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Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche
Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche
Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche
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Rebecca P. Mark-Jusbasche (born August 13, 1954, Kirksville, Missouri), known during her international business career as Rebecca Mark, is the former head of Enron International, a subsidiary of Enron. She was also CEO of Azurix Corp., a publicly traded water services company originally developed by Enron International.[1] Mark was promoted to Vice Chairman of Enron in 1998 and was a member of its board of directors.[2] She resigned from Enron in August 2000.[3]

Since leaving Enron in 2000, she has been focused on water, energy technology, and agricultural projects.

Personal life

[edit]

Mark was born Rebecca Sue Pulliam in Kirksville, Missouri, and grew up on a pig farm.[4][5] She attended William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, for two years. She then transferred to Baylor University in Waco, Texas,[6] where she received a BA in psychology in 1976,[7] and a master's degree in International Management in 1977.[7]

Mark began her career in Houston, Texas, at First City National Bank.[6] She married Thomas Mark, and had twin sons, but the couple later divorced.[6][8][9] In 1982, she joined an energy company called Continental Resources, which eventually became part of Enron.[6] In 1988, Mark entered Harvard Business School while working part-time for Enron, and received an MBA in 1990.[10][7]

Mark married Michael Jusbasche in October 1999, and hyphenated her name to Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche.[6] She has twin sons born ca.1986 to her brief first marriage,[6] and after her second marriage in 1999, she adopted a two-year-old boy from Kazakhstan.[4]

Career at Enron

[edit]

Mark started in a finance position for Enron's predecessor company's pipeline businesses in 1982.[11] By 1986 she joined a small group within Enron developing cogeneration and independent power plants using natural gas.[11][12] After a two-year stint working part-time for Enron while attending Harvard Business School, she returned to Houston and became head of the newly formed Enron Development Corp.

As Enron grew, Mark was responsible for its global power and pipeline assets outside of North America.[4][10][11] Enron Development Corp. became Enron International in 1993,[13] and Mark became Enron International's CEO in 1996,[14] developing and operating power and pipeline assets around the globe and greatly expanding Enron's global portfolio.[15]

In the late 1990s, conflict surrounding the company’s ideologies occurred amongst senior leadership and Mark’s sector of the business dissolved.[16][17][10] The board eventually saw Mark's utility asset businesses as a drag on the company's return potential, and sought to further expand Enron's financial trading businesses while selling off its assets.[18][19][17]

In 1998, Mark left Enron to form an international water company, Azurix, starting with the purchase of its main asset, British water utility Wessex Water. Azurix went public with an IPO in June 1999 but Enron remained a key stakeholder.[20][21] According to Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind, authors of The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron, with Azurix barely off the ground, Enron quickly "sucked out over $1 billion in cash while loading it up with debt."[20] In August 2000, after Azurix stock took a plunge following its earnings report,[22] Mark resigned from Azurix and Enron.[23][17] Azurix assets, including Wessex, were eventually sold by Enron.[24]

In 1998 and 1999, Mark was listed as one of Fortune's "50 Most Powerful Women" in American business.[25][26]

After Enron

[edit]

Mark's exit from Enron in August 2000 was at a fortunate time, when Enron's stock was at its peak;[27] she sold her stock for $82.5 million[6] long before the company collapsed in 2001. She was never accused of wrongdoing in the ensuing series of scandals and prosecutions.[28][4]

Since 2000, she has been president of Resource Development Partners, which invests in water, energy technology, and agricultural projects, including Dredgit Corporation, which specializes in marine dredging and public and private de-watering.[29] She has been Chairman of Dredgit Corporation since 2013.[30][31][32]

She owns and operates cattle ranches in New Mexico and Colorado,[33] raising organic produce, grass-fed beef, and horses.[34] She serves on the board of the Hermann Park Conservancy in Houston.[35]

References

[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche

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Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche is an American business executive with over three decades of experience in infrastructure development, most notably as chairman and of International, where she spearheaded global and projects, and as founder and CEO of Azurix Corp., 's publicly traded water services subsidiary launched via a 1999 . Known among colleagues as "Mark the Shark" for her tenacious negotiating style, she rose to become one of 's highest-ranking female leaders, overseeing ventures like the controversial in , which faced political opposition and financial underperformance despite initial ambitions for power generation and liquefaction infrastructure. Azurix encountered significant setbacks, including a failed bid for a major water utility and subsequent stock decline, prompting her resignation in August 2000 after internal conflicts, particularly with then-president ; the subsidiary's struggles highlighted risks in aggressive strategies but were not linked to the accounting fraud that precipitated 's 2001 bankruptcy, in which Mark-Jusbasche was never implicated or charged. Since departing , she has operated as an independent investment professional, serving as president of Resource Development Partners and focusing on sustainable opportunities in , , and .

Early Life and Education

Family Background and Upbringing

Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche was born Rebecca Sue Pulliam in August 1954 in . Her parents operated a , where she grew up performing manual labor including mucking out pig stalls alongside family members. This rural Midwestern environment involved hands-on involvement in agricultural tasks from a young age, shaping her early experiences in a small-town farming community.

Academic and Early Professional Training

Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche attended in , for two years following high school. She then transferred to in , earning a in psychology and a Master in International Management focused on psychology and international business between 1974 and 1977. In 1988, she entered while balancing family responsibilities, completing a with distinction in 1990. Her early professional experience began at First City National Bank in , , providing training in banking operations. She later transitioned to , an energy company that was acquired and integrated into . By 1982, Mark had joined the treasury department of the predecessor entity that formally became in 1985, gaining initial exposure to energy sector finance.

Career at Enron

Entry and Initial Roles

Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche entered the energy sector in 1982 by joining the treasury department of a natural gas company that later became part of following its 1985 formation from the merger of Houston Natural Gas and InterNorth. Her initial roles involved finance positions supporting operations and early projects for Enron's predecessor entities. From 1982 to 1992, she advanced through various treasury and responsibilities, handling funding and financial structuring for pipelines as well as nascent and independent power initiatives powered by . By early 1985, while in the treasury department at —a pipeline outfit integrated into Enron's operations—she secured a pivotal opportunity that propelled her involvement in emerging power development efforts. These early positions laid the groundwork for her shift toward international financing, emphasizing structured deals in deregulating markets.

Rise to Leadership in International Operations

Mark assumed leadership of 's international project development efforts in 1991, heading Enron Development Corporation, which focused on constructing and operating power plants and infrastructure abroad. This role positioned her to drive the company's expansion beyond , leveraging to recognize future revenues from long-term contracts upfront. Under her direction, the division secured a 50% stake in the $1.2 billion plant in , a 1,875-megawatt facility that opened in 1993 and yielded net profits exceeding $200 million. Her tenure saw aggressive pursuit of deals in emerging markets, including over $700 million in Brazilian investments such as the $450 million, 480-megawatt Cuiabá power plant and stakes in gas utilities in Rio de Janeiro state, alongside participation in the $2.1 billion, 1,925-mile Bolivia-to-Brazil natural gas pipeline completed in 1996. Mark also spearheaded the Dabhol power project in India, initially valued at $1.1 billion for its first phase but later expanded to a $2.5 billion, 2,450-megawatt endeavor following renegotiations with local authorities. These initiatives built a project backlog of $20 billion from zero, demonstrating her ability to navigate complex regulatory and financial environments in developing economies. By 1997, Enron International generated $1.1 billion in sales on just 2% of the parent company's revenue base, accounting for 17% of Enron's $1.3 billion in operating profits, with projections for $350 million in unit earnings by 2000. This performance underscored the viability of her asset-light model, which emphasized equity stakes and financing to minimize capital outlays while booking projected cash flows. Her success in scaling international operations led to her elevation as chairman and chief executive of Enron International, followed by promotion to vice chairman of Enron Corporation in May 1998, placing her among the firm's top executives alongside Chairman .

Development of Global Infrastructure Projects

As chairman and CEO of Enron International from 1996, Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche oversaw the division's expansion into emerging markets, focusing on power generation, pipelines, and transmission infrastructure to capitalize on deregulating energy sectors worldwide. Under her leadership, Enron committed over $7 billion to international projects by 2001, with investments exceeding $3 billion in and $1 billion in , emphasizing build-own-operate models that promised long-term revenue from asset-backed financing. A flagship initiative was the Dabhol Power Company in Maharashtra, India, a $3 billion liquefied natural gas-fired plant initially agreed in 1992 but revived by Mark in 1995 through negotiations with local political leaders, including Shiv Sena head Bal Thackeray. The project, structured as a joint venture with General Electric and Bechtel, aimed for 2,184 megawatts capacity in phases, with Phase I operational by 1999, but encountered delays from fuel supply issues and tariff disputes with the state electricity board. Mark defended the deal as pioneering foreign investment in India's power sector amid regulatory risks, securing U.S. Export-Import Bank guarantees for up to 50% of costs. In , Mark drove 's Brazilian portfolio, including a $2 billion, 1,870-mile from to São Paulo's industrial region, completed in segments starting 1997 to supply growing demand. Additional commitments encompassed over $700 million in power and distribution assets, such as a $450 million, 480-megawatt gas-fired plant, leveraging privatization auctions to acquire stakes in utilities like , serving 1.3 million customers by 1999. These ventures relied on aggressive bidding and political , with gaining controlling interests to export U.S. technology while booking projected future cash flows under . Mark's strategy prioritized high-growth regions with infrastructure deficits, often involving public-private partnerships backed by multilateral lenders, though critics later highlighted overoptimistic revenue assumptions amid currency volatility and regulatory hurdles. By 2000, Enron International had operational assets in over a dozen countries, contributing to the company's reported international growth from $100 million in 1996 to over $1 billion annually, though actual cash flows lagged due to construction overruns and contract renegotiations.

Azurix and Water Privatization Efforts

Formation and IPO of Azurix

Azurix Corporation was established in 1998 by Enron Corporation as a subsidiary specializing in water and wastewater services on a global scale, with Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche appointed as its chairman and chief executive officer. The entity was created to pursue opportunities in the privatization and management of water utilities, building on Enron's infrastructure project experience. Its inaugural significant asset acquisition was the British regional water company Wessex Water, secured in a transaction that positioned Azurix for entry into regulated markets. In March 1999, announced plans for Azurix's , targeting to raise up to $750 million through the sale of shares, with Azurix retaining about $350 million of the proceeds after expenses for corporate purposes. The IPO proceeded in June 1999 on the under the ticker symbol AZX, pricing 36.6 million shares at $19 each and generating gross proceeds of approximately $696 million. maintained majority ownership post-offering, retaining strategic control while allowing Azurix to access public capital markets for expansion.

Major International Water Deals

Azurix, led by CEO Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche, initiated its international expansion with the acquisition of , a British utility serving approximately 1.5 million customers in southwest , in October 1998 for £1.4 billion (approximately $2.4 billion at the time). This purchase, funded partly through Enron's backing, provided Azurix with an established operational base in a regulated European market and served as the core asset for its in June 1999. The deal positioned Azurix to leverage Wessex's infrastructure for and potable water distribution while pursuing growth in privatized utilities. In a bid to enter emerging markets, Azurix secured a 30-year concession in 1999 to provide water and sewage services in , , covering about 2 million residents across 80 municipalities. The company, through its subsidiary Azurix Buenos Aires S.A., invested approximately $439 million upfront as part of the agreement, which required expanding service coverage, improving , and reducing losses in a system previously managed by the state-owned de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. This contract, awarded after a competitive process under Argentina's 1996 privatization law, represented Azurix's largest foray into and aimed to demonstrate scalable models in developing economies. Mark-Jusbasche highlighted the deal's potential for efficiency gains through private management, though it later sparked regulatory disputes.

Operational Results and Strategic Shifts

Azurix encountered significant operational challenges in its primary concessions, particularly in , , where it secured a 30-year water and concession in May 1999 but struggled with underinvestment in infrastructure, leading to issues such as blooms in reservoirs due to faulty filtering systems. The company failed to achieve projected s, hampered by disputes and regulatory delays, resulting in consistently poor operating performance. In contrast, its acquisition of in the UK for $2.8 billion in 1999 showed relative stability, with the subsidiary posting a 6% decline in early assessments that exceeded regulatory expectations, though overall integration costs and currency fluctuations eroded gains. Financially, these operational shortfalls manifested in declining performance metrics, including a drop in second-quarter 2000 and negative foreign currency translation adjustments, which contributed to Azurix's stock price falling below $10 per share by mid-2000 from its June 1999 IPO price of $19. Enron recorded a $326 million charge against fourth-quarter 2000 earnings attributable to Azurix impairments, reflecting broader asset devaluation amid unmet profit targets. These results prompted Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche's resignation as Azurix CEO and Enron board member on August 25, 2000, amid the subsidiary's financial instability and failed attempts to pivot strategies toward cost efficiencies and tariff renegotiations. In response, Enron initiated a strategic retrenchment by agreeing in December 2000 to repurchase Azurix shares at $8.375 each—approximately half the IPO price—and fully acquire the company for around $325 million, taking it private by early 2001 to facilitate asset divestitures rather than continued public expansion. This shift marked a departure from Azurix's initial aggressive model, prioritizing liquidity extraction through sales like the eventual £1.24 billion ($1.8 billion) disposal of in 2002, which provided recovery but underscored the venture's overall underperformance relative to initial projections.

Controversies and Criticisms

Challenges in High-Profile Projects

One of Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche's most prominent initiatives was the Power Project in , , a 2,184-megawatt gas-fired plant developed by Enron's subsidiary starting in the early , with Mark playing a key role in reviving and negotiating the deal in 1996 after initial setbacks. The project encountered severe political and social opposition from inception, including protests by local villagers over land acquisition, from construction in ecologically sensitive areas, and allegations of inadequate compensation and displacement without . Legal challenges persisted through 1997, with Indian courts dismissing suits but failing to quell public resistance, exacerbated by claims of in the power purchase agreement that locked in high tariffs—reportedly up to 20 cents per , among the world's highest—burdening state utilities with unsustainable costs. Partial operations began in 1999, but the plant shut down in June 2001 amid payment disputes with the following a change in state government, resulting in writing down $1 billion in assets and contributing to the company's broader financial strain. Azurix, the water privatization firm Mark chaired and led as CEO from its 1998 formation, faced analogous difficulties in its 1999 concession for , , where it acquired rights to serve 1.2 million customers under a 30-year promising $1.6 billion in investments for upgrades. Operational challenges emerged rapidly, including prolonged service interruptions, elevated contaminant levels such as exceeding regulatory limits due to unaddressed legacy , and failure to achieve targeted expansions in water connections amid disputes over the province's incomplete handover of assets. The low winning bid—criticized for underestimating costs—strained finances, leading to fines from regulators for non-compliance and public backlash over hikes and , culminating in the province terminating the in 2002 after Azurix's subsidiary ABA invested only a fraction of promised funds. Azurix pursued under ICSID, securing a partial of $165 million in 2006 for breaches including indirect expropriation, but the venture's failure contributed to Azurix's stock declining over 90% from its 1999 IPO peak and Mark's resignation in August 2000. These projects highlighted systemic risks in Mark's global pursuits, including underestimation of regulatory , local political volatility, and the gap between aggressive mark-to-market valuations—such as Azurix's projected $5 billion in future revenues—and actual cash flows hampered by economic downturns like Argentina's 2001 crisis. Former executives attributed issues to overly optimistic forecasts that masked operational hurdles, with Enron's international division, under Mark, booking billions in unmaterialized profits that later required massive impairments. While privatization advocates argued such ventures spurred initial investments, critics pointed to causal factors like weak host-country institutions and Enron's reliance on opaque financing, which amplified failures when external shocks hit, as evidenced by Dabhol's abandonment and Azurix's asset writedowns totaling hundreds of millions.

Accusations of Overvaluation and Risk Management

Critics accused Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche of contributing to the overvaluation of Azurix assets through aggressive profit projections that relied heavily on Enron's practices. As CEO of Azurix, she publicly stated that the company could achieve returns exceeding 15 percent, doubling the water industry's average of 10 percent, projections former Azurix executives described as grandiose and detached from operational realities. Under rules approved by , Azurix booked estimated future profits from long-term contracts immediately upon signing, inflating reported earnings despite uncertain cash flows and regulatory hurdles in international markets. These practices masked underlying risks, including overpayments for acquisitions that exceeded internal valuations. For instance, Azurix's $439 million bid for the Buenos Aires water concession in 1999 outstripped its own assessed value by $120 million, prioritizing deal momentum over prudent pricing amid political and economic instability in . Enron further obscured Azurix's debt through entities, such as the Marlin Water Trust, which carried $915 million in obligations not fully reflected in , exacerbating exposure to currency fluctuations and contract disputes. By December 2000, Enron agreed to repurchase Azurix shares at $8.375 each—less than half the $19 IPO price from June 1999—signaling investor disillusionment with the unit's performance. Risk management shortcomings were highlighted in Azurix's to transition from deal-making to sustainable operations, with ventures like the Water2Water.com platform proving unviable due to inadequate on market demand and challenges. Former executives attributed these issues to a culture of , where competitive pressures—such as Mark-Jusbasche's rivalry with Enron's —drove optimistic modeling over conservative forecasting, foreshadowing broader vulnerabilities. Despite these criticisms, Mark-Jusbasche faced no formal charges of misconduct, and defenders noted that Azurix's struggles reflected industry-wide risks rather than isolated mismanagement.

Impact on Stakeholders and Broader Enron Context

Azurix's operational shortfalls and stock depreciation inflicted substantial losses on investors, with shares plummeting from $22 at the June 1999 —raising approximately $800 million—to around $8 by late 2000, erasing over $1 billion in . Enron absorbed related charges, including a $326 million fourth-quarter 2000 writedown on its Azurix stake and a subsequent $287 million asset impairment, which strained the parent's and foreshadowed broader financial strains. Local stakeholders in Azurix's concessions faced disrupted services and elevated costs due to aggressive bidding and execution failures; for instance, the Buenos Aires contract suffered from mismanagement, including mismatched operational expertise, leading to unmet commitments and hikes that drew public opposition. Similar issues in the $439 million acquisition of UK's contributed to regulatory scrutiny and forced asset sales, underscoring privatization risks like inadequate investment follow-through. In the wider Enron framework, Mark-Jusbasche's ventures embodied the firm's high-stakes global expansion, where mark-to-market practices booked anticipated profits from unproven assets—such as Azurix's projected $2 billion debt-fueled growth—masking $1 billion in hidden liabilities and fostering a culture of overoptimism that eroded credibility when realities surfaced. Her August 2000 resignation, timed amid Azurix's earnings collapse, allowed personal gains of $81 million from selling 1.8 million Enron shares, though she later paid $5.2 million in a 2005 shareholder settlement. These dynamics amplified Enron's diversification pitfalls, diverting capital from core energy trading into speculative infrastructure, which intensified vulnerabilities during the 2001 unraveling of off-balance-sheet entities and accounting irregularities.

Post-Enron Life and Ventures

Resignation and Immediate Aftermath

On August 25, 2000, Rebecca Mark resigned as chairman and of Azurix Corp., Enron's , amid a sharp decline in the company's stock price following a disappointing second-quarter earnings report that revealed lower-than-expected revenue and increased debt. The resignation was announced simultaneously by Azurix and , with Enron's leadership acknowledging Mark's contributions to global infrastructure deals but noting the need for new strategic direction at Azurix due to its underperformance. Mark also stepped down from Enron's , where Enron retained a controlling stake in Azurix, severing her formal ties to the parent company approximately 16 months before Enron's bankruptcy filing. John L. Garrison, Azurix's president and chief operating officer, was appointed as interim chairman and CEO to stabilize operations and pursue asset sales or restructuring amid mounting financial pressures, including regulatory hurdles in key markets like the UK and Argentina. Enron executives, including CEO Kenneth Lay, expressed support for Mark's past achievements in international projects but highlighted frustrations over Azurix's failure to meet growth targets, which had contributed to investor skepticism and a stock value drop to about one-third of its 1999 IPO level. In the weeks following her departure, Mark transitioned to private life in , focusing on family responsibilities after selling significant Azurix shares earlier in 2000, which yielded substantial personal gains prior to the unit's further decline. Former colleagues described her exit as amicable in tone but driven by internal dynamics, including competition with figures like , though she avoided entanglement in Enron's subsequent accounting scandals. Azurix's challenges intensified post-resignation, leading to eventual asset divestitures and Enron's writedown of its investment, but Mark maintained a low public profile initially, prioritizing personal matters over immediate business pursuits.

Subsequent Business and Investment Activities

Following her resignation from Enron in August 2000, Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche transitioned to independent , concentrating on ventures in , , and agricultural projects oriented toward . This shift aligned with her prior expertise in resource development, though on a smaller scale than her Enron-era initiatives, emphasizing private equity-style investments rather than large-scale corporate expansions. Mark-Jusbasche has maintained a low public profile in these activities, with no major disclosed deals or public companies associated post-2000, but reports indicate ongoing involvement in ranching operations near , reflecting practical agricultural investments. Her focus remains on sectors requiring capital-intensive infrastructure, such as technologies and water resource management, consistent with global trends toward amid resource scarcity. These pursuits have avoided the aggressive leverage and practices that characterized her tenure, prioritizing long-term viability over short-term .

Personal and Professional Transition

Following her resignation from Azurix in August 2000, amid the company's mounting financial difficulties and stock price decline, Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche shifted away from corporate leadership roles in large-scale infrastructure projects. This departure preceded Enron's filing in December 2001 by over a year, during which she had sold her Enron shares for approximately $80 million, avoiding the legal entanglements faced by other executives. Unlike figures such as and , who were convicted on fraud charges, Mark-Jusbasche faced no criminal prosecution related to Enron's collapse, attributing her exit to strategic timing rather than implication in accounting irregularities. On the personal front, Mark-Jusbasche, who had divorced her first husband Thomas Mark and raised twin sons born in the early , married Michael Jusbasche, a Bolivian-born businessman, in late October 1999. By early 2002, she had relocated from a Houston Country Club-adjacent residence to a larger home in the city's River Oaks neighborhood, emphasizing family priorities over professional ambitions—a phase she described as "doing the mom thing." This transition aligned with a broader retreat from public scrutiny, as she divided her time among properties in , a home in , and a near , fostering a low-profile lifestyle centered on personal stability. Professionally, Mark-Jusbasche pivoted to independent , leveraging over three decades of experience in infrastructure development without re-entering high-visibility executive positions. Her activities post-2000 appear limited to advisory or personal investment pursuits, including involvement in a 2014 Taos dispute—later dismissed by a —which centered on property transactions rather than operational ventures. This marked a departure from her earlier career trajectory, which included leading Development Corporation and Azurix's global initiatives, toward a more insular focus on selective, non-corporate opportunities.

Legacy and Assessments

Achievements in Promoting Privatization

As chairman and CEO of International from to , Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche oversaw the development of approximately $20 billion in gas and power infrastructure projects across 28 countries, many of which involved private-sector partnerships to or modernize state-controlled assets. These initiatives, often structured as build-operate-transfer (BOT) models, introduced into emerging markets' power sectors, where government monopolies had previously dominated generation and distribution. In 1991, she persuaded Chairman to establish Enron Development Corporation specifically for overseas expansion, marking an early push to apply U.S.-style and principles globally. Mark-Jusbasche's efforts extended to water infrastructure through Azurix Corporation, which she founded and led as CEO from 1998 to 2000. Azurix went public in June 1999, raising $500 million to pursue of municipal water systems, securing contracts such as the operational takeover of England's for $1.4 billion and bids in and . These moves positioned Azurix as a pioneer in commoditizing water services, advocating for private efficiency over public utilities amid growing global demand for infrastructure upgrades. Her influenced policy discussions on , as evidenced by International's role as India's largest foreign investor by the late 1990s, including the revival of the multibillion-dollar Dabhol power project in through renegotiated private concessions. While subsequent operational challenges arose, these projects demonstrated private capital's potential to accelerate development in sectors resistant to reform, amassing over $1.1 billion in international revenue for by 1997.

Critiques and Lessons from Project Outcomes

The in , revived by Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche in after initial setbacks, drew critiques for opaque negotiations, elevated costs exceeding those of domestic alternatives by up to 20%, and insufficient transparency in deal structuring, which fueled local protests and allegations. Political shifts post-1995 elections in led to payment disputes with the state electricity board, as tariffs priced at around 7.03 rupees per unit proved unsustainable amid falling and excess capacity, culminating in the plant's 2001 shutdown and 's $1 billion write-down. These outcomes highlighted Enron International's tendency under Mark to prioritize deal closure over rigorous economic viability assessments, including flawed assumptions on power and stability. Azurix Corp., Mark's water privatization venture launched in 1996 and taken public in 1999, faced similar rebukes for overoptimistic projections and aggressive acquisitions, such as the $2.2 billion purchase of UK's , where regulatory caps prevented tariff hikes needed for profitability, driving stock from $21 to below $1 by 2001. Failed ancillary investments, like the Madera Ranch irrigation project, compounded losses due to underestimated operational complexities in markets, distinct from Enron's deregulated trading model. Critics attributed these to in scaling unproven models globally without accounting for localized regulatory and hydrological risks, contributing to Azurix's delisting and Mark's August 2000 resignation. Key lessons from these projects underscore the perils of "take-or-pay" contracts in volatile emerging markets, where surplus generation without assured demand imposes fiscal burdens, as seen in Dabhol's underutilization. They also reveal the necessity of embedding analysis and competitive bidding in deals to mitigate renegotiation hazards, rather than relying on high-level political endorsements that prove ephemeral. In and power sectors, outcomes emphasized distinguishing hype-driven valuations from sustainable cash flows, cautioning against exporting U.S.-centric aggressive to regulated utilities abroad, where opposition can derail projects lacking broad stakeholder buy-in. These failures informed broader scrutiny of pushes, stressing empirical and contingency planning over assumptive growth narratives.

Influence on Global Infrastructure Debates

Rebecca Mark-Jusbasche, as CEO of International from 1996 to 2000, spearheaded the development of over $30 billion in global projects, primarily in power generation and water services in emerging markets such as , , and the , advocating for private-sector involvement to address chronic underinvestment in public utilities. Her strategy emphasized build-operate-transfer (BOT) models and public-private partnerships (PPPs), positioning as a pioneer in exporting U.S.-style and to nations with inefficient state-owned enterprises, which influenced early to discussions on leveraging for gaps estimated at $1 trillion annually in developing countries. The Power Project in , —a $2.9 billion, 2,184-megawatt gas-fired plant initiated in 1992 under her oversight—exemplified her approach but became a flashpoint in debates over the viability of private megaprojects in politically volatile regions. Construction delays, escalating costs to over $3 billion by 2001, and a 2001 shutdown following a dispute over tariffs and fuel sourcing highlighted risks of currency devaluation, regulatory renegotiation, and , leading to awards exceeding $1 billion against in international forums. These events fueled global discourse on the need for robust insurance and enforceable contracts in PPPs, with analysts citing as a cautionary case that slowed foreign investment in India's power sector until reforms like the 2003 Electricity Act aimed to mitigate such hazards, though subsequent revivals in 2006 underscored potential for recovery with better governance. Through Azurix Corp., spun off from in 1998 with Mark-Jusbasche as CEO, she pursued globally, acquiring assets like the Buenos Aires concession in 1999 for $1.2 billion and targeting consolidation of fragmented utilities, which intensified debates on commodifying amid rising projections. Azurix's struggles, including a 60% stock drop by 2001 due to overvalued acquisitions, regulatory pushback in , and failure to meet performance targets, were leveraged by critics to argue against privatization's incentives for short-term gains over long-term , prompting reviews in bodies like the World Bank on balancing private efficiency with public accountability. Empirical analyses post-failure noted that while Azurix expanded access in some areas, systemic issues like tariff disputes echoed broader causal factors in privatization setbacks, such as inadequate upfront feasibility studies, rather than inherent flaws in private operation, influencing a pivot toward hybrid models in and by the mid-2000s. Her Enron-era pursuits contributed to a in infrastructure financing debates, accelerating the mainstreaming of and independent power producers (IPPs) while exposing overreliance on optimistic demand forecasts and , which Enron used to book $1 billion in projected future revenues from international assets by 1999. The 2001 Enron , amid revelations of inflated project valuations, eroded investor confidence, leading to heightened emphasis on transparency and disclosure in forums like the infrastructure initiatives launched post-2008, where lessons from Enron's ventures underscored the causal importance of aligned incentives between sponsors, governments, and financiers to avoid . Post-resignation in August 2000, her continued focus on and water investments reflected ongoing advocacy for private innovation, though without direct policy influence, her legacy persists in scholarly assessments prioritizing empirical contract enforcement over ideological aversion to markets.

References

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  26. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB1017166503476361520
  27. https://www.waterworld.com/home/article/16193297/enron-affiliate-expands-into-water-market
  28. https://www.iisd.org/itn/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/itn_july26_2006.pdf
  29. https://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1318&context=lbra
  30. http://opiniojuris.org/2006/08/01/case-of-the-month-azurix-v-argentina/
  31. https://www.iatp.org/news/azurix-the-final-curtain
  32. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp2/198/862/2513352/
  33. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB967217851579414764
  34. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/26/business/company-news-chief-quits-azurix-a-water-treatment-company.html
  35. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/16/business/enron-to-buy-back-a-stock-issue-at-half-what-public-paid.html
  36. https://www.wwdmag.com/home/news/10906303/azurix-gains-approval-for-wessex-water-sale
  37. https://www.hrw.org/report/1999/01/01/enron-corporation/corporate-complicity-human-rights-violations
  38. https://www.citizen.org/news/enrons-failure-in-water-ventures-highlights-dangers-of-privatization-to-consumers-taxpayers/
  39. https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/liquidassets.pdf
  40. https://www.iisd.org/itn/2009/09/28/ad-hoc-committee-confirms-argentina-is-on-the-hook-to-azurix-for-us165-million/
  41. https://jusmundi.com/fr/document/decision/en-azurix-corp-v-the-argentine-republic-i-award-friday-14th-july-2006
  42. https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Deep-Roots-of-Enron-Fall-Studied-7049768.php
  43. https://www.journalofaccountancy.com/issues/2002/apr/theriseandfallofenron/
  44. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/read/10135/chapter/3
  45. https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/hydro-power/dams-civil-structures/enron-pursues-asset-light-strategy/
  46. https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2002/02/12/insiders-raked-in-millions-as/50910845007/
  47. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2002/nov/05/corporatefraud.enron
  48. https://ucema.edu.ar/publicaciones/download/documentos/225.pdf
  49. https://enroncorp.com/corp/pressroom/releases/2000/ene/75-rebecca-mark
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  51. https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/how-enron-blew-it/
  52. https://publicintegrity.org/politics/enron-top-brass-accused-of-dumping-stock-were-big-political-donors/
  53. https://www.taosnews.com/news/judge-dismisses-case-against-ex-enron-exec-husband/article_4171c4e3-4a05-507c-964d-a9525d4f3fce.html
  54. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB967420999376584477
  55. https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/business-negotiations/power-failure/
  56. https://www.epw.in/journal/2001/05-06/editorials/lessons-dabhol.html
  57. https://edbodmer.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Dabhol_InfrastructureJournal12_2005.pdf
  58. https://www.shortform.com/blog/azurix-enron/
  59. https://www.transnational-dispute-management.com/article.asp?key=202
  60. https://www.power-eng.com/coal/dabhol-comeback-achieved/
  61. https://www.business-standard.com/article/economy-policy/seeking-revival-dabhol-embraces-a-brand-new-plan-115102801567_1.html
  62. https://www.iied.org/g00515
  63. https://archidev.org/IMG/pdf/debate_on_water_privatization.pdf
  64. https://www.wsj.com/podcasts/bad-bets/enron-ep-2-the-visionary/92811ef2-a178-47c3-a874-85592514f4cc
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