thing a client asked you?
Which market is better: Chile, Mexico or Brazil? The answer is ‘it depends’, but they are all potentially very good markets.

What should companies be thinking about right now?
I think all companies have got to be looking right now at emerging markets and particularly – as it hasn’t got so much attention so far – at Latin America.

Arguments such as ‘it’s too far’, ‘it’s the wrong language’ or ‘it’s all sewn up by others’ just don’t hold water. Sao Paulo is closer on time zone to London for half the year than it is to New York, and Brazil is closer culturally to the UK than any of the other BRIC markets – plus, both the Brazilian and UK governments are actively seeking more trade and investment between the two countries. There is also a real move across most of Latin America to build better links with Europe and with the UK in particular.

Any final thoughts?
Brazil is set to overtake the UK to become the sixth biggest world economy by the end of this year. So, if you haven’t yet visited to see the opportunity for yourself, you need to do so!

Colin Johnson is based in London and can be contacted on +44 (0)207 728 2103 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). To find out more about our international services in South Asia and China, visit our Emerging Markets sector page. 

You might also find these posts useful:

* Interviews with our emerging markets experts
* UK needs to take risks to escape domestic comfort zone
* Read more posts on Brazil