Emmanuel Hadjidakis

Emmanuel Hadjidakis

Principal
Baker & McKenzie Wong & Leow

Biography

Emmanuel Hadjidakis is a principal in Baker McKenzie's Finance & Projects team in Singapore. He is currently chair of the Global Financial Institutions Group at Baker McKenzie. Emmanuel has worked in Singapore for over 15 years and has prior experience working in London and Sydney. IFLR1000 describes him as "top-tier, and absolutely up there with the best" and points out, "Lenders consider [him] a rising star in the Singapore market and rate him as one of its leading practitioners." Chambers describes him as "a first-rate banking, finance and restructuring lawyer" and "a strong legal mind with an ability to manage clients across both sides".

Practice Focus

Emmanuel regularly acts for financial institutions, borrowers and private equity funds throughout Asia Pacific. He is experienced in general finance, acquisition finance, restructurings, structured finance, Islamic finance and property finance. Emmanuel regularly handles and closes large and complex financings.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Advised the mandated lead arrangers on the GBP 1.6 billion forward sale of the commercial elements of the Battersea Power Station to Permodalan Nasional Berhad and Employee's Provident Fund.
  • Advised the mandated lead arrangers on the SGD 430 million take private financing for the SGX-listed Tat Hong Holdings Limited.
  • Advised CIMB Bank Berhad as mandated lead arranger on the senior and mezzanine financing for TPG Capital Asia’s SGD 279 million acquisition of Quest Laboratories in Singapore and Gribbles Pathology in Malaysia.
  • Acted as borrower's counsel to ChrysCapital in relation to a USD 170 million capital call/subscription line for their eighth fund.
  • Advised the arrangers on the USD 1.2 billion refinancing for SKI Carbon Black (Mauritius) Limited, the Mauritius-based holding company of Aditya Birla Group's carbon black business.
  • Advised a syndicate of banks on the restructuring and rescheduling of the existing multicurrency project financing facilities of up to USD 215 million and MYR 436 million, respectively, that had been granted by the client to a Malaysian borrower involved in the industry of ferro-alloy products.
  • Advised Malaysian-listed Serba Dinamik Holdings Berhad and its group companies on a USD 63.9 million Islamic facility backed by UK Export Finance (UKEF), with Standard Chartered Bank as mandated lead arranger. The financing is a first-of-a-kind transaction for a UKEF and was named Trade Finance Deal of the Year by Islamic Finance News Deals of the Year for 2019.
  • Advised the mandated lead arrangers in the GBP 404 million land loan facility and GBP 750 million development financing to Eco World-Ballymore Holding Company Limited in respect of the acquisition and the long-term development of Arrowhead Quay, Phase 2 Embassy Garden and Phase 2 of London City Island.
  • Advised the mandated lead arrangers on the GBP 200 million murabaha facility and GBP 428 million conventional facility agreement to PNB Jersey Limited (the proceeds of which were used to acquire three office buildings in London).
  • Advised UBS AG (Hong Kong), BNP Paribas (Hong Kong) and Goldman Sachs Credit Partners LP on the USD 850 million secured acquisition financing of Want Want Holding Limited by Want Want International Limited. 

Admissions

  • England & Wales (2004)
  • New South Wales~Australia (2001)
  • Singapore (Section 36B of the Legal Profession Act)

"Re Brumark Investments: Commercial Implications, A Policy Perspective and the Way Forward," Journal of Banking and Finance Law and Practice Volume 12(4), December 2001, page 274, co-written with A. Rowland.

"The Takeovers Panel from Toothless Tiger to Sleeping Tiger? Will the Courts Now Advance?" Company and Securities Law Journal Volume 20(1), February 2002, page 59.

"Ipso Factor clauses and their position in financing documents in Singapore," (2021), JIBLR 36(II), co-written with Kunal Katre.