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Ani Satchcroft was recently appointed Head of Infrastructure Investment in the Real Assets division of Macquarie Asset Management in Australia. It is the next step in an international career that has spanned almost two decades.
When Ani Satchcroft re-joined Macquarie in Sydney in 2016 to help grow digital infrastructure investments for Macquarie Asset Management, she already had a decade of international experience. In 2022, she was appointed Head of Infrastructure Investment in the Real Assets division of Macquarie Asset Management in Australia, and said she was drawn to the sector because it offers the opportunity to be part of something bigger.
“Working in infrastructure can have a long-lasting impact on the community because you’re contributing to improving the framework of societies,” Ani says. “I also love being a part of companies’ growth journeys."
I’m curious, I like learning and doing new things. To me, finance can be a very creative industry."
Ani believes Macquarie is a good fit for her mindset because people are always open to tackling new or difficult problems.
“Running at complexity means you get a lot of setbacks and in any transaction there are hundreds of times we could give up because it's too hard,” she says. “I love working with my team to overcome these challenges and finding out what their unique perspective may be.”
Ani enjoys the 'buzz' of working in large, highly motivated teams with different people and embraces enthusiasm and positivity to motivate her team.
“My leadership style may be different to a lot of my peers, but I’ve become comfortable with that and actually leant into it in the past few years,” she explains.
“I enjoy hearing varied perspectives and working out where solutions to problems can come from, because some of our plans have come from very unusual places,” Ani says.
Ani became set on a career in finance, and specifically infrastructure, while studying at university and completing an internship in Macquarie's infrastructure team in Sydney.
After graduating in 2005, she spent several years in London working for a law firm as well as in infrastructure for European and US-based financial services firms on European infrastructure deals. She also rounded out her skillset with an MBA from Harvard.
In 2013, after almost a decade abroad, Ani transferred home to Australia. The arrival of triplets put her in uncharted territory, and she chose to take a career break. One year after having her children, she joined an investment manager focused on listed infrastructure companies. However, Ani quickly discovered she missed working in deal teams and looked for new opportunities.
Being familiar with Macquarie’s entrepreneurial culture from her time as an intern, Ani says Macquarie was her number one choice. In 2016, she applied for a role in Macquarie Private Markets, in the Real Assets division.
“I wanted to be part of a global company, and working in the global head office means that you are at the centre of decision making,” she says.
“When I started in 2016, Macquarie’s infrastructure team was re-building in the Australian market,” Ani says. “I was able to help carve a path into the emerging field of digital infrastructure, so in many ways my role was a blank sheet of paper.”
Macquarie gives people freedom and encouragement to grow and achieve for themselves and the organisation."
Ani joined as an associate director, before being promoted to division director, then senior managing director, and most recently Head of the Infrastructure Investment team in the Real Assets Division of Macquarie Asset Management.
Over these six years she led many landmark deals, including the A$7.9 billion acquisition of VicRoads, the A$4.6 billion acquisition of Vocus Group, the A$3.0 billion acquisition of AirTrunk and the A$3.6 billion divestment of Axicom.
“We’ve had a front seat in shaping the digital infrastructure sector across Australia and New Zealand,” Ani says.
“Digital infrastructure is full of disruption and opportunities, and you’re always exposed to different ways of thinking. There’s been no precedent for some of the investments, which keeps it interesting and exciting.”
In 2022, Ani was appointed Head of Infrastructure Investment for Australia, which sees her lead infrastructure in the Real Assets division of Macquarie Asset Management, in what she describes as a great opportunity to continue to grow the business in new and innovative ways.
“I like that Macquarie is a dynamic organisation that reinvents itself,” she says. “You need to take each day as it comes. But if you focus on doing a good job, great opportunities are always there.”
Ani says she’s always enjoyed the variety of work at Macquarie.
“With a potential new investment the team and I may be analysing the macro trends and opportunities for us to make investments, conducting financial and legal analysis, or going out and talking to industry or operational experts, CEOs and CFOs.”
Ani also works with multi-disciplinary teams on creating business plans and pulling together bids, alongside transition work around management plans and ongoing asset management. This sees her sit on boards of several of Macquarie Asset Management’s companies. At the end of an asset’s investment cycle, she’s also involved in planning for sale and divestment.
Ani says Macquarie embraces the concept of bringing your whole self to work.
“I’ve observed many positive changes around parental leave, especially for secondary carers, including the recent enhancement to our parental leave policy,” Ani says.
She says there’s a focus on inclusion with her team coming from a variety of cultural, age and operating backgrounds.
“It’s an open environment and people are confident to talk about how they’re feeling at work,” Ani says.
She credits her family as huge supporters of her career, but also her managers.
“I’ve had some really great bosses over the years,” Ani says. “It's important to have people who know you well and push you out of your comfort zone.”
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