Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC, the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure and locations in the United States, today announced the appointment of Eve Bernèche to its Board of Directors. Ms. Bernèche currently serves as Senior Director of Infrastructure at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec ("CDPQ"), a global institutional investor which became a shareholder in Vertical Bridge in 2019.
"We're thrilled to welcome Eve to Vertical Bridge as a member of our Board. She brings a deep understanding of telecommunications infrastructure and a proven track record of helping create and drive successful growth strategies," said Alex Gellman, CEO and Co-Founder of Vertical Bridge. "We look forward to having her perspective on our Board as we continue to expand and are grateful to CDPQ for their continued support."
Ms. Bernèche joined CDPQ's Infrastructure group in November 2015 and has identified, executed and supported numerous opportunities for the investment group across the global infrastructure space. She maintains a hands-on relationship with her investments, providing financial and operational support as needed. Ms. Bernèche also sits on the Board of Directors for Student Transportation of America and Invenergy Renewables.
"This is an incredibly exciting time to be in telecommunications infrastructure as the wireless sector continues to quickly evolve. As a private company at scale and with permanent capital, Vertical Bridge is well-positioned to capitalize on these changes," said Ms. Bernèche. "It is an honor to join the Board, and I look forward to helping the Company build on its past success as it continues to grow and meet the ever-changing needs of its wireless, broadcast, real estate and other customers."
Prior to joining CDPQ, Ms. Bernèche was Corporate Controller at iPerceptions, a Voice of Customer (VoC) data analytics firm which was bought by Astute, Inc. Earlier in her career, she served as Manager of Special Projects at Domtar, a leading provider of fiber-based products including pulp, paper and personal care products, as well as Manager of Mergers and Acquisitions at SNC-Lavalin, a global, fully-integrated professional services and project management company. Ms. Bernèche began her career at KPMG LLP, where she worked in both the audit and transaction advisory practices. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Graduate Diploma in Accounting from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University and is a Certified Public Accountant.
Ms. Bernèche is the second executive from CDPQ to join Vertical Bridge's Board of Directors and will serve alongside Renaud Faucher, Managing Director, Infrastructure, North America at CDPQ. Her appointment caps a year of significant progress and growth for the Company, which despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, advanced its U.S.-focused macro tower strategy with several transactions. In October, Vertical Bridge reached the initial closing of its acquisition of more than 350 broadcast towers from Cumulus Media, and in November, the Company acquired Eco-Site, adding nearly 600 newly-built, high-capacity broadband towers to its portfolio. For both transactions, Vertical Bridge utilized additional equity it received from CDPQ. With these acquisitions, the nation's largest private tower company now boasts a portfolio of 290,000 sites in support of wireless network deployments, including over 20,000 owned and master-leased towers.
Vertical Bridge also announced a number of industry firsts this year, including the first securitization of an esoteric asset following the temporary shutdown of the ABS market due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company also became the first telecommunications tower business in the world to reach net-zero emissions, having received its certification as CarbonNeutral® this past May.
About Vertical Bridge
Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC is the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure and locations in the United States. The Company owns, operates and master leases over 290,000 tower, rooftop, billboard, utility attachment and other site locations in support of wireless network deployments. Based in Boca Raton, Florida, Vertical Bridge was founded in 2014 by key executives from Digital Bridge Holdings, LLC (now part of Digital Colony) and former senior officers of Global Tower Partners. The senior management team at Vertical Bridge has over 250 years of collective experience in tower infrastructure and related sectors. For more information, please visit www.verticalbridge.com.
