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Rishi Hindocha

Partner

Email

rishi.hindocha@aoshearman.com

Phone

+65 6671 6274

Offices

Singapore

V-CARD
Rishi has extensive experience advising on restructuring, insolvency and financing matters in a wide range of industries and jurisdictions.

His work includes advising on financings for distressed and special situations, informal (consensual) restructuring, formal (court based) statutory rehabilitation and reorganisation (such as via scheme of arrangement) and on insolvency, recovery and enforcement (such as through judicial management, liquidation and receivership).

Rishi advises stakeholders across the capital structure on restructuring and enforcement options, distressed debt trading and financings, distressed M&A acquisition finance and structured financings.

Before joining our Singapore office, Rishi was based in London with the firm’s award winning London restructuring practice group and has advised on some of the largest and most complex cross-border financings and restructurings, including on Metinvest Group’s award winning scheme of arrangement and the COMI-shift scheme of arrangement for Celsa Huta, the first time an English scheme had been used to restructure a Polish corporate.

Rishi was voted a Rising Star at the 2023 IFLR Asia Pacific Awards, a Rising Star in the 2022 Global Restructuring Review 40 under 40 and featured in INSOL International’s 2022 Young Practitioner Spotlight.

Experience

Representative matters

  • A global financial institution in its capacity as a bilateral lender and scheme creditor in the high-profile restructuring and Singapore scheme of arrangement of PT Pan Brothers Tbk.
  • The de facto steering committee (led by Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Bank Mandiri) and bank syndicate of 18 onshore Indonesia and regional banks on the successful USD3.2 bn financial restructuring of PT Perkebunan Nusantara III, an Indonesian state-owned enterprise.
  • Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd in connection with its exposure to Floatel International, one of the world’s largest offshore accommodation or “floatel” (floating hotel) providers.
  • Singamas Container Holdings Limited on the debt re-profiling, and subsequent repayment of the debt, by its controlling shareholder, Pacific International Lines (Private) Limited (PIL) involving a Singapore scheme of arrangement undertaken by PIL and a USD600m financing package from Heliconia Capital Management Pte. Ltd.
  • A major Singapore conglomerate in regard to the proposed restructuring of and subsequently recovery action against a Cayman incorporated and Singapore listed upstream oil and gas group.
  • An ad-hoc committee of bondholders on the restructuring of an airline headquartered in Asia.
  • The Hong Kong branch of an International Bank on recovery and enforcement advice in connection with a financing to a Hong Kong borrower under a secured and guaranteed HKD3 billion facility. The facility was guaranteed by Kaisa Group Holdings Limited, a prominent real estate developer in the People’s Republic of China.
  • The creditors on recovery and enforcement advice in their capacity as lenders to the majority shareholders of Fullerton Healthcare Corporation Limited, a leading healthcare services provider headquartered in Singapore.
  • An International Bank in relation to its exposure as a creditor of Sapura Energy Bhd., a Malaysian oil and gas services company listed on Bursa Malaysia.
  • The steering committee of lenders on (i) interim stabilization measures leading to (ii) recovery in full through (a) injections of shareholder finance and (b) the takeover and de-listing of the PureCircle Group, a leading global F&B producer of stevia leaf sweeteners.
  • A syndicate of lenders in connection with the restructuring of an up to USD300 million syndicated facility to a subsidiary of PT Rajawali Corpora. This transaction involved several key hotel assets in Indonesia and Malaysia, a mining subsidiary and one of the largest gold producers in Southeast Asia.
  • A creditor on their debt claims in the high-profile liquidation of major cryptocurrency hedge fund, Three Arrows Capital Ltd.

Pro bono

  • Working with HCSA on their mentorship programme “STEP UP”, providing mentorship and support to ex-offenders as part of their reintegration into society.
  • Working with the Halogen Foundation in Singapore on their entrepreneurship programme for high school-aged children.
  • Working with ItsRainingRaincoats, a migrant worker charity in Singapore, advising on corporate governance matters.
  • Working with Art:Dis, a Singapore charity, advising on contracts.

Published Work

  • Rishi Hindocha, Rivan Supriadi (2023) “The restriction on loan principal haircuts for Indonesian SOE Banks – a practical challenge for loan portfolio management”, INSOL World
  • Rishi Hindocha, Benjamin Foo (2023) “Debtor-in-possession restructurings in Singapore: Moving towards timely and cost-effective debt restructuring solutions”, INSOL World
  • Rishi Hindocha, Michael Pek, Jonathan Cho (2022), “Fishing in turbulent waters: crypto opportunities in Singapore and the US”, IFLR
  • Ian Chapman, Rishi Hindocha, Michael Pek (2022), “Crypto loans and security: Lessons from the crypto winter”, INSOL International 
  • Ian Chapman, Rishi Hindocha, Michael Pek (2022), “Pride may hurt Singapore’s aim to be restructuring hub”, The Business Times
  • Article on the Re Kobian Pte Ltd decision in which the Singapore High Court, for the first time, exercised its discretion to decide that a scheme of arrangement proposal put forward by a company was not feasible and ultimately did not grant the scheme company leave to hold scheme creditor meetings
  • Article on the Re Prosafe SE decision, which discusses the Rule in Gibbs, a principle which provides that an English law debt may only be modified or extinguished under English law. This article was requested for re-publication by Herstructurering en Recovery Online (Business Restructuring & Recovery Online) in the Netherland
  • Article on the key changes introduced by the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act
  • Article on the Re Rooftop Group International Pte Ltd case of a Singapore company that was subject to Chapter 11 proceedings in the US and whether the moratorium protection under Chapter 11 extended to enforcement action taken in Singapore

Speaking Engagements

  • Guest speaker at the Singapore Academy of Law
  • Guest speaker at APLMA seminars
  • Guest speaker at a panel seminar hosted by the University of Sydney Law School
  • Guest speaker at Jindal Global Law School
  • Guest speaker at National Academy of Legal Studies and Research in Hyderabad
  • Guest speaker at National Law University Delhi 

Leadership Positions And Professional Affiliations

  • Member of the Law Society of England and Wales
  • Member of the Turnaround Management Association
  • Member of INSOL
  • Member of International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC)

Recognition

“Rishi is a technically strong lawyer and a future market leader in restructuring.”
Chambers and Partners, 2022
“Rishi is a technically strong lawyer and a future market leader in restructuring.” “He is a really strong lawyer on matters that are difficult and he has a good ability to manage various stakeholders, which is as important as the technical piece.”
Chambers and Partners, 2023

Awards

  • Rising Star Award, IFLR Asia Pacific Awards for International Firms, 2023
  • Rising Star Award, Global Restructuring Review 40 under 40, 2022
  • Featured in INSOL International’s Young Practitioner Spotlight, 2022

Qualifications

Admissions

Admitted as solicitor, England and Wales, 2010

Academic

LLB (Hons), The London School of Economics and Political Science

Languages

English, Gujarati, Hindi
Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.