Jurisdictions worked in: Germany and South Africa
Languages fluent in: Afrikaans, English and German

* Includes experience gained prior to joining Bowmans

Ilke has advised:

General Lending

• FirstRand Bank (acting through its Rand Merchant Bank division), Ninety One and Nedbank in connection with ZAR and USD denominated loan facilities to Vasari Beverages B.V. and its subsidiaries.*
• Intesa Sanpaolo Group, Investec Bank Ltd and a large syndicate of international lenders in relation to USD 130 million loan facilities to CRDB Bank – being the first private sector syndicated loan transaction in Tanzania.*
• A global financial institution and a multilateral development finance institution in relation to structured loan funding to Eskom (guaranteed by the Republic of South Africa).*
• FirstRand Bank (acting through its Rand Merchant Bank division) in relation to debt facilities to VATiT Group.*
• Ninety One and The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund in relation to the first international debt raise for Paratus Group.*
• A consortium of international lenders (including Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB) on a green- and sustainability-linked USD 1.6 billion Multicurrency Revolving Credit Facility provided to Norsk Hydro SA.*
• KFW IPEX-Bank on a ZAR 1.6 billion loan facility provided to Transnet.*
• FirstRand Bank (acting through its Rand Merchant Bank division) and Standard Bank on the refinancing of Virgin Active South Africa’s facilities.*
• A consortium of South African and international lenders on revolving credit facilities provided to companies in Luxembourg and Singapore, which involved a syndicate of 27 banks.*
• A consortium of South African and international lenders in connection with a refinance of a Dutch corporate’s USD 2.5 billion multicurrency facilities.*
• A global financial institution on a USD 300 million bridge facility to a Nigerian company.*
• A consortium of South African lenders on the refinancing of various senior, mezzanine and working capital facilities of the ACTOM Group.*
• Ninety One on its loan funding to an international microfinance institution.*
• Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank on a loan facility to The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania.*
• A global financial institution in connection with debt funding to Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank.*

Fund Finance

• The Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund on a debt funding package from several South African and global financial institutions. This was one of the largest capital raises in recent years by a blended finance debt fund advancing infrastructure development across Africa *
• FirstRand Bank (acting through its Rand Merchant Bank division) on a GP facility to certain entities within the Helios Investment Partners group.*
• FirstRand Bank (acting through its Rand Merchant Bank division) in relation to loan facilities to the advisor and manager of the Convergence Partners Communications Infrastructure Fund.*
• FirstRand Bank (acting through its Rand Merchant Bank division) in relation to loan facilities to Capitalworks Investment Partners.*

Acquisition Finance

• A consortium of international lenders on a USD 13.3 billion financing provided to London Stock Exchange Group for the acquisition of Refinitiv.*
• Standard Bank and Stanbic on a financing provided to the Tolaram Group to finance the acquisition of Guinness Nigeria, a listed company in Nigeria.*
• The mandated lead arrangers on the EUR1.9 billion bridge financing to Group Canal + SA in relation to the offer to acquire MultiChoice Group Ltd, a listed company in South Africa.*

Restructuring

• Ascendis Health Ltd group of companies on the restructuring of its approximately ZAR 6 billion indebtedness – a first of its kind in the South African market, being the restructuring of a JSE listed company by way of an asset for debt swap transaction.*
• A consortium of South African lenders on the restructuring of various loan facilities, preference share funding and collar arrangements advanced to, among others, Titan Funding (RF) Proprietary Ltd and Titan Share Dealers Proprietary Ltd.*
• FEI-OGEF LP and a syndicate of international lenders on the restructuring of the d.light group, a leading provider of solar home systems in Africa.*
• KfW on the restructuring of a loan facility provided to the Land Bank of South Africa as part of a wider restructuring of all of Land Bank’s debt involving a large number of other South African and international creditors and spanning multiple financial instruments.*

Project Finance

• A large syndicate of lenders in connection with the financing of the Hanseatic Energy Hub, Germany’s first land-based terminal for liquefied gases in Stade, Germany.*
• Patrizia Infrastructure in connection with debt financing earmarked for the large-scale rollout and installation of EV charging stations across Germany as part of Patrizia’s investment in Numbat.*