Felipe Duque

Felipe Duque is a Partner at A&O Shearman in Singapore, focusing on Capital Markets Law. He focuses on cross-border debt and equity capital markets transactions, US securities law and general corporate matters.

Felipe previously practised in New York and London. He advises companies and investment banks on offerings of high yield, convertible and investment grade bonds, IPOs, follow-ons, block trades and other strategic equity investments. He also has significant experience advising sovereign issuers and state-owned enterprises on capital markets transactions, and private equity groups on M&A and matters relating to their portfolio companies.

His representative debt capital markets matters include advising SSMS Plantation Holdings Pte. Ltd. on its offering of US$300 million 7.750% senior notes; advising the dealer managers and initial purchasers on two separate liability management exercises and concurrent new issues by Vedanta Resources plc, each involving cash tender offers and concurrent Rule 144A offerings of US$1,000 million; advising Comunicaciones Celulares, S.A. (Comcel) on the debut Rule 144A/Regulation S offering by Comcel Trust of US$800 million 6.875% senior notes; advising Fosun International Limited on its US$300 million Rule 144A/Regulation S global offering of senior notes; advising the initial purchasers on a Rule 144A/Regulation S offering of US$500 million senior notes by XPO Logistics, Inc.; advising Jefferies LLC as sole book-running manager on a Rule 144A and Regulation S offering by Enova International, Inc. of US$500 million senior notes; advising the initial purchasers on a Rule 144A/Regulation S offering by LTF Merger Sub, Inc. of US$450 million senior notes as part of the financing for the acquisition of Life Time Fitness, Inc.; and advising on investment grade offerings including Marsh & McLennan Companies (US$1.9 billion), General Motors Financial Company (over US$6.5 billion), General Mills, Inc. (€900 million) and Citizens Bank, N.A. (US$3 billion global bank note programme).

His sovereign and quasi-sovereign experience includes advising the arrangers on the Republic of Indonesia’s update of its US$50 billion GMTN programme and issues of notes thereunder, including its first dual currency offering; advising the Ministry of Finance and Treasury on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Maldives on its Regulation S debut issue of US$200 million 7.000% notes; advising BNP Paribas, Citigroup and Merrill Lynch as dealer managers and consent solicitation agents on cash tender offers and a concurrent consent solicitation by PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited relating to subordinated perpetual capital securities, the first transaction of its kind in Thailand; advising BNP Paribas, Citi and UBS on PT Saka Energi Indonesia’s debut 144A/Reg S offering of US$625 million senior notes; and advising the Republic of Indonesia on the update of its US$15 billion global trust certificate issuance programme and issues of trust certificates thereunder.

His convertibles and equity-linked experience includes advising MercadoLibre, Inc. on a Rule 144A offering of US$330 million convertible senior notes; advising the initial purchasers on the 144A/Regulation S offering by Colombia Telecomunicaciones S.A. ESP of US$500 million subordinated perpetual notes, the first offering of hybrid securities by a Colombian issuer and the first sub-investment grade hybrid securities offering from Latin America; and advising on convertible notes offerings by Cowen Group, Inc. and Euronet Worldwide, Inc.

His equity capital markets experience includes advising Citigroup, Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank on Vincom Retail JSC’s initial listing on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange and a 144A/Reg S US$708 million global offering, the largest IPO in Vietnam to date; advising SCCP REIT Company Ltd on its THB 5.57 billion IPO on the Stock Exchange of Thailand; advising the underwriters on the US$460 million SEC-registered IPO of Summit Materials, Inc.; advising the sole global coordinator and joint bookrunners on the first IPO by a Mexican REIT, Fideicomiso Hipotecario (FHipo), of US$633 million of trust certificates, awarded the IFLR Americas 2015 Equity Deal of the Year; advising Credit Suisse, HSBC and J.P. Morgan Cazenove on Prudential’s US$21 billion rights issue and listings on the SEHK and SGX; and advising on block trades including the divestment by the Vietnamese government of a 9% stake in Vietnam Dairy Product JSC (Vinamilk) and placements for Maxis Berhad and Rexnord Corporation.

His private M&A experience includes advising Silverhawk Capital Partners on its acquisition of majority ownership of WorldStrides alongside Metalmark Capital, and advising Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa (Go-Jek) on US federal securities aspects of its Series D financing round.

His expertise covers capital markets, debt capital markets, equity capital markets, high yield, sovereign debt, public company advisory and corporate governance, and leveraged finance and high yield, with industries spanning financial institutions, banks and technology. He holds a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law (2008), a Professional Certificate in Law and Business from New York University Stern School of Business (2008), and a Bachelor of Arts in Middle Eastern Studies from Emory University (2002). He was admitted to the bar of the State of New York in 2009.