Hector Craft
Image of Hector Craft

Hector Craft

Senior Associate

Hector specialises in leveraged finance/private capital, and also has significant experience in trade and commodity finance, fund finance and investment-grade corporate lending. In leveraged finance, Hector regularly acts for both private equity funds on the sponsor side and private credit funds and banks on the lender side.

He works across a broad range of products including senior, unitranche/stretched senior and super senior financings. Additionally, Hector frequently acts for sponsors and lenders on subscription line fund financings and has significant expertise in complex, cross-border asset-backed commodity financing arrangements. Further, Hector routinely advises corporates (and their lenders) in investment-grade lending (including event driven financings).

Hector is admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales, and joined the firm's Amsterdam office in 2019, having previously worked in the London office.

Expertise

Experience

Representative matters

Leveraged Finance/Private Capital – Sponsor side
  • Egeria on the financing provided by ABN AMRO and ING in respect of the acquisition of the Sonic Equipment group
  • DIF on the financing of the fibre optic roll out of its portfolio company, Adola 
  • Strikwerda on the financing provided by Berenberg, Bridgepoint and Permira in respect of the Your.Online portfolio company 
  • Waterland on the financing provided by a club of banks in respect of the acquisition of Van Wanrooij
  • Waterland on the financing provided by a club of banks in respect of the acquisition of De Jong & Laan Accountants
  • Waterland on the financing provided by debt funds in respect of the acquisition of Elk
  • MG on the financing provided by a club of banks in respect of the refinancing of portfolio company Happy Horizon Quadrum Capital on the refinancing provided by Barings in respect of the Interstellar portfolio company 
  • Apax Partners on the financing provided by HIG and Berenberg in respect of its acquisition of the Mentaal Beter group
Leveraged Finance/Private Capital – Lender side
  • Two debt funds in respect of their financing of the acquisition of TMC by an Apheon continuation fund and MML
  • A syndicate of banks in respect of the amendment and increase of 3i portfolio company Royal Sander’s existing senior financing arrangements 
  • OLB and Investec in respect of their financing of the acquisition of Superp Technology Consultants by Egeria 
  • A syndicate of banks in respect of the amendment, extension and increase of NPM portfolio company Conclusion’s existing senior financing arrangements 
  • A syndicate of banks in respect of the amendment, extension and increase of Antin’s portfolio company Eurofiber’s existing senior financing arrangements 
  • A syndicate of banks in respect of the financing of the deployment of a fibre optic network in Wallonia by Unifiber, a joint venture between Antin portfolio company Eurofiber and Proximus
  • A group of financial institutions in respect of their refinancing of the acquisition of the Quintes insurance group by Aquiline
  • A club of banks in respect of the refinancing of Riven portfolio company Ten Cate Protective Fabrics
  • A club of lenders in respect of the refinancing of Riven portfolio company ZND
  • Capital Four in respect of the financing of the acquisition of the Acture Group by IK Investment Partners
Fund finance
  • The Lender in respect of a number of bilateral subscription line facilities to a European fund
  • A syndicate of banks in respect of subscription line facilities to a European co-investment fund
  • A syndicate of banks in respect of subscription line facilities to a European secondaries fund
  • A syndicate of banks in respect of subscription line facilities to a European fund with a single-asset strategy
Trade and commodity finance
  • STX on its borrowing base facility
  • The mandated lead arrangers on borrowing base facilities for the Tiryaki Agro Group
  • The mandated lead arrangers on ECOM's Agroindustrial Corp Ltd borrowing base facility with an innovative sustainability feature 
  • The mandated lead arrangers on borrowing base facilities for the Sunrise group
  • The mandated lead arrangers on borrowing base and margin call facilities for Czarnikow
Corporate lending
  • ING Bank as arranger and underwriter in respect of an acquisition financing for the Pon group.
  • DSM in respect of its event driven bridge financing in connection with its merger with Firmenich.
  • DSM-Firmenich in respect of its bridge to bond financing.
  • ASR in respect of its underwritten event driven bridge financing in connection with its merger with Aegon.
  • A global financial institution as arranger and underwriter in respect of its €8bn financing for TenneT.

Qualifications

Admissions

Solicitor, England and Wales, 2018

Academic

BA, Jurisprudence, Oxford University, 2015

Languages

English
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.