Pierre Nicoli has learned a lot during his time in banking, and is keen to keep using that knowledge – only not in a bank, and not surrounded by bankers.

Nicoli left BNP Paribas on September 11 after a decade working for the French bank, where he was London-based head of infrastructure for Europe and co-head of the combined European energy and infrastructure group. Within days he'd set up Napoleon Infrastructure Capital, a capital markets and advisory firm focused on the infrastructure sector.