Overview
As head of the firm’s Italian Restructuring & Insolvency practice, Francesco advises on major restructuring and insolvency deals, focusing on non-performing loans (NPLs), including securitisation and sales of NPL portfolios. He was closely involved in structuring the first two schemes of arrangement of Italian companies.
Francesco also has prowess in real estate finance, working in collaboration with the firm’s Real Estate practice, as well as experience in leveraged finance and general banking transactions.
Francesco spent six months on secondment to the structured finance department of Lehman Brothers in 2007, gaining first-hand insight into the acquisition of NPL portfolios.
Work highlights
Francesco has led on many of the market’s major restructurings. Highlights include advising:
- the lenders on the restructuring of the €1.2bn indebtedness of Tirreno Power, the Italian utility
- a pool of financial institutions on the €183m restructuring of the financial indebtedness of Pininfarina, the Italian car design firm, as well as on the contest for its acquisition
- Seat Pagine Gialle, the Italian marketing and advertising company, on its 2011-2012 financial restructuring
- Glencore in connection with the restructuring of the financial indebtedness of Carlo Colmbo, the Italian metal finishing company
- the senior lenders in the renegotiation of the senior debt of Polynt, the global polymers manufacturer
- Milanosesto, the largest development project in Italy, on the renegotiation of its banking facilities
- TH Real Estate and Neptune Property Venture in relation to the indirect acquisition of the major outlet centres Vicolungo and Castel Guelfo from IRUS
Professional experience
Francesco regularly speaks at conferences, including speaking on EU insolvency law at a conference in Paris, November 2015, and on NPL portfolio sales at a Loan Market Association (LMA) conference, March 2015.
Education and qualifications
Francesco studied law at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan.
He speaks English and Italian.