Noel Hughes

Noel advises issuers and underwriters, as well as alternative capital investors, on high-profile leveraged financings, including high yield debt offerings, acquisition financings, debt liability management transactions and restructurings in the European and US markets.

Noel has worked on financings in all sectors and industries with particular expertise in infrastructure, telecommunications, natural resources and energy.

Work highlights

Noel has advised on many market-leading high yield, acquisition financings and other financings. Some recent examples of Noel’s work include advising:

Sponsor Financings

• the Empark group, a portfolio company of Macquarie Asset Management, on its offering of €575m of senior secured notes and its related €100m super senior revolving credit facility
• Värde Partners portfolio company Vía Célere on its green bond offering of €300m senior secured notes and its €30m super senior revolving credit facility
• Morgan Stanley and other banks in connection with the offering by Vine Energy, a Blackstone portfolio company, of US$950m senior notes
• the banks in connection with the offering by Evoca, a Lone Star portfolio company, of €550m senior secured notes

Corporate Financings

• El Corte Inglés on its offering of €600m of senior notes
• Neinor Homes on its green bond issuance of €300m senior secured notes
• BNP Paribas and other banks in connection with NH Hotels’ offering of €400m senior notes

Telco Financings

• Credit Suisse, J.P. Morgan and other banks on the US$3bn and US$2.8bn (equivalent) offerings of senior secured notes by Altice International
• A major international investment bank on the €211m (equivalent) of euro- and dollar-denominated senior secured notes in a private tap issuance by Altice International
• J.P. Morgan, BNP Paribas and other banks in connection with the $1.7bn bond offering and related financing transactions to finance Altice’s acquisition of Suddenlink
• the banks on the US$2.3bn committed financing for Altice USA’s sale of 49.99% of its Lightpath fibre enterprise business

Energy Financings

• J.P. Morgan, BNP Paribas and other banks in connection with Harbour Energy’s offering of US$500m senior notes
• J.P. Morgan and other banks in connection with Tullow Oil’s US$2.4bn refinancing, consisting of an offering of US$1.8bn of senior secured notes and a super senior secured revolving credit facility comprised of a US$500m revolving credit facility and a US$100m letter of credit facility
• Morgan Stanley and other banks in connection with Ithaca Energy’s offering of US$625m senior notes
• the banks in connection with New Fortress Energy’s US$1.5bn offering of senior notes and its US$200m revolving credit facility in a committed financing package for the acquisition of Hygo Energy Transition and Golar LNG Partners

Mining Financings

• First Quantum Minerals on multiple senior notes offering and related financings, the latest being its offering of US$1.5bn senior notes
• the initial purchasers and the revolving credit facility lenders in connection with Endeavour Mining’s US$500m senior notes and US$500m revolving credit facility
• Petra Diamonds on its debut high yield offering of US$300m senior secured second lien notes and its subsequent offering of US$650m senior secured second lien notes

Noel studied law at the Queen’s University Belfast and holds and master of law in commercial law from the University of Cambridge.