The fall of the Berlin Wall and the thawing of the Cold War marked the start of a brave new world for central and eastern Europe as it raced to bridge the economic gap between east and west.

The creation of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) aimed to give it a helping hand and, since 1991, it has invested more than €130 billion in more than 5,200 projects.

Josh Van der Ploeg joined the EBRD from the Firm in 2017 and is now a Principal Counsel, advising the bank on investments across its countries of operations, with a particular focus on debt and equity capital markets investments and a country focus on Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He explains: “I have a lot to thank the Firm for because, as well as enjoying my time at White & Case and learning so much, you invested so much in my personal development.

“In fact, it was a secondment from White & Case to the African Development Bank that showed me this was the type of work I wanted to do in my career going forward.

“That secondment provided me with an invaluable insight into the mission of the organisation, the culture and the people who worked there.

“It is an incredibly rewarding experience to see the impact of my work and how the bank’s investments are making a difference in people’s lives.”

Josh grew up and was educated in the United States. He started his legal career in London and joined the Firm in 2012 in the Capital Markets team.

He says: “The Firm was the natural choice for me, because it has a reputation as a global firm and that’s exactly what it is. On top of that, it has a big footprint in emerging markets.

“For me, when it comes to law firms, White & Case is as good as it gets.”

During his five years with the Firm, Josh worked most closely with partners including OEP Melissa Butler, Ian Clark, Stuart Matty and Francis Fitzherbert-Brockholes.

He says: “Looking back at my time at White & Case I was given many opportunities that laid the foundation for my current role.

“Melissa was a mentor and big influence on my development and I keep in touch with her and several others at the Firm.

“EBRD engages the Firm quite often in its offices around the world, mainly because of its expertise, great record for cross-border work and experience in emerging markets.

Josh’s work at EBRD is on the operations side, giving legal advice and agreeing documentation and terms on banking and capital markets transactions in the bank’s countries of operation.

He advises on both debt and equity investments made by EBRD.

Josh says: “EBRD’s bond investments often include taking an anchor stake of a public bond issuance, but there are occasions where we are the sole investor on private placements.

“Unlike regular corporate investors, our investment comes with very specific requirements as to the use of proceeds, typically green investments, causes that promote gender equity, lending to small and medium size enterprises and economic development projects.

“On the equity side, we take minority stakes in companies with the intention of being a long-term investor with close involvement in the company’s corporate governance, so we can support them going forward.

“The nature of our mandate means that we aim to avoid crowding out private investment, but rather to do deals that the private sector can’t do on its own due to the higher risks involved.

“For instance, many of the bond issuances we invest in wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the bank’s involvement and, if they had, they would have been on less favorable terms for the bond issuer.

“So, in effect, the EBRD helps make investments that we believe will have a positive impact on economic development more broadly.”