"A true tour de force. She leads the team extremely well, is hugely efficient, her knowledge is second to none, she is very commercial and she has fantastic interpersonal skills."
Chambers UK 2024
"Phenomenal commercial acumen in managing stakeholder relationships within a deal. She earns the trust of clients by going above and beyond to provide the best deal for them."
Chambers UK 2024
Hall of Fame – Corporate Restructuring & Insolvency
The Legal 500 UK 2024
Band 1 – Restructuring/Insolvency
Chambers UK 2024
"She is pre-eminent in her field of practice. She is a go-to lawyer on any complex and challenging restructuring matter."
Chambers Europe 2023
"Yen is one of the leading advisers in the European restructuring market."
Chambers Europe 2023
"Always impressed by her in-depth knowledge of the intricate details, while maintaining a commercial and holistic approach to the situation."
Chambers Europe 2022
"Yen is extremely pragmatic, gives extremely commercial advice and understands client objectives."
Chambers Europe 2022
"A master tactician. She provides great advice, she's very balanced and she's incredibly hard-working."
Chambers Europe 2022
"Yen Sum is known in the market as one of the pre-eminent restructuring and turnaround lawyers in the UK and Europe."
The Legal 500 UK 2023
Profile
Yen Sum, Global Chair of the Private Capital Practice, is a member of the firm’s Direct Lending & Private Credit and Restructuring & Special Situations Practices. She has over 20 years of experience advising on financings, buyouts, reorganizations, and restructurings.
Yen has considerable experience advising senior management, private equity sponsors, credit funds, and hedge funds on financial and operational restructurings, special situations, and alternative investments across the capital structure. She also advises on associated M&A and buyouts, acquisition finance, and fund investments.
Yen is particularly focused on cross-border structures or those requiring new or innovative thinking and multifaceted solutions across corporate balance sheets as well as managing divergent stakeholder interests. She has led or has been involved in a number of notable and prominent transactions including investments within multi-layered capital structures, public and private securities, schemes of arrangement and restructuring plans, security enforcements, UK administrations and Company Voluntary Arrangements (CVAs), US chapter 11, and in and out of court proceedings in France, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and equivalent processes in other jurisdictions.
Yen also spent several years as an investment professional in Barclays Capital’s Leveraged Finance business, where she was involved in numerous buyouts, refinancings, and recapitalizations.
Experience
Yen's representative transactions include advising:
The bondholders in a liability management exercise of the bonds of Pfleiderer, a German manufacturer of wood-based materials, and its c. €820 million debt capital structure
The majority bondholder committee across Eurobonds and medium-term notes in relation to the comprehensive restructuring of the c. €5 billion debt capital structure of Intrum, a leading European and listed Swedish credit management business
The ad hoc group of TLB lenders on the €310 million debt recapitalization and extension transaction of Flamingo International Group, a leading global horticultural group headquartered in the UK
The ad hoc committee in relation to the c. €570 million recapitalization of Hilding Anders, a leading global bedding and mattress company
The creditors committee in relation to the €865 million first and second lien financing arrangements and €620 million recapitalization of Imagina / Mediapro, a Spanish multimedia communications group
The committee of noteholders in connection with the c. €430 million restructuring of Haya Real Estate, the largest Spanish real estate servicing company and the largest bank-independent third-party servicer of real estate developer loans (REDs) and real estate owned assets (REOs) in Spain
The creditors committee in relation to the €160 million rescue financing and subsequent c. €1 billion debt and equity restructuring of Naviera Armas, a Spanish passengers and freight ferry services business
The senior creditors committee in relation to the c. €300 million rescue financing and subsequent c. €2.9 billion debt and equity restructuring of Swissport, a global Swiss headquartered aviation services business
The anchor investors in relation to the c. €50 million new money financing and corresponding c. €500 million restructuring of Dümmen Orange, a Dutch-headquartered international plant and flower business
The senior creditors committee in relation to the compromise of rents and the subsequent c. £740 million debt and equity restructuring via the new UK “restructuring plan regime,” of PizzaExpress, the UK and international casual dining group
New Look, the UK-headquartered national fashion retailer in relation to the Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) of its store portfolio and a restructuring of its c. £1.35 billion debt restructuring in 2019 and of its £600 million debt and equity recapitalization in 2020
The creditors committee in relation to the c. €530 million financing arrangements and extension of the debt facilities of ARVOS Group, a global manufacturer and supplier of industrial equipment, heat exchange, and transfer solutions
FatFace, a UK headquartered apparel retail business in relation to its ongoing corporate and financing matters and, prior to this, the senior creditors committee in relation to the group’s c. £200 million debt and equity restructuring
The creditors committee in relation to the €1.9 billion debt and equity restructuring of Selecta, a Swiss headquartered pan-European coffee and vending machine business
The senior creditors committee in relation to the €410 million debt and equity restructuring of Curaeos, a Dutch-headquartered pan-European dental clinics business
Alcentra in relation to the €155 million debt restructuring and distressed M&A of BVA, the French headquartered global market research and consulting firms
A direct lender in relation to the Holdco PIK and subordinated financing of public-to-private of Industria Macchine Automatiche S.p.A., a European company in the packaging sector
A direct lender in relation to the Holdco PIK and subordinated financing of Advent, Cinven and RAG-Stiftung’s c. €17bn acquisition of Thyssenkrupp’s elevator business
The banks in relation to the c. £450 million debt restructuring of Travelex, a global payment systems business
The creditors committee in relation to the c. US$2 billion debt extension and financing arrangements of Flint Group, a global supplier to the printing and packaging sectors
The banks in relation to the c. €900 million debt and equity restructuring of HEMA, the Dutch headquartered variety store-chain
The creditors committee in relation to the €625 million debt and equity restructuring of Deoleo S.A., a Spanish headquartered global olive oil production and distribution business
The senior creditors committee in relation to the c. £620 million debt and equity restructuring of Doncasters Group, the UK-headquartered international manufacturer of high-precision alloy components
Survitec Group, the UK-headquartered and global safety and survival equipment business, in relation to its corporate, financing and strategic matters and its £450 million debt and equity restructuring
Britax Römer Group, the UK-headquartered child seat, pushchair and bike seat manufacturer and distributor on its c. US$380 million debt and equity restructuring
The senior lenders in relation to FläktGroup, the German-headquartered global manufacturer of indoor air technology and management systems on its c. €390 million debt capital structure
The creditors committee on the c. €450 million debt and equity restructuring of the French-headquartered trucks leasing business, Fraikin Group, and representing Fraikin Group and its shareholders in the post-restructuring merger between Fraikin and Via Location
Goldman Sachs in relation to the £400 million second lien financing for Stonegate Pubs
The creditors committee in relation to Global Ship Lease’s 9.875% First Priority Secured Notes due 2022 following the Company’s announcement of an all-stock merger transaction with Poseidon Containers
A key investor in the potential reorganization of a global technology and infrastructure business
Blackstone Credit (f.k.a. GSO Capital) relating to the public-to-private and ongoing corporate reorganizations of Saferoad, the Nordic and European road equipment and infrastructure business
Stiga SpA, the Italian garden machinery manufacturer, in connection with its c. €230 million TLB cov-lite and c. €30 million RCF financing as well as corporate and strategic advice to the company and board of directors
A senior creditor in connection with the restructuring and Chapter 11 of Expro International Group, the UK oil services business
Certain bondholders in connection with the restructuring of Oi S.A. and subsidiaries, the Brazilian telecommunications group
The mezzanine lenders in connection with Kedleston, the UK education group
The TLB lender in connection with the c. £65 million TLB/ABL financing for the Oscar Mayer, a UK food producer
The mezzanine lender in connection with the c. €160 million financing for Diaverum Group, UK healthcare provider
A key stakeholder on the c. €1.3 billion super senior revolving credit facility, senior secured and second lien bonds, and mezzanine facility financing of Perstorp AB, a Swedish chemicals business
The senior lenders on the restructuring of Pelican Rouge, a UK, French, and Spanish vending machine and coffee business
The unitranche lender on the US$245 million financing of Lumenis Group, an Israeli medical lasers business
The creditors committee on the €700 million restructuring of H.C. Starck Group, a German metals and ceramics business
The creditors committee on the c. €900 million debt and equity restructuring of Van Gansewinkel Groep, a Benelux waste management business, and the shareholders in the subsequent merger of the group with Shanks Group plc
The anchor investors on the £2.8 billion restructuring of French clothing and footwear retailer, Vivarte, named Global Finance Deal of the Year – France in The American Lawyer’s Global Legal Awards 2015
The creditors committee on the c. £2.3 billion restructuring of hibu (formerly Yell), a US, UK, and Spanish directories business, named Global Finance Deal of the Year – Restructuring & Insolvency in The American Lawyer’s Global Legal Awards 2014
The unitranche lender on the “first out, last out” financing for AnaCap Financial Partners’ trust and company formation business, First Names Group
The unitranche lender on the €70.5 million unitranche and acquisition facilities financing of Ambuiberica, a Spanish and Latin American ambulance operator business
The creditors committee of note holders on the restructuring of the Spanish and Latin American gaming group, Codere
The lenders in relation to the c. €400 million debt-to-equity restructuring of Marken, a global specialist logistics business, and the shareholders in the subsequent M&A exit
The creditors committee on the restructurings of European Directories, a pan-European directories group
The creditors committee on the debt restructurings of Dinosol, a Spanish supermarkets business
Oaktree Capital on the restructuring of Panrico, a Spanish and Portuguese bread and pastry bakery
DX, the UK logistics group, on the restructuring of its facilities through a scheme of arrangement
The lenders on the restructuring of McCarthy & Stone through a precedent-setting business transfer and non-economic scheme of arrangement, named by IFLR as Restructuring Deal of the Year in 2010
Qualifications
Bar Qualification
England and Wales (Solicitor)
Victoria (Australia)
Education
Bachelor of Laws (Hons), Monash University, 1998
Bachelor of Commerce in Economics, Monash University, 1996
Global Co-Chair of Latham's Private Capital Practice, Yen Sum, has been featured in Financial News’ list of the most influential women in European finance for the third consecutive year.
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