Melinda Perera

Melinda joined Linklaters Luxembourg in 2003, was promoted to Partner in 2017 and since May 2022, has been appointed as head of the Capital Markets and Banking practice of Linklaters Luxembourg.

Her capital markets practice concentrates on debt instruments and securitisation. 

Melinda’s banking practice includes advising on syndicated lending, investment grade, margin loan and leveraged acquisition finance, asset finance, real estate finance and distressed debt acquisitions. 

She also has special expertise in restructuring and insolvency and has played a major role in complex cross border restructuring, notably (i) for the Central Bank of Luxembourg as principal creditor of the Luxembourg banking subsidiary of collapsed Icelandic banks Landsbanki Islands hf., Glitnir Banki hf. and Kaupthing Bank; (ii) in restructuring in the renewable energy sector, the inspection safety business, the paper industry and in real estate. She has extensive experience of advising on multi-disciplinary and cross-border real estate finance transactions in the most demanding circumstances

Melinda has considerable experience advising clients on all sides of finance transactions, including banks, financial institutions, private equity houses and corporate clients. Her experience extends to a range of restructuring, insolvency, real estate financing, private equity, regulatory and capital markets transactions.

She also takes an active interest in pro bono and community work both inside and outside the firm

Work highlights

Melinda’s experience extends to a range of restructuring, insolvency, real estate financing, private equity regulatory and capital markets transactions. These include advising:

• Grand Duchy of Luxembourg: advising an international banking group on the issue of €1.5bn 0.0% Sustainability Bonds due 2032. This is the first sovereign sustainability issue in Europe.
• Since 2019, the Luxembourg Capital Markets practice group has been supporting the Europe Union’s historic recovery programme. We are working on issuances which helps them to finance European efforts on ESG. 
  We have notably advised CACIB on the update of the programme which incorporated the unprecedented EU's €750 billion recovery instrument, Next Generation EU, which aims to build a greener, more digital and more resilient future while supporting Member States in repairing their economies.
• the coordinating committee of lenders to a vehicle safety inspections business on the financial restructuring of its secured indebtedness
• the Central Bank of Luxembourg as principal creditor of the Luxembourg banking subsidiary of collapsed Icelandic banks Landsbanki Islands hf., Glitnir Banki hf. and Kaupthing Bank
• an investment manager in the refinancing of a large real estate portfolio in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, and the subsequent disposal of real estate assets of the portfolio
• Baring Private Equity Asia on its purchase of a majority stake in Vistra Group
• the specialised investment fund ProLogis European Properties Fund II on its Euro medium term note programme and following drawdowns
• eDreams ODIGEO, Permira Funds and Ardian on a €1.1bn restructuring in the context of an IPO

Having been actively involved in the charity world before becoming a lawyer, Melinda takes a leading role in the firm’s community investment programme in Luxembourg, which supports and promotes local and international charities initiatives. Below are some examples of the firm’s community engagement in which Melinda has been closely involved:

• Melinda is co-chair of the group that coordinates the firm’s partnership with local charities, such as Médecins du Monde, which provides healthcare to the most vulnerable in society, including refugees
• Together with other lawyers of the Luxembourg office, Melinda contributed to the Women, Business and the Law report, a publication of the World Bank Group that benchmarks laws and regulations influencing women’s capacity to participate in the workforce and start businesses
• Melinda was involved in the survey by Equality Now, an international human rights organisation working to protect the rights of women and girls around the world

Melinda’s published works include:

Women, Business and the Law, 2016

• Mixed fortunes for the Luxembourg subsidiaries of Landsbanki, Glitnir and Kaupthing, 2010
• Looking for a safe investment? Think about Lettres de Gage (Luxembourg For Finance N°1, 2009)

Melinda studied law at the University of Strasbourg and was a PhD student in constitutional law.

In the context of her PhD studies, Melinda obtained a scholarship for a Fulbright Seminar, which was conducted at Lafayette College.