Christianne Williams

Christianne is a highly regarded finance lawyer, with extensive experience advising lenders and borrowers on complex cross-border leveraged finance transactions. She has particular expertise in high yield financings for companies across Europe and emerging markets, including notably in the natural resources sector.

Christianne also regularly advises on debt liability management transactions and restructurings.

Work highlights

Christianne has advised a wide range of clients on their significant financing transactions. These include advising:

High yield issuances

• First Quantum Minerals, a Toronto Stock Exchange-listed global copper company, on issuances of in excess of $6.5bn of senior notes 
• the initial purchasers in connection with the offering by Altice International, a multinational broadband and mobile communications, content and media group operating in Portugal, Israel and the Dominican Republic, of US$1.9bn and €700m of senior notes
• the initial purchasers on the offering by Cablevision Lightpath, a provider of communications and bandwidth infrastructure in the New York City area and a subsidiary of Altice USA, of $865m senior secured notes in connection with Altice’s sale of a 49.99% stake in Cablevision Lightpath
• Neinor Homes, a real estate residential development platform in Spain listed on the Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia Stock Exchanges, on its green bond debut high yield offering of €300m of senior secured notes
• Petra Diamonds, the London-listed rough diamond producer with assets in South Africa, on its offering of $650m senior secured second lien notes
• Boparan Holdings, a UK food supplier, on its debut high yield offering of £400m and €340m of senior notes in connection with the take private of Northern Foods, and subsequent issuance of £580m and €300m of senior notes

Liability management

• the dealer managers in relation to the tender offer by London-listed oil and gas company Tullow Oil plc for a portion of its senior notes due 2025
• the dealer manager in relation to the tender offer by Sarens, a global leader in crane rental services, heavy lifting, and engineered transport, for a portion of its senior notes due 2027
• the dealer managers in relation to tender offers by global resources company BHP Billiton for in excess of US$3bn of its senior notes in connection with its debt repurchase programme
• First Quantum Minerals on its exchange offer for $2bn of senior notes issued by Inmet Mining Corporation

Restructuring

• certain shareholders and creditors of The Lycra Company in relation to the refinancing of its senior secured notes due 2023
• an ad hoc group of lenders holding approximately $175m in senior secured term debt in the prepackaged Chapter 11 cases of Pioneer Energy Services Inc.
• the committee of senior secured bondholders of New Look, the UK-headquartered national fashion retailer, on the amendment of its high yield bond terms in connection with a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) of its store portfolio
• Gulf Keystone Petroleum on its balance sheet restructuring by way of Scheme of Arrangement