Baker & McKenzie Wins "Legal Advisor of the Year" and "Deals of the Year" Citations
Awards
22 December 2011
Asia Pacific, 22 December 2011 – Baker & McKenzie has been named “Asia Pacific M&A Legal Advisor of the Year” and “Southeast Asia M&A Legal Advisor of the Year” at the annual Financial Times – mergermarket Asia Pacific M&A Awards. The award recognizes the Firm's strength in capital markets and corporate transactions. The Firm has also received a number of Deals of the Year citations for its involvement in some of the region’s most ground-breaking deals in 2011.
Commenting on the awards, Jeremy Pitts, Baker & McKenzie’s Asia Pacific Regional Chairman, said: “These awards demonstrate the depth of our experience in handling complex cross-border transactions, and illustrate our ability to integrate local legal and commercial needs with complex international deal structures. We thank our clients for the trust and confidence they place in us and their continued support.”
Among the award-winning deals were:
• Thailand’s THB40 billion inflation-linked bond offering, which was named “Best Thailand Deal of the Year” and “Best Local Currency Bond” by FinanceAsia, “Best Sovereign Bond” by Asiamoney and “Thailand Capital Markets Deal of the Year” by IFR Asia.
The THB40 billion inflation-linked bond offering marked the first inflation-linked bond in Thailand and in Southeast Asia. The Baker & McKenzie team, led by Capital Markets partner Viroj Piyawattanametha in Thailand and US Securities partner Yeo Jih-Shian in Singapore, provided Thai and US law advice to the joint underwriters on this deal – The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited (Bangkok Branch), Krung Thai Bank Public Company Limited, The Siam Commercial Bank Public Company Limited and KASIKORNBANK Public Company Limited.
• Cheung Kong Holding’s SGD500 million 5.125 per cent guaranteed senior perpetual securities issue, which was awarded “Best Singapore Deal of the Year” by FinanceAsia and “Domestic Bond Deal of the Year” by IFR Asia.
Cheung Kong Holding’s senior perpetual securities issue marked Asia’s first ever corporate senior hybrid. The Baker & McKenzie team, led from Hong Kong by Banking & Finance partner Andrew Lockhart and Corporate partner Milton Cheng, provided advice to the guarantor – Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd – in connection with the issue.