Partner
Banking and Finance
Phone +64 9 367 8165
Email [email protected]
+64 9 367 8165
David has years of experience advising financial institutions, private equity sponsors, corporates, non-bank lenders and sovereigns on a wide range of financing and restructuring transactions. David is a specialist in corporate and acquisition finance, project finance, property finance, debt capital markets, derivatives, venture capital and special situations investing. David has experience advising on all aspects of financial services regulation and providing strategic board-level advice.
Having been based in London and Hong Kong for an extended period with leading New York firms Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP, David brings an international perspective to his practice and commitment to client service, together with a deep network and knowledge of market trends and developments.
David has successfully completed all three levels of examinations for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) programme.
David has worked on a number of landmark transactions including: for Greece on its €206bn debt restructuring, for CVC on the first European LBO and dividend-recapitalisation using US-style covenant-lite financing terms, and for HNA on the financing for its US$6.5bn acquisition of a stake in Hilton from Blackstone. David has advised Goldman Sachs (Special Situations Group), TPG Special Situations Partners (including TPG's direct-lending platform) and Hillhouse Capital (China's largest private equity sponsor) on a number of transactions across the capital structure.
He has spent extended periods on secondment to banks and funds in a variety of legal and non-legal roles.
David is the firm's representative on the New Zealand APLMA documentation committee and has experience presenting at industry-wide events.
David's experience includes advising:
LLB, BCom, University of Canterbury
David began his career with Russell McVeagh in 2008. David returned to the firm in late 2017 after an extended period based in London with Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP and Hong Kong with Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP. David is recognised in the Best Lawyers® 2024 Guide for Banking & Finance and Structured Finance (New Zealand), as a 'Rising Star' in the IFLR1000 2022 Asia Pacific Guide for Banking, and as 'Up and Coming' in the Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific 2023 Guide. David is also recognised as a Next Generation Partner in the Legal 500 2022 Guide for Banking and Finance. David has also recently published a chapter in the 2021 Chambers Global Practice Guide on Acquisition Finance in New Zealand.
Restructuring and Insolvency
Private Equity
Infrastructure and Projects
Aged Care
Financial Regulation
Capital Markets
Partner, Banking and Finance