Russell McVeagh is proud to have won Employer of Choice (> 100 lawyers) at last night's 2024 NZ Law Awards held at the Viaduct Events Centre in Auckland, as well as three 'Deal of the Year' awards including:
- Debt Market Deal of the Year: Issuance of NZ$1.1 billion inaugural sustainable financing bonds by LGFA, led by Banking & Finance partner Deemple Budhia.
- Mid-market Deal of the Year: Acquisition of Morrison & Co's NZ infrastructure assets by Amber Infrastructure Group, led by Corporate Advisory partner Mei Fern Johnson.
- Project Finance Deal of the Year: Financing of Connexa's acquisition of 2degrees' mobile cell tower assets, led by Banking & Finance partner David Weavers.
We would like to extend our congratulations to all winners and Excellence Awardees on their achievements including:
- In-house Lawyer of the Year - Louise Martin, Auckland International Airport
- Financial Services In-house Team of the Year – ANZ
- Energy In-house Team of the Year – Vector
- In-house Team of the Year – Fonterra Legal Team
who were category winners.
Russell McVeagh CEO Jo Avenell said: "We are delighted and humbled to have won these awards last night, which reflects and recognises the incredible talent we have at the firm. We would also like to extend our thanks to our brilliant clients who continue to trust us to help them with their most significant and innovative transactions and matters.
"We have worked hard to make Russell McVeagh a great place to work for everybody, with excellence and respect at the heart of everything we do. The Employer of Choice award is a real testament to the mahi we put into our people experience to learn, grow and progress in a supportive environment."
Debt Market Deal of the Year
Issuance of NZ$1.1 billion inaugural sustainable financing bonds by LGFA, led by Banking and Finance partner Deemple Budhia. Russell McVeagh advised LGFA on their inaugural issue of unsecured, unsubordinated fixed rate sustainable financing bonds. The offer was the first of its kind globally.
Mid-market Deal of the Year
Acquisition of five NZ infrastructure assets by London-listed investment company, International Public Partnerships Limited (INPP) advised by Amber Infrastructure Group, from Morrison. These included PPP assets for schools and a prison around NZ, and student accommodation for the Auckland University of Technology. This transaction was led at Russell McVeagh by Corporate Advisory partner Mei Fern Johnson.
Project Finance Deal of the Year
Financing of Connexa's acquisition of 2degrees' mobile cell tower assets, led by Banking & Finance partner David Weavers. Russell McVeagh acted as lead counsel to a syndicate of five offshore mandated lead arrangers in connection with their financing of Connexa's NZ$1.076bn acquisition of 2degrees' passive mobile cell tower assets. Connexa is majority owned by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board.
Employer of Choice (> 100 lawyers)
This award recognises Russell McVeagh's commitment to ensuring a high-performance inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive and feel supported.
The firm continues progressing its refreshed Diversity and Inclusion strategy (launched in 2022) and has carried out a significant programme of work to ensure a confident environment in which its people, clients, and wider community can be proud of. More on this work can be found here and in the firm's 2024 ESG Overview here.
Russell McVeagh was further recognised with Excellence Awards across eight additional categories last night, including for Large Law Firm of the Year (which the firm won last year), Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year (under 35) for Alex MacDuff (Litigation/Restructuring & Insolvency partner), and further Deal of the Year categories including one Debt Market deal, one Mid-market deal, two M&A deals, and two Project Finance deals.
Well done to all the winners and finalists – a full list of winners is available here.