EMEA Committee Members

EMEA Executive Committee

Emma Russell

Chair

Haynes Boone

Emma Russell

Partner | Head of the Finance Practice Group | London | Haynes Boone

Emma Russell is a partner and head of the Finance Practice Group in the London office of Haynes and Boone. Emma is an experienced loan finance lawyer with extensive knowledge in global fund finance, real estate finance transactions, and structured and specialty finance, as well as more general experience in acquisition, leverage, and general corporate finance. Her practice focuses on the full range of fund lending products across all fund sectors, (including private equity, real estate, secondaries, infrastructure, and hedge) from capital call facilities, hybrid/NAV facilities, to general partner support, co-invest facilities and portfolio acquisition facilities and assisting funds with structuring. Emma has significant experience advising credit funds and their lenders in relation to leverage facilities to CLO’s/CDO’s and securitisation vehicles. Emma’s experience also includes advising both lenders and funds on private equity, receivables financing, asset based lending, speciality finance, real estate fund structuring, and acting for both lenders and sponsors in relation to investment and development real estate finance and leverage restructurings. Emma has spent significant time working in-house with various financial institutions during her career. She has gained varied experiences with both business and legal teams across all lending sectors. Emma co-chairs the European Committee of Women in Fund Finance, a group associated with the Fund Finance Association, which is focused on recognition and promotion of women leaders within the alternative investment fund finance industry.

Kathryn Cecil

Deputy Chair

Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson (London) LLP

Charlie Bischoff

Partner

Travers Smith LLP

Charlie Bischoff

Partner | Travers Smith LLP

Charles is a partner in the Finance Group at Travers Smith where he co-heads the Fund Finance team, in addition to leading the Speciality Finance team. He specialises in fund finance, speciality finance, corporate lending, and general banking matters acting for financial institutions, private equity sponsors, investors and borrowers.

Charles represents lenders and borrowers on complex and highly structured transactions, predominantly in the fund finance and speciality finance spaces. He has a particularly well-established lender practice advising on a number of different financings across the full spectrum of products in the fund finance space, in particular investor call bridge/subscription facilities, NAV and hybrid facilities, GP support/co-invest facilities, and equity commitment-backed facilities to funds, GPs, managers and investors across a range of asset classes.

An internationally-recognised name in the fund finance space, Charles is a regular speaker and author on the topic. He most recently presented at the Fund Finance Association's Global Market Update in 2020. Charles is ranked in Band 1 for Fund Finance by Chambers and Partners UK 2022.

Sarah Francis

Partner

Maples Group

Sarah Francis

Partner | Maples Group

Sarah is a partner of Maples and Calder's Banking and Finance team in the Maples Group's Dublin office. Sarah has extensive experience advising on domestic and cross-border banking transactions. Sarah's practice focuses on advising lenders and borrowers in relation to corporate debt facilities, fund financing, acquisition financing, real estate financing (investment and development), fund financing and debt restructurings.

Sarah was elected as a partner in 2016. Prior to joining the Maples Group, she worked in the banking team at Allen & Overy in London and Addleshaw Goddard in Manchester. IFLR 2021 has ranked Sarah as 'Highly Regarded' and clients attest that Sarah is "Very clear communication, technically very strong and very personable" and "Excellent project management skills, customer service, attention to detail, responsiveness, knowledge of their field and communication". In Chambers Europe 2021, clients report that Sarah is "really commercial" and note her ability to give "sensible, commercial advice". She attracts further praise for her direct involvement in matters. Her broad practice encompasses real estate development finance, acquisition finance and loan-on-loan facilities.

Member of the Law Society of Ireland
Member of 100 Women in Finance

Helen Griffiths

Head of Structuring, Fund Solutions

Investec

Sabih Hussain

Head of Capital Markets

Corinthia

Sabih Hussain

Head of Capital Markets | Corinthia

Sabih Hussain is the Head of Capital Markets and is a member of the senior leadership team at Corinthia Global Management. He is responsible for overseeing Corinthia’s global banking relationships and partners. He has over 23 years industry experience and prior to joining Corinthia, he was the Global Head of Financing at Barings, where he arranged, structured, negotiated and executed Fund Finance transactions.

Sabih is a member of the FFA EMEA Executive Committee and holds an M.A. in International Relations from the Hult Business School.

Hutchinson, Samantha (King & Spalding LLP)

Samantha Hutchinson

Partner

King & Spalding LLP

Samantha Hutchinson

Partner | King & Spalding LLP

Samantha is a Fund Finance partner and leads the Fund Finance team based in the firm’s London office.

With over 20 years of experience in the fund finance market, Samantha represents financial institutions, private market and other asset managers across all fund finance products, including subscription lines, primary and secondary leverage and liquidity lines, GP and executive financings, co-investment facilities and various distribution solutions across all asset classes. Samantha is consistently recognised as an industry leader and leading practitioner by Chambers UK, Legal 500 UK, IFLR 1000, IR 1000 Women Leaders, and The Drawdown Most Influential Fund Finance Experts. She was also featured in the 2020 edition of The Lawyer’s Hot 100 list, which highlights the UK’s “most daring, innovative and creative lawyers.”

Joe Mahon

Partner/CFO

Coller Capital

Billal Malik

Director

Citibank

Billal Malik

Director | Citibank

Billal is a Director within Citi's Subscription Credit Finance team based in London, covering private equity fund clients across Europe. Billal has been with Citi for 11 years, and always had roles focussed on private equity clients. Billal established the Fund Finance Association's Next Generation network, which currently has chapters in the US, Europe and Asia. He was awarded the Fund Finance Next Generation Member of year in 2020 for his efforts in promoting mentorship, network, career enhancement and charity opportunities for future fund finance leaders. Billal holds a first class honours degree from Imperial College London and is a Chartered Alternative Investment Association professional. Billal takes a keen interest in sports, particularly football (soccer).

Steven Mansy

Head of Fund Finance Origination EMEA

Macquarie Group

Stuart McIntosh

European Head of Subscription Finance

SMBC

Stuart McIntosh

European Head of Subscription Finance | SMBC

Stuart McIntosh is Executive Director, Head of European Subscription Finance at SMBC. Based in London his focus is on originating, structuring and execution of subscription credit facilities whilst also working with SMBC colleagues to deliver the bank’s global product suite to Private Equity Sponsor clients.

Prior to joining SMBC in 2019, Stuart was European Head of Sponsor Coverage & Subscription Finance at Commonwealth Bank of Australia London. He started his career at HSBC where he spent 10yrs in various investment management client coverage and support roles. Stuart is a graduate of Brunel University where he majored in Business.

Shelley Morrison

Head of Fund Finance

abrdn

Shelley Morrison

Head of Fund Finance | abrdn

Shelley Morrison is Head of Fund Financing at abrdn with extensive experience in the origination, structuring and execution of fund level debt facilities. She has been with the company since 2019. Before joining the company, Shelley was a Relationship Director in the Fund Finance team at RBS for 6 years where she managed a portfolio of subscription loans, NAV loans and GP finance to global funds across Private Equity, Private Debt, Infrastructure and Real Estate. Prior to that, she worked in structured asset finance at RBS and Lloyds for 10 years, with a focus on commercial ship finance. Shelley received a first-class honours degree in Geography and an MSc in Social and Political Theory, both from the University of Edinburgh.

Sharman, Aimee (Mayer Brown International LLP)

Aimee Sharman

Partner

Mayer Brown International LLP

Robin Smith

Partner

Carey Olsen

Robin Smith

Partner | Carey Olsen

Robin is consistently recognised for his ability to deal with a wide range of international corporate and finance transactions. He has acted on numerous significant portfolio acquisitions and disposals. He often acts for both lenders and borrowers on complex financings, refinancings and restructurings and has significant experience in relation to the financing of investment funds.

Robin advises global banks and large corporates as well as smaller privately held entities. He also has experience advising in relation to the establishment, transfer and redomiciliation of banking business in Jersey.

Robin is a director of Carey Olsen Corporate Finance Limited which provides sponsor services in respect of The International Stock Exchange listings and regularly advises on transactions involving Eurobonds and other TISE listed securities.

Robin is ranked as a leading lawyer by Legal 500, Chambers and Partners and IFLR1000 and has been recently described as "the stand-out Jersey banking and finance lawyer". Recently, Robin advised the Government of Jersey on the establishment of the loan guarantee scheme to support local businesses through the coronavirus pandemic.

Leon Stephenson

Partner | Co-Head Fund Finance

Reed Smith LLP

Leon Stephenson

Partner | Co-Head Fund Finance | Reed Smith LLP

Leon is co-lead of the Reed Smith fund finance team, based in London. Leon and the team work with banks, other financial institutional lenders, managers, general partners and limited partners of funds on specialist fund financing transactions with private equity, secondaries, real estate, direct lending and infrastructure funds.

Leon has particular specialist knowledge of NAV/asset-backed and hybrid facilities, secondary funds facilities, capital call facilities, co-investment and GP/manager support facilities and other types of liquidity facilities provided to funds.

Leon is recognized as a “Leading Individual” in Fund Finance by Legal 500 UK 2023 and the team is recognized in Band 1 in Fund Finance by both Legal 500 UK 2023 and Chambers & Partners UK 2023. Leon was also recognized as “Partner of the Year for Banking” at the Client Choice Awards 2017. Leon represents a large proportion of lenders that provide fund financing as well as a number of private equity and other funds on complex fund finance transactions.

Raghav Wadhawan

Executive Director

Standard Chartered Bank

Raghav Wadhawan

Executive Director | Standard Chartered Bank

Raghav Wadhawan is an Executive Director at Standard Chartered Bank. Based in London, he is part of the Sponsors Coverage team which is a global coverage team focused on origination and execution of transactions for Private Equity Funds across the fund and asset level. His focus is on covering Sponsors across Private Equity, Real Estate, Credit, and Infrastructure sectors and on a global basis. Raghav is responsible for supporting Sponsor clients with fund facilities, ranging across Subscription, Hybrid, NAV, and GP Financing. Prior to joining Standard Chartered Bank, Raghav worked at Lehman Brothers. He has an Economics degree from the London School of Economics and a Masters in Finance from Imperial College. Raghav is also a CFA charterholder and part of the FFA EMEA Executive Committee.

Jill Wilson

MD, Global Head of Financial Sponsors

Lloyds Bank

EMEA Advisory Council

Haakon Blakstad

Chief Commercial Officer

Validus Risk Mangement

Haakon Blakstad

Chief Commercial Officer | Validus Risk Mangement

Haakon Blakstad has more than 15 years’ experience in financial services and capital markets, having previously worked in front office roles at Visa, Hoare Capital, and Société Générale. During his career he has built strong relationships with institutional investors and alternative investment managers globally, and in recent years has been instrumental in the delivery of risk management solutions to managers with several hundred billion dollars in combined AUM. Haakon holds a BA with honours in Business Management from Newcastle University.

Jen Yee Chan

Partner

Simmons & Simmons

Lee Doyle

Partner

Ashurst

Spencer Goss

Senior Director

RBS International

Richard Fletcher

Partner

Macfarlanes

Richard Fletcher

Partner | Macfarlanes

Richard advises asset managers, financial institutions and corporates on a range of financing matters.

He focuses on structured finance and fund finance across a wide variety of asset classes and investment strategies including consumer credit, mortgages, corporates loans (BSL, SME and middle market), credit funds, auto loans, private equity, secondaries, real estate and structured credit.

His work includes advising on:

SRT;
securitisation and structured products;
leverage facilities, NAV financings and investor call bridge facilities;
repacks; and receivables financing, asset-based lending and specialty finance.

Amira Hajili

Head of Equity Bridge and Hybrid Fund Financing

Natixis

Guillaume Hartog

Managing Director | Head Subscription Finance

BNP Paribas

Marcus Carrington Palmer

Managing Director, Head of Lending - Fund Finance

RBC

Ian Taylor

Managing Director | Head of EMEA Fund Finance

ING

Ian Taylor

Managing Director | Head of EMEA Fund Finance | ING

Ian joined ING in 2001 to set up the Fund Finance team in London. He is a Managing Director and Head of ING’s Fund Finance operation in EMEA with teams based in London and Luxembourg.

Ian’s team are responsible for the origination, execution and portfolio management of subscription and NAV facilities to funds managed by Financial Sponsors and Asset Management firms based in the EMEA region.

Ian is a member ING’s management team which determines the bank’s global strategy for Fund Finance. He has over 30 years of banking experience and has previously worked for JP Morgan and Robert Fleming.

Vassiliyan Zanev

Partner

Loyens & Loeff

Vassiliyan Zanev

Partner | Loyens & Loeff

Vassiliyan Zanev co-chairs the Investment Management group of Loyens & Loeff and leads the fund finance practice of Loyens & Loeff in Luxembourg. He represents a variety of financial institutions, investment funds and corporations across a range of structured finance and lending transactions, with particular emphasis on fund finance, securitisation and real estate finance. Vassiliyan has extensive experience in the financing of Luxembourg alternative or regulated investment fund borrowers (including by way of capital call subscription credit facilities and permanent leverage solutions). Vassiliyan is a member of the EMEA Advisory Council of the Fund Finance Association.