Chris is a Principal Associate in our Debt Finance team.
Chris specialises in diverse debt finance, handling secured and unsecured, bilateral or syndicated lending at both national and international levels.
He has extensive experience and prior roles in a top-tier Banking & Finance team in Cardiff and as in-house counsel at a leading financial services group.
Chris excels in acquisition and leveraged finance, navigating non-standard lending transactions with complex structures and security. He represents lenders (banks, private equity, or funds) or corporate borrowers, offering profound insights into insolvency scenarios, recovery strategies, and corporate banking transactions.
He has led on diverse corporate banking transactions, facilitated a multi-million revolving credit facility on a Loan Market Association basis. Offering expertise in intricate debt structures with senior and mezzanine debt, he is a vital contact for institutional lender and borrower clients, providing specialized banking advice to the broader corporate team.
Expertise
- Private equity and leveraged finance
- Corporate finance
- Development finance
- Real estate finance
- Restructuring and insolvency
Recent work
Welsh Rugby Regions
Advised the Welsh Rugby Regions (Cardiff, Scarlets, Ospreys and Newport) on the amendments to their facilities with the Welsh Rugby Union, as well as two new loan agreements to, and new security taken over, Scarlets Regional Limited and Cardiff Blues Limited.
Ooodles Finance Ltd
Advised Ooodles Finance Ltd in respect of EUR Secured Series A Bonds issued to The Lending Smart Fund 1. As part of the bond issuance, Ooodles Finance Ltd entered into an intragroup loan agreement and Ooodles Group Ltd granted various security over various assets and its shares in Ooodles Finance Ltd.
WestBridge
Advised WestBridge Fund III on the funding aspects for the acquisition of Tryzens Holdings Limited. This involved negotiating debt bridging loan notes and a senior facility provided by ThinCats, which included a senior term facility, an uncommitted accordion facility and super-senior revolving credit facility. This transaction involved the accession of an Australian subsidiary. We were actively involved on the Australian cross-jurisdictional elements in the transaction especially in relation to financial assistance approval.
Ascona
Advised Ascona on its acquisition of Plev Limited, which owned the Bridgwater Road Service Station. We advised Ascona on utilising their existing facility with Crestline to fund the acquisition which involved working on accession documents and updating the subordination agreement.
Santander UK
Advised Santander UK plc on an amendment and restatement of an existing revolving credit facility made available to Edward Davies Commercials (trading as MS-RT) to increase their existing revolving credit facility exposure.
Welsh Government
Provided advice to the Welsh Government regarding the issuance of a £11 million loan letter to the Development Bank of Wales. This strategic financial assistance is part of an innovative scheme established to offer substantial support to Welsh homeowners grappling with mortgage challenges.