Macquarie Group last week announced the hiring of former United States senior government official David Agnew into its Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) division as Managing Director, Government Affairs.

Agnew previously served as White House Director of Intergovernmental Affairs and Deputy Assistant to President Barack Obama. Agnew is based in MIRA's New York City office.

Chris Leslie, Chief Executive Officer of Macquarie Infrastructure Partners and member of the MIRA North American Executive Committee, said:

"David's depth of expertise across the public and private sectors will be extremely valuable to MIRA given our investments in and development of U.S. infrastructure projects. His relationships with state and local leaders, together with his insights into the needs of communities throughout the country, will help us to continue strengthening our relationships with key elected officials across the country."

In his new role, Agnew will act as MIRA's liaison with federal, state and local governments, building on MIRA's existing presence in the marketplace while also exploring new investment opportunities.

In his previous role, Agnew was charged with overseeing the Obama Administration's relationship with state, city, county, and tribal officials across the country. He was instrumental in achieving cooperation among those sectors on Administration policies relating to the development and execution of significant transportation, housing and economic initiatives.

Prior to serving in the Obama administration, Agnew was founder and president of Civic Square LLC, a real estate development and consulting firm that specialized in creating innovative public-private partnerships (PPPs). Previously, he served as a top adviser to Charleston, SC Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. and as Special Assistant to the United States Secretary of Labor. Agnew began his career as a consultant with Price Waterhouse helping analyze PPPs at the local, state and federal levels.