Biography
His practice focuses on advising private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on a wide range of multi-jurisdictional leveraged financings and other complex financing transactions.
Tom has worked for extended periods on secondment at Goldman Sachs and HSBC in their leveraged finance teams.
Tom is ranked as a leading lawyer for Banking & Finance by Chambers UK with clients describing him as “one of the best sponsor lawyers there is”, "a very good operator and prolific at the high end of the market" with “brilliant client care skills” as well as being "a great lawyer; very client-focused, yet also very strong technically and focused on detail" with one source stating: “Tom is a superstar. He is very quick, commercial and works well with a range of people…he’s one of our absolute go-tos. He has the ability to be constructive, build consensus, and has good common sense and judgement.”
Tom is named on Financial News’s Most Influential in European Finance list for 2024, which recognises leaders across the sectors it covers who are making their mark and helping to shape their respective fields.
He was also named among The Lawyer’s Hot 100 for 2021, a list of the most accomplished and impactful lawyers in the U.K. He is listed as a Leading Individual for Acquisition Finance in Legal 500 UK with clients “appreciative of his willingness to fight their corner” and is Highly Regarded for Banking in IFLR1000 UK.
Tom has also been recognised in a number of Awards, including leading the team that won the IFLR Europe Awards 2019 for advising Advent International on the financing of its take private of Laird plc.
Representative experience includes acting for:
- Advent International on the financing of various acquisitions as well as refinancings, recapitalisations and bids including the take privates of Cobham plc, Laird PLC and Brammer plc and take private bid for Sobi; carve out acquisitions of Evonik’s methacrylate’s business (Roehm) and GE’s Distributed Power business (Innio); partnership with the founder of the Parfums de Marly and INITIO Parfums Privés niche fragrance brands; acquisitions of Aareon, myPOS, Caldic, Hoist and Planet Payment, Encora, Mediq, Xplor, Circet, Rubix, Williams Lea Tag, KMD, Allnex/Nuplex, Ammeraal Beltech and Crompton Greaves Electrical and IPO financings for InPost, DFS and Equiniti; refinancing for portfolio group Aareon and the hard staple financing in connection with its sale of Aareon
- Bain Capital on the financing of its acquisition of the Kantar business from WPP plc and follow on acquisition of Numerator as well as its acquisitions of Deltatre, Valeo Foods and Inetum and various bids including for CARE Fertility and Keraben
- Permira on the financing of its acquisitions of Acuity Knowledge, Hana Group and Safti and related refinancings of each
- CVC on the financing of its acquisitions of a stake in the French Football league, La Piadineria, Sogelink, Panzani and the run-off insurance business RiverStone Europe and its bids for DB Schenker, Circet, Curium, Lumenis, Baltic Confidentials and Kersia
- Blackstone on the financing of its acquisition of Sediver
- PAI on the financing of its JV with Nestlé’s frozen pizza business and its acquisition of HKA
- Ardian on the financing for the acquisition of Masco Group, financing in connection with its portfolio company Jakala, on the acquisition of Biofarma and subsequent add-on financings, Ardian and Neuberger Bergman on the financing of their acquisition of Neopharmed and Ardian on the financing of its acquisition of Envision Pharma
- SumUp, the payment solutions fintech, on several debt finance raises
- Novalpina Capital on the financing of its acquisitions of NSO, X.O. and MaxBet and bids for PharmaZell and AR Packaging
- Bain Capital and Advent International on the financing of their acquisition of Concardis
- Hellman & Friedman and Advent International on the financing of their bid for Allegro
- Permira and Advent International on the financing of their bid for STADA Arzneimittel
- JC Flowers on the financing of their acquisition of UK General
- Charterhouse on the financing of its acquisition of Armacell
- Oaktree on the financing of its acquisition of Evac