Chris Medley

Chris advises leading investment banks and direct lenders on cross-border debt financings, refinancings and restructurings. He frequently advises lenders on the largest and most complex transactions in the European leveraged finance market, including term loan B financings, bank and bond structures, unitranche financings, post-IPO financings and holdco debt financings.

Chris routinely works with, and is well known to, leading underwriting banks on syndicated term loan B financings and is likewise well known to direct lenders on unitranche financings with Legal 500 noting that Chris “excels in providing lender side advice on sponsor-backed leveraged deals, both for banks on large underwritten TLB transactions, as well as for credit funds on unitranche financings.”

Chris was previously seconded to the leveraged finance and high-yield teams of JP Morgan and Citibank, which gives him a deep understanding of the internal workings of origination, credit and execution teams, allowing him to provide practical and tailored advice to bank, fund and sponsor clients. He also spent two years on secondment to the firm’s Madrid office.

Work highlights

Recent examples of advising investment banks on syndicated term loan B financings include advising the mandated lead arrangers on:

• the €1.105 billion financing to support Cooper Consumer Health’s acquisition of the Viatris European OTC business
• the €2.375 billion financing to support CVC’s acquisition of Unilever Teas
• the €1.08 billion financing to support CVC’s acquisition of Cooper Consumer Health
• the €1.3 billion plus financing to support OTTP’s acquisition of Busy Bees (including subsequent incremental debt raises)
• the €1 billion plus financing to support OTPP’s acquisition of Logoplaste (including subsequent incremental debt raises)
• the €1 billion plus financing to support Astorg’s acquisition of Corialis

Recent examples of transactions advising direct lenders on unitranche financings include:

• the direct lenders on the €1.5 billion plus financing to support Astorg’s acquisition of Corden Pharma
• Permira, Natixis and others on the financing to support Astorg’s acquisition of Xceptor 
• Pemberton and others on the financing to support Bridgepoint’s acquisition of Infinigate and Infinigate’s subsequent acquisition of Nuvias and Starlink
• Apollo on the financing to support Carlyle’s acquisition of END Clothing
• Arcmont Asset Management on the financing to support Permira’s acquisition of a stake in New Immo Group

Chris regularly delivers training for the Loan Market Association (LMA) on a variety of topics relating to leveraged finance, most recently on the developments which have transformed documentation in the European leveraged finance market in recent years as a result of the convergence between loan and high-yield bond products.

Chris also recently co-authored an article on “Intercreditor Agreements – 25 Years of Continuing Evolution” in the Loan Market Association’s “25 Years in the Loan Market” publication.

Chris studied law at the University of Bristol.

He speaks English and Spanish.