Hayley Neilson
Hayley is the Co-Head of the Private Equity practice and Head of the National Leveraged Finance practice. She is a finance partner in our Sydney firm and specialises in leveraged and acquisition finance, corporate finance and corporate restructuring.
Hayley is the Co-Head of the Private Equity practice and Head of the National Leveraged Finance practice. She is a finance partner in our Sydney firm and specialises in leveraged and acquisition finance, corporate finance and corporate restructuring.
Hayley helps clients achieve their goals on the most complex and significant transactions. Her market leading practice is focused on advising mid-market and large cap domestic and international private equity sponsors as well as banks and financial institutions on M&A and event driven transactions and restructurings. She has negotiated some of the most complex financing arrangements in the Australian leveraged finance market.
Hayley is named as a leading individual in Acquisition Finance in the Chambers Asia-Pacific guide and Chambers Global guide and recognised as a leading lawyer in banking by Who’s Who Legal. The guides note that Hayley is widely recognised for her work on leveraged acquisitions, where she is “very highly rated” and “a serious player”. Hayley’s profile in this space is recognised by interviewees who highlight that “she is technically strong and her client service is fantastic”. Clients praise her ability to “keep abreast of the marketplace and on top of commercial matters”.
Background
Hayley has worked at pre-eminent law firms both domestically and in London as well as in the leveraged finance department of the Financing Group at Goldman Sachs in London. She has been a partner of Herbert Smith Freehills in Sydney since 2008.
Hayley holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce from Monash University.
Experience & expertise
Selected matters
- Pacific Equity Partners in relation to its joint venture with Mirvac on the acquisition of the land lease lifestyle communities business Serenitas
- Crescent Capital Partners on the financing of the acquisition and recapitalisation of Quantum Radiology, Medscan, PRP Imaging Group, on the acquisition of Healthcare Australia and other acquisitions by Crescent Capital Partners
- Adamantem Capital and Liverpool Partners in relation to the financing of public to private acquisition of Zenitas Limited
- Morrison & Co on the financing of the acquisition of QScan Group
- Apollo Capital on the acquisition by Ventia of Broadspectrum
- Bain Capital on its $3.5 billion acquisition of Virgin Australia Group by way of a deed of company arrangements
- CIMIC Group (formerly Leighton Holdings) in relation to the financing for the 50:50 investment partnerships with funds managed by Apollo Global Management of CIMIC’s operations and maintenance service business. This included the first A$ denomination US TLB financing
- Pacific Equity Partners on the financing of the acquisition by IntelliHUB of the acquisition of the Acumen business from Origin Energy and the subsequent $1.45 billion refinancing which was the first green loan in the world to receive electrical grid and storage certification under the Climate Bond Initiative’s standard
- TPG Capital in relation to the financing of the acquisition of Ingham Enterprises, Greencross and Funlab
