Ken Astridge

Ken Astridge is a Partner in our Sydney office where he specialises in banking and finance. His practice is broadly based and covers property finance, structured finance, securitisation, capital markets, leveraged finance and withholding tax. Ken also has extensive experience in the stamp duty area, particularly in relation to large secured financing transactions.

Ken spent 2.5 years heading up the banking and finance practice in our London office. During his time in London his primary focus was large scale cross border acquisition financing and debt capital markets transactions (including acting in respect of a number European listed and unlisted debt issues).

Ken is named as a leading individual in the areas of Banking and Capital Markets: Debt by IFLR 1000 2008 and 2009 and is recommended in the 2009 edition of the Guide to the World's Leading Banking Lawyers produced by Euromoney's Legal Media Group.

Some of Ken's recent transactions include:

• Sydney Airport Corporations issue of $1,409 million credit wrapped partly paid medium term notes

• advising the banks to Macquarie Media Group on financing its acquisition of the Southern Cross Broadcasting 2007

• advising the Banks on the A$4.2bn financing of the PBL Media transaction 2007 (Debt deal of the year - Australian Law Awards 2008)

• advising Valad Funds Management on its issue of strategic placement of convertible bonds to Kimco Realty

• advising arranger on issue of 42 year bonds funding the development of the Pharmaceutical Australia Centre of Excellence for Queensland University

• advising the arrangers in connection with the issue of A$350,000,000 hybrid securities by the funds management arm of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Securitisation deal of the year - Australian Law Awards 2007).

Areas of expertise

• Banking and finance
• Capital markets
• Securitisation
• Project finance