Phila joined the firm from a leading South African law firm based in Johannesburg, where he was an Associate. He has been involved in advising on various aspects of consumer law, debt capital markets, derivatives, financial regulatory law, securities law and banking law.

Representative transactions include:

• Representing Hungarian Telephone & Cable Corp. (HTCC) and its subsidiary Invitel on the financing of its acquisition of Memorex Telex Communications AG, which included a €100 million Subordinated Bridge Loan Facility with Merrill Lynch International and BNP Paribas as mandated lead arrangers and an amendment and restatement of its €165 million term and multicurrency revolving senior facilities agreement with BNP Paribas as mandated lead arranger. Invitel and Memorex are both leading telecommunications service providers in Central and Eastern Europe. The proceeds from the bridge loan were used to fund the acquisition and refinance a portion of Memorex's debt.

Bars and Courts
Transvaal Provincial Division of the High Court of South Africa, admitted 2006

Education
Rhodes University, Bachelor of Laws, 2003
Rhodes University, Bachelor of Commerce, 2001

Languages
English, Zulu, Afrikaans

Citizenship
South African