Kowit Adireksombat

Kowit Adireksombat

Partner
Baker & McKenzie Limited Attorneys at Law

Biography

Kowit Adireksombat, a Financial Services Division member, joined the Firm in 2007, was seconded to the Firm’s Tokyo office in 2014-2015, and became a partner in 2018. He focuses on corporate transactions, including capital markets, banking and financial transactions, and mergers and acquisitions.

Kowit leads Thai corporates and financial institutions in sustainable finance, including the first sustainability-linked bonds by the Kingdom of Thailand. He is also a GRI Certified Sustainability Professional by Global Reporting Initiative.

Practice Focus

Kowit represents financial institutions, securities companies, and fund managers, in various transactions covering both domestic and international capital markets. He also represents clients in a diverse range of business sectors in their fund-raising activities as well as other corporate transactions, such as liability management and mergers and acquisitions. In addition, he has been advising on complex legal and regulatory matters in relation to the securities and exchange law, the financial institution business law, the bankruptcy law, and other commercial laws, including cross-border and domestic securities offerings, SEC and BOT compliance, and corporate governance matters.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Betagro on its USD 463.38 million IPO, Thailand’s largest in agribusiness and F&B sectors in over two decades, and the second-largest in Southeast Asia in 2022.

  • Global joint lead coordinators on the public offering of shares of Siam Makro under Regulation S/Rule 144A, raising Baht 47.85 billion—one of the decade’s largest Thai public offerings by market cap.

  • Thailand Future Fund’s THB 44.7 billion IPO—the largest since 2015—garnering several industry awards from Finance Asia, Asian-Mena Counsel, Asia Legal Business, and The Asset.

  • Global joint lead coordinators on Gulf Energy Development’s approximately THB 20 billion IPO—the largest corporate listing in Thailand in a decade. The transaction received multiple accolades, including Deal of the Year by SET Awards 2018 and Thailand Best IPO by The Asset Country Awards 2018.

  • Global joint lead coordinators on the offering of additional units for the Digital Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (DIF), Thailand’s first and largest telecoms infrastructure fund valued at approximately THB 53.24 billion. This transaction was awarded Telecom Deal of the Year by The Asset Triple A Asia Infrastructure Awards 2019.

  • Singha Estate with a USD 180 million convertible bond and USD 50 million share issuance, the largest Thai convertible bond deal since 2014, awarded Best Deals - Southeast Asia, Thailand, Best Equity-Linked, The Asset Country Awards 2017.

  • Joint lead arrangers on the inaugural issuance of sustainability-linked bonds by the Kingdom of Thailand, the first sovereign issuer in Asia—garnering several industry awards including Roll of Honour - Regional Award: Domestic Bond by IFR Asia Awards 2024 and Sustainability-linked bond of the year - SSAs/sub-sovereigns by Environmental Finance.

  • KASIKORNBANK on USD 500 million additional tier 1 and USD 800 million tier 2 subordinated capital instruments, and USD 100 million sustainability bonds—marking the first sustainability bond issuance by an ASEAN bank.

  • Minor International on USD 300 million guaranteed senior perpetual capital securities—the first of its kind in Thailand and Asia Pacific outside Korea. This deal received the Best New Bond award at The Asset Regional Awards 2018.

  • Thai Oil and its treasury arm on a liability management exercise that included a cash tender offer and an issuance of new notes. This transaction was recognised as the Best Liability Management Deal of the Year 2018 - Southeast Asia by The Asset Country Awards.

  • Krung Thai Bank on its USD 2.5 billion EMTN Programme establishment and a USD 700 million tier 2 issuance. FinanceAsia named it Best Thailand Deal in 2014.

  • Bangkok Expressway and Bangkok Metro on their USD 2.2 billion amalgamation forming Bangkok Expressway and Metro companies, Thailand’s leading transportation and logistics provider and the largest merger in ASEAN’s sector.

Professional Honors

  • Band 3 Individual in Capital Markets, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2024 to 2025
  • Band 4 Individual in Capital Markets, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2023
  • Up and Coming Individual in Capital Markets, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2022
  • Leading Partner in Capital Markets, Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2024 to 2025
  • Rising Star Partner in Capital Markets, IFLR1000, 2022 to 2025
  • Rising Star in Capital Markets, IFLR1000, 2020 to 2021

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Law Society of Thailand
  • Thai Bar Association

Corporate Responsibility

Kowit is listed as a "SET ESG Specialist (sustainable disclosure and biodiversity)" in the Stock Exchange of Thailand's ESG Experts Pool.

Admissions

  • New York~United States (2013)
  • Thailand (2007)

Education

  • New York University School of Law (LLM) (2011)
  • Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University (Bachelor of Economics Business Economics) (2009)
  • Chulalongkorn University (Bachelor of Laws, First class honors) (2007)

Languages

  • English
  • Thai

Previous Offices

  • Tokyo