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Alex Robb is a partner in Ropes & Gray’s London finance practice, with broad and impressive experience in big-ticket and mid-market domestic and international financing, with a particular focus on leveraged finance, including bank/bond, unitranche, first lien/second lien and holdco PIK structures, together with workout and restructuring matters.
He advises leading private equity sponsors, investment banks, private credit funds and publicly listed companies and corporates where they seek to execute transactions in the syndicated or private credit loan markets.
Clients appreciate his deep understanding of both markets, and Alex is widely recognised by peers and publications, including being listed in Legal Week’s ‘40 Under 40: Rising Star in Private Equity’ in 2019. He was also recognised for his role as lead partner on the deal awarded ‘Finance Team of the Year’ at The Lawyer 2021 Awards in recognition of the outstanding £31.4 billion Virgin Media and O2 merger financing.
He is recognised as a leading lawyer in Chambers and Partners (Banking and Finance in London), with clients noting that, “Alex is a brilliant lawyer, on top of the details and always available to discuss matters; he is a joy to work with.”, “Alex Robb is one of the sharpest minds out there. He is a very bright and very technically capable individual. He is a go-to person if I have a very complicated structured product or deal.”, “When it comes to drafting documents and understanding points, Alex can turn his hand to almost anything – he is excellent.” and that, “He is a pleasure to work with, very smart, thinks deeply and is super proactive.”
Alex has also been recognised in The Legal 500 as a Next Generation Partner in Finance: Acquisition Finance (2023), with a client quoted as saying, “Alex Robb – great partner to work with, very driven, super helpful at all times, positive minded and outstanding legal knowledge.” He has additionally been recognised by IFLR1000 (2019-2023) as “Highly Regarded”.
Disclaimer
Ropes & Gray International LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in Delaware, United States of America and is a recognised body regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (with registered number 521000).
Experience
- Advised Liberty Global in connection with the holdco financing arrangements to support its US$1 billion tender offer for the outstanding shares in Telenet Group Holding
- Advised AtlasEdge, a leading pan-European Edge data centre provider and JV between Liberty Global and Digital Bridge, on a sustainability-linked €725 million hybrid leveraged/infrastructure financing package
- Advised BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank and the other lead arrangers on a term loan A financing to support the bolt on acquisition of Atos Italia by Apax portfolio company Lutech
- Advised Virgin Media Ireland on its extraction from Virgin Media O2 and €900 million term loan B and a €100 million RCF financing arrangements
- Advised Bridgepoint Credit as lender on the holdco refinancing of CPPIB’s £675 million minority stake in BGL Group, the owner of comparethemarket.com
- Advised TSG Consumer Partners on:
- a dividend recap financing (and subsequent CLBILS and receivables financing) for Revolution Beauty
- the unitranche/super senior RCF financing for its acquisition of Cadogan Tate
- Advised GHO Capital Partners on:
- its term loan B financing arrangements for Envision Pharma Group including a tap to support the bolt on acquisition of Two Labs
- the unitranche financing package for its acquisition of X-Chem
- the unitranche financing package for its acquisition of Clearview Healthcare Partners
- the unitranche financing package for its acquisition of Velocity Clinical Research, and subsequent upsize to support the acquisition of Meridian Clinical Research
- numerous term loan B tap financings to support acquisitions by its portfolio company, Validant
- Advised Arsenal Capital on a dividend recapitalisation financing in connection with a public to private acquisition by its portfolio company Value Demonstration Holdings LLC of Cello Health plc
- Advised Goldman Sachs and Barclays plc on a senior secured notes bond and super senior RCF refinancing worth £555 million equivalent for the Boparan Group
- Advised Virgin Media and O2 on the £5.7 billion-equivalent, term loan B, term loan A and bond financing in connection with the joint venture combination of O2 and Virgin Media by Liberty Global and Telefonica
- Advised L.E.K. Consulting in connection with its investment grade financing arrangements
- Advised Bridgepoint on:
- the unitranche and revolving credit facility financing arrangements in connection with its acquisition of Achilles
- a dividend recap financing together with acquisition and working capital facilities for its portfolio company MVF Global
- the financing package in connection with its acquisition of IDHL
- the financing arrangements for its recapitalisation of Matrix
- the financing arrangements in connection with its acquisition of Monica Vinader
- Advised Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) on:
- the unitranche financing arrangements for its acquisition of Travel Chapter and subsequent bolt-on acquisition of The Original Cottage Company
- a holdco PIK financing as part of its US$5.3 billion consortium buyout of Visma, Europe's largest ever software buyout
- a holdco PIK loan in connection with its £1.3 billion joint investment into IRIS, a leading provider of business-critical software and services
- on the secured financing in connection with its investment in Blackrock Programme Management (Blackrock PM), a UK-headquartered professional services firm
- Advised 3i Group plc in connection with the bank club financing used to finance its acquisition of MPM, an international leader in branded, premium, natural pet food
- Advised Livingbridge on recurring revenue financing arrangements for RealVNC, a leading vendor of remote access and remote support software
- Advised Sound United LLC, a portfolio company of Charlesbank Capital Partners, on its acquisition of Bowers & Wilkins
- Advised Baring Private Equity Asia on the financing arrangements in connection with its US$1 billion+ acquisition of Lumenis, and a dividend recapitalization transaction in connection with the sale of its surgical business
- Advised Avista Capital Partners on the unitranche financing arrangements for its joint acquisition with VHC Investco of Vision Healthcare
- Advised Alcentra on a second lien facility to fund the acquisition of Audiotonix by Ardian
- Advised Bain Capital Credit and Intermediate Capital Group (ICG) as lenders on the financing in connection with Ardian’s acquisition of Study Group
- Advised Partners Group as second lien lender on Nordic Capital’s successful €1.1 billion bid for Alloheim
- Advised MV Credit on second lien financings to support dividend recaps for Sunrise Medical and The Binding Site, and to support Itiviti’s refinancing and the acquisition of Ullink, each being Nordic Capital portfolio companies
- Advised Virgin Media O2 on a £1.474 billion term loan A facility placed with a pool of 29 leading international banks
- Advised All3Media on a €405 million first lien syndicated term loan B and £75 million privately placed second lien refinancing
- Advised Virgin Media on a £300 million offering of Receivables Financing Notes due 2023
- Advised Bain Capital on the financing package for its purchase of a controlling stake in MKM
- Advised Liberty Global plc in connection with:
- its dual tranche USD and EUR term loan B for an equivalent total of US$3.7 billion, in connection with the financing for UPC Holding’s US$7.7 billion public to private acquisition of Sunrise Communications Group
- its €3.95 billion equivalent dual currency loan financing package in relation to its public takeover of Dutch listed cable company Ziggo N.V.
- the financing arrangements for its £3.5 billion public takeover of Cable & Wireless Communications plc.
- £420 million of first and second lien facilities for the acquisition of All3Media as part of a joint venture with Discovery Communications, Inc.
- numerous term loan B refinancings in an aggregate equivalent amount in excess of £30 billion for the Telenet, UPC, Unitymedia, Virgin Media and Ziggo groups
- an offer to exchange €1.475 billion of UPC loans for loans to a combined Dutch telecoms credit pool consisting of the UPC Nederland and Ziggo businesses
- the financing aspects of its US$21 billion disposal to Vodafone of its German business and certain eastern European businesses
- Advised Altice VII S.à r.L. on:
- a US$1.034 billion covenant lite term loan, a €250 million bond issuance and €125 million in other bank financing in relation to the acquisition of Groupe Outremer Telecom S.A.
- a US$425 million holdco PIK facility in connection with its acquisition of Tricom S.A. and Global Interlink Ltd
- Advised Goldman Sachs in connection with a funded €200 million senior bridge facility agreement and acting for Nordea Bank in connection with a NOK500 million bilateral facility, in each case, for Nordic Capital’s portfolio company, Lindorff
- Advised Hellman & Friedman in connection with the refinancing and dividend recapitalization of a portfolio company by way of unitranche facility
- Advised Monarch Capital on a super senior term loan B liquidity financing for the Boparan Group
- Acting for Brighthouse Group plc in connection with a super senior revolving credit facility to support its senior secured notes offering
- Advised Welsh Carson in connection with a £175 million unitranche facility and £20 million revolving credit facility in connection with a bid
Notable transactions in which Alex has been involved prior to joining the firm include:
- Acting for the restructuring committee of a holding company of Bulgarian Telecommunications in connection with its scheme of arrangement in relation to €1.6 billion of facilities
- Acting for the cross-over creditors in connection with the restructuring of the Primacom Group by way of share pledge enforcement in 2010 and by way of scheme of arrangement in 2012
- Acting for Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in connection with its acquisition of MAp’s joint venture interests in Brussels and Copenhagen airports and also the refinancing of Bristol Airport
- Acting for Marston’s plc in connection with certain forward start facilities and refinancings
- Acting for Howden Joinery Group plc in connection with the amendment and extension of its asset backed credit facilities
- Acting for a fund in relation to a US$350 million margin loan from an investment bank secured against privately held shares