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Nikki specialises in special situations lending, distressed debt investing, restructuring and structured finance.

Nikki acts for credit funds, private equity funds, alternative investment funds, hedge funds, investment banks and other financial institutions in Australia and Asia on a broad range of financing transactions, largely in distressed or special situations contexts. She advises both borrowers and lenders on transactions involving special situations lending, rescue finance and restructurings, structured finance, complex real estate financing transactions and securitisation. Nikki also has extensive experience advising sellers, buyers and financiers on loan portfolio sales and related financings as well as in relation to distressed M&A transactions (both outside of and through formal insolvency processes).

Nikki is experienced across a broad range of financing products and in a number of different sectors, including real estate, consumer finance, mining services, aviation, logistics and healthcare, and uses this experience to help clients find innovative and bespoke financing solutions that meet the needs of their specific situations.

Nikki is experienced across a broad range of financing products and in a number of different sectors, including real estate, consumer finance, mining services and healthcare, and uses this experience to help clients find innovative and bespoke financing solutions that meet the needs of their specific situations.  

Nikki was recognised in 2020, 2021 and 2022 by Best Lawyers as one of Australia’s leading lawyers in the area of Insolvency & Reorganisation and was awarded Dealmaker of the Year at the Lawyers Weekly Law Awards in 2021. She is currently the Vice Chair of the NSW Committee of the Turnaround Management Association, and was the co-chair of the 2023 TMA National Conference (having previously also co-chaired for the 2020 conference)..

She has also been recognised by Chambers Asia Pacific as a Band 2 Lawyer for Restructuring/Insolvency (2023).

Background

Nikki holds a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales. She is admitted to practise in New South Wales.

Nikki has previously practised in London for a number of years at a premier law firm.

Experience & expertise

Selected matters

  • Bain Capital on its acquisition of Virgin Australia out of voluntary administration.
  • Allegro Funds on the financing aspects of its acquisition of Toll Global Express
  • the senior creditors on the financing aspects of the solvent debt for equity restructuring of the BIS Industries group and subsequently the BIS Industries group on each of its refinancing transactions since its debt for equity restructuring.
  • Deutsche Bank on its US$1.2bn cross-border financing of the acquisition by Key Safety Systems of the Takata Group out of multiple global insolvency processes
  • Deutsche Bank, KKR and Värde Partners on the circa $6bn securitised financing of their acquisition of the GE consumer finance business (now Latitude Financial Services)