John Schembri

John’s experience includes advising:

• Deutsche Bank on the multi-billion dollar syndicated facilities for AirTrunk’s hyper-scale data centres across Australasia and on the acquisition by Macquarie of an 88% stake in AirTrunk.

• The bank syndicates in relation to the $3.5 billion debt facilities to fund the Snowy 2.0 pumped-hydro power station and the financing of the Western Sydney Airport.

• MLAUBs in connection with EIG’s joint bid with Brookfield for Origin Energy. This was the most significant proposed deal of 2023, labelled the "400-day takeover of the decade".

• MLAUBs on the provision of a new debt funding platform for EIG, to facilitate the establishment of an LNG platform, initially comprising certain projects to be acquired from Tokyo Gas.

• The lending syndicate of 16 banks globally for the Destination Brisbane Consortium in a role that secured $1.6 billion in debt funding for the Queen’s Wharf Brisbane integrated resort development in central Brisbane.

• KKR on the financing of its $1.7 billion acquisition of a 55% interest in each of Colonial First State Investments as well as KKR’s acquisitions of MYOB, Laser Clinics, Arnotts, Education Perfect and Perpetual.

• TPG on the multi-billion financings of its leveraged acquisitions of Novotech, Inova, Greencross and Invocare.

• MIRA and Aware Super on the financing of their $3.6 billion acquisition of Vocus Group and the subsequent NZ$1.4 billion acquisition 2Degrees and Orcon.

• Westpac, MUFG and SMBC (MLAUBs) in relation to the financing of the $2.35 billion acquisition by Aurizon of freight rail group One Rail Australia.

• The financiers on the senior secured debt funding of the $10.3 billion privatisation of electricity distributor TransGrid by way of a 99-year lease, as well as the financing of Transgid’s numerous capexm, bilateral and working capital facilities.

• The financiers on the multi-billion dollar senior secured debt funding of the Ausgrid, as well as its ongoing capex and working capital requirements.

• The lender syndicate on the $950 million refinancing of Port of Newcastle’s syndicated debt facilities, including a new innovative green loan and sustainability linked loan structure.