Kenneth J. Ryan

Mr. Ryan counsels on acquisition financings, bond offerings and private placements, syndicated loan financings, private capital lending transactions, liability management transactions and restructurings across an extensive range of industries.

He also represents market participants in matters in the fintech sector and those involving Web3 and digital assets and blockchain technologies, with a focus on financing and corporate transactions.

Additionally, he has experience counseling on structured finance transactions, including infrastructure/utilities acquisition financings, whole business and mortgage-backed securitizations, various loan portfolio financings and esoteric derivatives transactions.

Mr. Ryan also counsels on a variety of social finance and pro bono transactions, and has advised on a number of public and private debt financing packages to support charitable initiatives in the United Kingdom, European Union, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.

Prior to joining the firm, following his training at a leading Irish law firm, Mr. Ryan worked at a top U.S. firm and a Magic Circle firm in London. Mr. Ryan has completed two secondments to J.P. Morgan, most recently to the capital markets desk in London, focused on European and cross-border high-yield bond and leveraged loan transactions.

Notable representations, including prior to joining Skadden, have included advising:

Bond Financings

• First Quantum Minerals on its issuance of $1 billion senior notes
• Long Ridge Energy, a subsidiary of FTAI Infrastructure Inc. managed by Fortress Investment Group, on its inaugural issuance of $600 million senior secured notes
• the initial purchasers on Azule Energy’s inaugural issuance of $1.2 billion senior notes due 2030
• the initial purchasers on Ivanhoe Mines’ inaugural issuance of $750 million senior notes due 2030
• the initial purchasers on Ithaca Energy’s inaugural issuance of $750 million senior notes due 2029
• Telpark, a portfolio company of Macquarie Asset Management, on its private placement of €125 million senior secured notes
• the initial purchasers on multiple issuances of senior secured notes, floating rate notes and senior holdco pay-if-you-can PIK notes by United Group, totaling over €2 billion
• the initial purchasers on multiple issuances of senior secured notes by Lottomatica, totaling nearly €1.5 billion
• eir on multiple issuances of senior secured notes, totaling nearly €1.5 billion
• Together on multiple issuances of senior secured notes and senior PIK toggle notes, totaling nearly £1.5 billion
• Jaguar Land Rover on multiple issuances of senior notes, totaling over €1 billion
• the initial purchasers on multiple issuances of senior secured notes and senior PIK toggle notes by Ardonagh, totaling nearly €1 billion
• the initial purchasers on GEMS Education’s issuance of $900 million senior secured notes due 2026 (IFLR Debt and Equity-Linked Deal of the Year)
• the initial purchasers on Kongsberg Automotive’s issuance of €275 million senior secured notes due 2025
• the initial purchasers on multiple issuances of senior secured floating rate notes by Fedrigoni, totaling nearly €1 billion
• the joint bookrunners on multiple issuances of senior notes by Vivion Investments, totaling €1 billion
• various issuers, investors and placement agents on numerous private placement bond transactions
• various corporations, financial institutions and sovereigns on other U.S. and Eurobond MTN programs, multisource debt platforms, stand-alone issuances and regulatory capital instruments

Liability Management Transactions

• First Quantum Minerals on its $750 million cash tender offer for its existing senior notes
• the dealer managers on Telecom Italia’s €5.5 billion equivalent liability management transaction, through an unprecedented structure incorporating concurrent exchange offers of euro and U.S. dollar notes for equivalent notes issued by Telecom Italia entities, later mandatorily exchanged for notes issued by Optics Bidco S.p.A., a KKR-controlled vehicle, upon completion of the sale of Telecom Italia’s landline network assets to KKR
• the sponsor of WiZink Bank on its €515 million holdco senior secured PIK toggle notes restructuring and €250 million new capital raise through a consensual exchange offer and consent solicitation, resulting in additional equity claims and new first lien and second lien facilities

Loan Financings

• Long Ridge Energy, a subsidiary of FTAI Infrastructure Inc. managed by Fortress Investment Group, on its $400 million senior secured term loan
• the lenders on Ivanhoe Mines’ $120 million revolving credit facility
• eir on multiple syndicated loan, term loan and revolving credit facility financings, including a €400 million term loan financing and the amendment and extension of its €945 million term loan
• the lenders on United Group’s amendment and extension and upsize of its €410 million revolving credit facility
• the arrangers on a number of European and U.S. underwritten term loan financing transactions
• various financial sponsors, corporations, banks and credit funds on direct lending and private capital solutions in the European and U.S. markets, including first and second lien and mezzanine financings, holdco PIK structures and convertible instruments