Biography
Akhil is a Partner in our London Banking and Finance team. With over 20 years’ of experience leading complex cross-border syndicated and bilateral debt transactions under English law (including a significant time spent working in US and international law firms) Akhil specialises in advising lender and borrower clients with leveraged finance, corporate banking, project loans and secondary trading.
He has a particular focus leading the firm’s India desk and his clients include international branches of a number of Indian headquartered banks, the subsidiaries of large Indian corporates and Indian project companies.
His sector experience includes hospitality and leisure, automotive and manufacturing, and project finance across the renewable energy, mining, natural resources and transport infrastructure industries.
Recent highlights:
- Advising a major global bank in its leveraged loan facilities to a UK based IT software development group seeking to acquire subsidiaries in the US, Canada and Eastern Europe.
- Representing a significant Indian bank as mandated lead arranger in its senior term loan facilities to a FTSE 100 metals and mining conglomerate for investment in subsidiaries located in Africa and South America.
- Advising a European bank in its senior bonding facilities to a FTSE 250 retailer seeking funding lines for expansion into Spain.
- Acting for a major AIM listed mining and exploration company in its project financing with senior and subordinated loan facilities provided by various private debt funds.
- Acting for an AIM listed renewable energy company with its secured convertible mezzanine loans, senior project debt facilities and advising on its high yield corporate bond, supported by various banks, financial institutions and debt funds – funding major wind, biomass and hydro power projects in India.
- Assisting a state-controlled Eastern European oil and gas company on its master credit facilities provided by an Asian state-controlled bank, for projects involving the substitution of natural gas with locally produced coal.
Market View:
“Akhil is our lawyer of choice as he understands the importance of the bank's underlying relationship with its customer and reliably handles the delicate balance of keeping the bank well protected and for commercial sense to prevail in a mature and professional manner.” - Syndications, State Bank of India (London)
