Private equity sponsors are always looking for the next high-calorie transaction, and high yield hero Francesco Lione clearly has the secret sauce.
Last year, the Latham & Watkins partner shored up a variety of creative and innovative financing solutions for his clients, despite a subdued bond market and investor angst on inflation. In May, Lione advised Asda on its £2.27bn of EG Group — one of the most high-profile transactions of that year. The same month, he also advised soda ash provider We Soda on its inaugural debt issuance. Then in December, Lione acted for EG Group on a series of complex financings, capital markets and real estate transactions – extending the group’s maturities of $6.2bn in term loans and $2bn equivalent in senior secured bonds.
When he’s not working on multibillion-dollar cross border financings, Lione also sits on Latham’s ethics committee helping resolve conflicts and gatekeeping on transactional matters. He is also passionate about pro bono work and is currently helping two refugees request asylum in the United States.