At Partners Group, the Europe infrastructure team is being reinforced by Philip Butcher, Timm Degenhardt and Sarah Johnson.

With the new hires, the European infrastructure strategy is set to be further expanded, according to a statement on Friday. The company said it is focusing its direct infrastructure investments on building platforms across various sectors. The emphasis is on the mid-market segment, which, from the company’s perspective, offers investment opportunities in resilient businesses with value-creation potential as well as a broader transaction market for later exits.

Many years of experience

Butcher will begin in London in November as a managing director. He previously spent 15 years at the Canadian pension fund CPP Investments, where he rose to managing director of the infrastructure group and most recently led the global data center strategy. During his career, he has been involved in transactions in data centers, transportation and energy, among other areas, the company said.

Degenhardt will join the Zug office as a managing director in March 2027. He previously spent more than five years at OMERS Infrastructure, the infrastructure investment arm of the Canadian pension fund OMERS. There, as managing director, he was responsible for European portfolio companies. Before that, Degenhardt spent more than 25 years in industry and held several board and executive positions in the infrastructure sector, including as CEO of the German telecommunications company Tele Columbus.

Sarah Johnson joined Partners Group as Senior Lead Asset Manager as early as September 2026. The London-based manager moved from iCON Infrastructure, where she worked with management teams and boards on implementing measures to increase the value of portfolio companies. According to Partners Group, Johnson has 25 years of experience in infrastructure investments, energy and strategic consulting.

Direct infrastructure investment program completed

Most recently, Partners Group completed its largest-ever direct infrastructure investment program, with a volume of more than $15 billion. In total, the company’s infrastructure business manages $41 billion globally, spread across direct investments and secondary strategies.

Esther Peiner, Global Head of Infrastructure at Partners Group, described the three new hires as important reinforcements. Their experience in investment and asset management will be particularly useful in implementing the recently completed infrastructure program.