Denise Grant

Denise Grant

Partner

Email

dgrant@aoshearman.com

Phone

+1 212 848 7959

Offices

New York

V-CARD
Denise has over 25 years of experience advising lenders and borrowers on the most complex corporate, acquisition and project related financings across the Americas. The breadth of Denise’s practice is expansive both geographically and across sectors. She covers all major markets in Latin America with a strong foothold in Chile, Mexico and Peru and spans key sectors, including banking, energy, mining, consumer products, investments and retail.

Her client base is equally diverse with a mix of corporates and state-owned borrowers and lenders to such borrowers, including Peruvian mining company, Volcan, Peru’s largest consumer goods company, Alicorp, and Chilean power company, Transelec, as well as state-owned oil and gas company ENAP, and the lenders to Petrobras, Pemex and The Bahamas. Denise’s practice is complemented by a longstanding roster of international commercial bank clients, including Credit Agricole, Bank of America, Citibank, Scotiabank, and BBVA among others. In the US, Denise serves as the go to borrower’s counsel for multinationals such as The Olayan Group, American Axle and Paramount Global in their multi-billion financings related to corporate matters and strategic acquisitions in the respective sectors.

A longstanding champion of diversity, equity and inclusion, Denise is a founder of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee. With her leadership, the initiative has become part of the DNA of the firm, which has been recognized as “Top Firm for Diversity” by The American Lawyer and one of the “Best Law Firms for Minority Attorneys and for Minority Equity Partners” by Law360.

Expertise

Industries

Experience

Representative matters

  • The lenders in connection with a $1.54 billion three-year senior unsecured revolving credit facility for Comisión Federal de Electricidad de México, the largest state-owned electric utility of Mexico. 
  • Transelec, a leading power company in Chile, in connection with its revolving credit facilities for corporate financing and a  project financing related to the company’s expansion in the Chilean transmission market.
  • Barclays Bank, as arranger, in connection with a $500 million senior unsecured credit facility that, jointly with a $1.1 billion equity contribution from Pemex, funded the acquisition of Pemex’s 50% stake in Deer Park Refining, L.P. (Deer Park) from Shell. 
  • The lenders in connection with facilities for subsidiaries and affiliates of Mexican conglomerate, Grupo Alfa, including Nemak, Sigma, Alpek, and Axtel. 
  • American Axle & Manufacturing, Inc., as borrower on the $2.55 billion financing acquisition of Metaldyne Performance Group, Inc. and all the company’s former and subsequent financings. 
  • Paramount Global on its $3.5 billion revolving credit facility and the $1.62 billion sale of Simon & Schuster to KKR. 
  • Alicorp, the largest Peruvian consumer goods company, in connection with a series of unsecured senior loans totaling $420 million. 
  • Scotiabank, BBVA and Bank of America, as arrangers, in connection with a $200 million green loan facility to Copec S.A., which will be used to finance new energy and electromobility projects and to enhance the portfolio of new businesses related to the energy transition.
  • The lenders in connection with a series of loans (aggregate value $897 million) to Cencosud, one of Latin America’s largest retailers, with respect to Cencosud’s acquisition of a majority stake in the Fresh Market, a premium specialty grocer with 160 stores across the United States. 
  • Volcan as borrower, and Compañía Minera, Óxidos de Pasco and Empresa Administradora Cerro, as guarantors, in connection with a $400 million four-year senior unsecured credit facility provided to Volcan for the refinancing of its outstanding 5.375 percent Senior Notes. 
  • Various lenders in over 20 transactions related to credit facilities for Pemex, the Mexican state-owned petroleum company, with an aggregate value in excess of $20 billion. 
  • BNP Paribas and Banco Nacional de México, S.A., integrante del Grupo Financiero Banamex, as mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners in connection with a $240 million senior unsecured term loan credit facility provided to Mabe.
  • The proceeds of the credit facility and cash on hand were used by Mabe to fund a $336 million tender offer and consent solicitation.
  • The Bank of Nova Scotia, as administrative agent, in connection with a $125 million five-year senior unsecured term loan facility for Gruma, S.A.B. de C.V., the largest corn flour and tortilla manufacturer in the world. 
  • The Olayan Group, a Saudi Arabian investment company, in connection with numerous financings. 
  • Fenway Sports Group Holdings, LLC, the holding company of the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club and the Pittsburgh Penguins, in connection with multi-million dollar credit facilities for FSGH, the Red Sox and the Penguins, respectively, and to fund FSG’s investment in the PGA Tour. 
  • The lenders in connection with a senior secured bridge facility to AES Clean Energy.
  • The lenders in Fibra Terrafina’s $485 million dual-tranche sustainability-linked senior unsecured credit facility. 
  • Banco de Galicia y Buenos Aires S.A., Itaú Unibanco S.A., Nassau Branch, Banco Santander Río S.A., and Citibank, N.A. as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners, in connection with the $300 million senior unsecured credit facility to Vista Oil & Gas Argentina, S.A. 
  • Albemarle in connection with (i) the $1.2 billion credit facility, with JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, as joint lead arrangers to finance the acquisition of a 60% interest in certain assets comprising Mineral Resources Limited’s Wodgina lithium project in Western Australia and (ii) an amendment to their existing revolving credit facility in connection therewith. 
  • Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, as arranger on a €207 million credit facility for The Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The proceeds of the loan will be used to finance certain strategic government projects.
  • Agrosuper S.A. in connection with four separate bilateral financings by JPMorgan Chase Bank, BNP Paribas, Bank of America and HSBC of Agrosuper’s acquisition of AquaChile, one of Chile’s largest salmon producers, and for other corporate purposes. 
  • The lenders in connection with various financings for Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras), the Brazilian state-owned oil and gas company and one of the largest oil and gas producers in the world. 
  • Empresa Nacional del Petróleo, the Chilean state-owned energy company, in various financings totaling over $500 million. 
  • Energía del Valle de México Generador as borrower, and EFS Global Energy and EVM Tenedora as sponsors on senior secured term and letter of credit facilities, and the issuance of senior secured fixed rate notes to finance the development and operation of an approximately 850 MW greenfield combined cycle natural gas-fired power plant in the Axapusco municipality located outside of Mexico City. 

Recognition

“Denise is "the go-to whenever I need help with corporate loans and structured transactions," "a very practical and commercial legal adviser," and that "super professional across the table and gets things done quickly and efficiently.”
Clients tell Chambers & Partners

Awards

  • Lauded as one of the "2022 Most Influential Black Lawyers" by Savoy Magazine
  • Lauded as "Highly Regarded" by IFLR1000 (2021 and 2022)
  • Ranked Band 1 Latin America-for Banking & Finance by Chambers Latin America (2022); ranked Band 1 for Banking and Finance in Latin America and noted for foreign expertise in Latin America-wide for Banking & Finance – USA by Chambers Global (2022)
  • Named Leading Lawyer for Banking and Finance and recognized for Projects and Energy by Legal 500 Latin America (2022)
  • Selected to Top 100 Female Lawyer List by Latinvex (2019-2021)
  • Named Leading Lawyer in Banking by IFLR 1000 (2020)
  • Named to Mexico Private Practice Powerlist by Legal 500 Latin America (2017-2019)

Qualifications

Admissions

Washington, DC, 1991
New York State (First Dept), 1990

Academic

B.A., International Relations and Affairs, George Washington University, 1986
J.D., Georgetown University, 1989
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.