Ben Wilkinson is an associate in the Firm's Banking & Capital Markets Group in New York. Ben's experience includes advising banks in relation to acquisition finance transactions and general bank lending. Ben also regularly acts for a variety of lender syndicates, steering committees, sponsors and companies in relation to various restructuring matters.

Ben has spent six months on secondment to the legal team at Goldman Sachs International.

Representative transactions include:

• Acting for a coordinating committee of banks on the AED 2.8 billion financial restructuring of Tabreed, an Abu Dhabi-based district cooling company with operations across the Middle East;
• Acting for Wind Telecomunicazioni S.p.A. and its affiliated entities (the "Wind Group") in connection with the Wind Group's €6.6 billion refinancing of its existing senior and second lien facilities and of its existing 2015 High Yield Notes. The refinancing was funded by the issuance of €1.25 billion and US$2 billion of new senior secured notes and by drawings under a new €3.93 billion senior facilities agreement;
• Acting for Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch as Security Trustee in connection with the issuance by Virgin Media Secured Finance Plc of $1 billion 6.50% Senior Secured Notes due 2018 and £875 million 7.00% Senior Secured Notes due 2018;
• Acting for ABN AMRO as arranger, agent, offshore security agent and lender in respect of a preexport credit facility agreement provided to JSC "Kazzinc" which won a Best Deals 2008 award from Global Trade Review;
• Acting for UBS Limited in connection with the €205 million senior and mezzanine Greek bond loan financing for Rhone Capital's acquisition of Infote S.A., a Greek public company;
• Acting for the Joint Lead Arrangers, Banc of America Securities LLC and Deutsche Bank Securities LLC, in connection with the approximately US$1.35 billion first lien and approximately US$600 million second lien financing to subsidiaries of Ulysses Luxembourg S.a.r.l., a Luxembourg-based investment company controlled by funds advised and managed by CVC Capital Partners, the UK-based private equity firm, in support of its proposed €1.6 billion acquisition of Univar N.V., the listed Dutch distributor of industrial chemicals and provider of related specialty services;
• Acting for Rabobank, as Issuing Bank, in the €10.8 billion financing for the cash portion of Mittal Steel N.V.'s €25.8 billion bid to acquire French rival, Arcelor SA;
• Acting for Red Diamond Capital in connection with its acquisition of Avon Rubber plc, involving loans amounting to US$95 million under senior and second lien credit agreements;
• Acting for Deutsche Bank AG London as Initial Lender, Mandated Lead Arranger, Underwriter and Bookrunner in relation to the €355 million senior and €50 million second lien financing for the acquisition by Oaktree Capital Management LLC, via a newly incorporated company, of Richmond Foods plc (a UK-listed company and the largest ice cream manufacturer in the UK by volume) by way of a scheme of arrangement and the subsequent combination of the Richmond Group with the Roncadin Group (an existing portfolio of Oaktree with ice cream operations in Germany, France and Poland) for a total deal value of €530 million (which includes €123.5 million of equity);
• Acting for Deutsche Bank AG London, as European coordinator, Deutsche Bank AG London, Barclays Capital and The Royal Bank of Scotland, as Mandated Lead Arrangers, and Bank of America, as coarranger, in connection with the provision of US$1 billion bridge financing and US$350 million revolving credit facilities to equity investors Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, Bain Capital and Vornado Trust Realty for the acquisition of retailer Toys R Us Inc.; and
• Acting for Barclays Capital, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, Credit Suisse First Boston, Deutsche Bank, Fortis Bank and The Royal Bank of Scotland as mandated lead arrangers in connection with the £130 million acquisition of sit-up Ltd by Flextech (a Telewest subsidiary). Flextech acquired the outstanding 50 percent of shares in the company not previously owned by it.

Bars and Courts
England and Wales, 2006

Education
MA, Jurisprudence, Oxford University, St. Edmund Hall, 2001

Languages
English

Citizenship
British

Not engaged in the practice of law in New York.