Current practice

Wendy joined the Sydney office of Freehills in 1994 and became a partner in the Banking & Finance group on 1 July 2005. She has previously worked in the Litigation and Projects groups.

Wendy’s major areas of practice include property and construction  finance, general corporate finance and structured finance.

Industry experience

Property and construction finance

Wendy has extensive experience in transactions involving property acquisition and construction finance. The major transactions in which she has acted include:

• Babcock & Brown on the development of a structured property acquisition finance product and related debt finance
• Toga Accommodation Fund on various secured financings in connection with its Australian and European property portfolios
• various syndicates of banks on various secured financings of the hotel portfolio of Tourism Asset Holdings Limited, including following the on-market takeover by Babcock & Brown 
• Commonwealth Bank of Australia on various secured financings of the ING Real Estate Community Living Fund (previously Village Life Trust), a listed property trust, in relation to the acquisition and development of retirement villages throughout Australia
• Babcock & Brown Japan Property Trust on the JPY8.5 billion secured financing for the acquisition of properties through its TK operator
• Commonwealth Bank of Australia on the $110 million secured senior financing of the development of a new transport interchange at Chatswood train station and related retail and residential works
• Everest Babcock & Brown Income Fund and Everest Babcock & Brown Opportunities Fund on their participation in a mezzanine financing of European port assets 
• Colony Capital on the Australian aspects of its global secured financing for the acquisition of the Fairmont hotel portfolio and related joint venture arrangements 
• Colony Capital on the Australian aspects of its global secured financing for the acquisition of the Raffles hotel portfolio
• Commonwealth Bank of Australia on the $100 million sale and leaseback financing of five properties in Victoria, Queensland, New South Wales, the ACT and South Australia and various amendments to, and restructures of, those facilities
• Bank of Western Australia Limited on the secured financing of the acquisition and development of the Murramarang and Myall Shores Ecopoint Resorts
• Commonwealth Bank of Australia on the $150 million secured financing of the acquisition of the ANA Hotel (now the Shangri-La Hotel) in Sydney
• Commonwealth Bank of Australia on the $160 million senior and mezzanine secured financing of the Multiplex residential development at Darling Island in Sydney.

Corporate, structured and other finance

Wendy has also acted for lenders and borrowers on a number of corporate finance transactions, as well as other structured and general finance transactions, including acting for:

• Babcock & Brown on its $2.35 billion secured syndicated multi-currency corporate financing
• various Babcock & Brown and Everest Capital wholesale and retail funds in relation to their fundraising activities, investment in offshore absolute return funds as well as subordinated debt and equity co-investment opportunities, and custodian and nominee arrangements 
• Amalgamated Holdings Limited on various secured syndicated multi-currency corporate financings and refinancings, in relation to its property portfolio and cinema businesses
• National Australia Bank Limited and Commonwealth Bank of Australia on the $270 million syndicated and bilateral financing of Australian Agricultural Company Limited
• various financial institutions in relation to their principal-to-principal tax-based structured funding arrangements.

Professional background