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Alastair King
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Sterling uses James Hardie fibre cement boards which are slotted together in a modular fashion and are then, after wiring and ducting, grouted with ready mix cement.

The finish is good – there is no need for plaster – and the walls are robust and durable. The technology has been successfully used in the Philippines, the Middle East and now in India.

Is your role in your projects limited only to investing or are you actively involved beyond that?

Our role is that of a value-added financial investor. We protect our shareholders’ interests in our investments through certain rights in our shareholder agreements. We also give the benefit of our expertise to our investee companies and sit on various boards.

Do you have a mechanism to check/ensure that the projects you have invested in are on the right track?

This is done through a Board overview and other checks and balances such as internal auditors. We are represented on the boards of investee companies.

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COMMENT Comment on this article

With huge funds required to build the country’s infrastructure, investment firms like yours will be playing a key role. Please comment. Also, in the wake of the recent terrorist attacks, do you think India will continue to remain attractive to investors?

We are proud to be part of an exciting story – helping to put in place the infrastructure that will transform and modernise India in the 21st century.

As for the recent attacks on Mumbai, they make absolutely no difference to the Indian investment story. Many cities around the world have experience similar events. For Eredene the message is simple: it’s business as usual.

Eredene’s latest investment

The group has committed up to £5 million for an initial 85% equity stake in a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for a new container freight station (CFS) at Ennore port, Tamil Nadu.

The investment is a joint venture with the Sattva Business Group. The land will be purchased in phases, with an initial acquisition of around 35 acres.

The site will be developed initially as a large-scale warehousing operation and will be converted into a full-fledged CFS for the opening of the new Ennore Container Terminal scheduled for 2011.

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