Mark Kidston

About Mark Kidston

Mark is head of Allens' Leveraged Finance Practice Group and specializes in a wide range of international and domestic financings.  He specializes in leveraged and acquisition finance (senior and mezz loans, private credit, holdco mezz, unitranche and TLB financings)  He acts for sponsor/borrowers, lenders and arrangers.

Clients particularly appreciate his clear and commercial approach and ability to provide problem-solving solutions.

Mark also acts regularly for lenders and borrowers on complex property finance transactions including numerous common terms structures, acquisitions and capital markets transactions (MTNs, 144a and USPP).

Mark also has expertise in corporate financings acting for borrowers and lenders including financiers for Sydney Airport, NRMA, Brisbane Airport, Mantle Hospitality Group, Woolworths.

Mark's recent experience includes:

Private Credit

• Hoyts - Advising Bain and Nomura on the Hoyts refinancing.
• QMS - Advising two Private Equity credit funds on funding of QPE's acquisition of QMS Media.
• TPG - Advising syndicate of private capital lenders to TPG in relation to a large health related asset.
• Metrics – Advising lenders to Metrics' DASLF Fund.
• Partners/HPS - Advising Partners Group and HPS on a number of Australian based acquisition financings

Leveraged and Acquisition Financings

• PEP Advisory lender to PEP on acquisitions of Up Education and Altus Traffic.
• Charter Hall – advising Charter Hall on the take private of the dual listed Irongate Property Group.
• Investec – advising Investec on the sale of its leveraged and fund finance loan book on Investec's exit from the Australian market.
• Modern Star – advising PEP on funding its acquisition of the Modern Star business and various bolt-ons.
• TPG/Novotech – advising unitranche lenders to TPG on its recent refinancing and dividend recap, and original acquisition of Novotech.
• LifeHealthcare – advising PEP on the original take private and various bolt-on acquisitions including Australian Biotechnologies and Swissmed and on the exit and sale of the business.
• Lenders to PEP – advising lenders to PEP on numerous financings including a NZ agri business, an Australian based education business, Manuka Health, Pinnacle Foods, Zip Industries, SCA Hygiene, Hoyts, Allied Mills.
• Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC – leveraged finance facility to fund Madison Dearborn Partner's acquisition of the majority shareholding in APM Group from Quadrant Private Equity.
• Genesis Care – long term role acting for a succession of lender groups to Genesis Care including the recent Euro TLB lenders.
• Fitness First, Goodlife and Jetts – advising lenders to QPE on its acquisition of Fitness First, Goodlife and Jetts gym businesses.
• Superior Foods – advising lenders to QPE on original acquisition and subsequent refinancings of the Superior Foods Group.
• TPG – acquisition of Fun Labs (Holy Moly, Strike Bowling). Unitranche deal.
• PEP Services Pty Limited – acting for PEP on their acquisition of WinConnect and its subsidiaries.

Property Financings

• Grosvenor – acted for the Grosvenor Group in establishing a complex structured secured syndicated loan facility to provide financing for the acquisition of residential stock overhang.
• Charter Hall Retail Management Limited – Allens advised Charter Hall on the $660,000,000 refinancing of Charter Hall's financing for Brisbane Square and Raine Square and a successful simultaneous cash defeasance of Indexed Annuity Bonds issued by Brisbane Square.
• UBS AG Australia Branch – advising on the financing of an acquisition of receivables from a major Australian property developer in connection with a landmark Sydney Harbour development.
• OCP Asia (Hong Kong) Limited – on the financing a number of Grocon developments including The Ribbon in Darling Harbour Sydney. A significant investment (on a senior and mezzanine basis) by a Hong Kong based debt fund into a number of Grocon sponsored development project.
• Goodman – advising on LIBOR transition, fund financings and 144a note issuances.
• Grosvenor – advising UK based Grosvenor on various property financings in Australia.
• UOB – advising on the financing of a WA based residential development.
• SCA Group – advising SCA on its original spin-off financings and all subsequent financings
• Charter Hall – advising CH on the acquisition of its stake in the Telstra Exchanges infrastructure assets. Also on acquisitions of the David jones building, Aldi stores, BP stations, Bunnings sites and numerous specific property acquisition financings.
• OCP Asia – Mantle Group Hospitality financing.
• Charter Hall Funds – advising CH on the financings of numerous funds including CPOF, CPIF, CQR, CHC Headstock, CHRP,LWIP, LWIP2, CLP and BSWF.

Corporate finance

• Investec – sale of its corporate and fund finance loan portfolios to Metrics Capital Partners.
• An international investment bank – on a number of capital call facilities to local private equity funds.
• UBS – advising UBS and a syndicate of banks on its portfolio financings for a large Australian based credit fund.
• Charter Hall – on its $750 million refinance of its Core Plus Office Fund, its 2015 debt funding platforms for Charter Hall Retail REIT, the $200 million refinanced of its Core Plus Industrial Fund, as well as advising its Diversified Property Fund, Charter Hall Retail Partnership and Charter Hall Office Trust.
• Brisbane Airport – advising the lender group to Brisbane Airport on all recent financings.
• CBA and NAB – on the creation of the innovative insurer backed guarantee facility for Woolworths.

Rankings

Mark is ranked Band 2 for Acquisition Finance and Band 3 for Property Finance.

Mark Kidston is a respected acquisition finance practitioner who also handles property financing matters. He elicits praise for his "good sponsor-side corporate following.“
Chambers Asia-Pacific 2023 – Acquisition Finance, Property Finance (on Mark Kidston)