Philip
Stopford

Mr. Stopford represents investment banks, commercial banks, private equity sponsors, corporate borrowers and alternative lenders on super senior, senior and subordinated financing arrangements, in Europe and internationally.

Mr. Stopford has been repeatedly recognized as a leading lawyer by Chambers Europe, Chambers Global, Chambers UK, The Legal 500 UK and IFLR1000. He is ranked in the Leveraged Finance: Big Ticket category by Chambers UK and Chambers Europe, in the Acquisition Finance category by The Legal 500 UK and in the Banking category for IFLR1000. Mr. Stopford’s role in the financing for the acquisition of Applus+ by TDR Capital and I Squared Capital won the Financial Times’ Innovative Lawyers Europe Award in the “Dealmaking” category and was featured by IFLR as the “Loan Deal of the Year” in its Europe Awards.

Mr. Stopford has been identified as “a consummate professional who provides good, clear, reliable, actionable advice.” He “is a true trusted advisor with a great delivery and a sense of humor that makes him a great communicator” and “has the ability to advise on both legal and commercial issues, combined with pragmatism and an ability to find solutions.”

Mr. Stopford’s notable transactions include representing:

• The debt providers in connection with:
  • The infrastructure financing for the proposed £5.75 billion public‑to‑private acquisition of DCC Energy by KKR and Energy Capital Partners;
  • The €2.15 billion (equivalent) of credit facilities made available to Boluda Towage and the previous amendment, extension and upsizing to Boluda’s €1.2 billion debt facilities;
  • The financing for the €1.65 billion public‑to‑private acquisition of Applus+ by TDR Capital and I Squared Capital and the subsequent upsizing and repricings of the €800 million term loan B;
  • The $4.6 billion financing supporting American Axle & Manufacturing’s public‑to‑private acquisition of LSE‑listed Dowlais;
  • The £1.35 billion financing for the public‑to‑private acquisition of LSE‑listed Spirent Communications by Keysight;
  • The credit facilities to finance the acquisition of a controlling interest in Sedex Information Exchange by Apax;
  • The financing supporting the acquisition of the treasury and capital markets (TCM) business of the Finastra Group by Apax;
  • The financing supporting the acquisition of Techone by KKR;
  • The financing supporting the acquisition of Sebia by Warburg Pincus;
  • The financing for the £534 million public‑to‑private acquisition of LSE‑listed Hotel Chocolat by Mars; 
  • The amendment and extension, and upsizing, of the $3 billion term, revolving and bonding facilities made available to Aggreko, a portfolio company of TDR Capital and I Squared Capital;
  • The €4.1 billion amend‑and‑extend refinancing transaction for EG Group and the repricing and upsize of EG Group’s Euro and U.S. Dollar term facilities, in one of the largest and most successful repricing transactions at the time;
  • The unitranche credit facilities to finance the acquisition of Immedica Pharma by KKR;
  • The senior credit facilities to finance the acquisition of Nexeye by KKR; and
  • The credit facilities made available to finance the acquisition by Warburg Pincus of its stake in Aztec Group.
• Neoen, a portfolio company of Brookfield Renewable Partners, in connection with its €650 million high‑yield green senior secured notes offering.

Prior to joining Cravath, Mr. Stopford’s notable transactions include representing the lenders in connection with financing the acquisition of T-Mobile Netherlands by Apax and Warburg Pincus, the £2.3 billion public‑to‑private acquisition of Aggreko by I Squared Capital and TDR Capital, the £30 billion public‑to‑private acquisition of Sky by Comcast, the €3.1 billion public‑to‑private acquisition of Iliad Group by Xavier Niel, the £563 million public-to-private acquisition of Arrow Global by TDR Capital and the acquisition of Acqua & Sapone by HIG Capital. His borrower-side representations prior to joining the Firm include various financing transactions for DBAY, GlobalFoundries, Mubadala and Bridgepoint

Mr. Stopford was born in Washington, D.C. He received a B.A. in 2004 in mathematics with honors from Oxford University, a PGDL in 2005 with merit from Oxford Brookes University and an LPC in 2006 with distinction from the Oxford Institute of Legal Practice.