Drew & Napier - Partners' Profiles

Valerie is a Director with Drew & Napier LLC. She heads up the firm's Banking & Finance Practice Group. Her main area of practice is Banking & Finance and Debt Restructuring. Apart from her expertise in Banking & Finance work, Valerie also has broad experience in Mergers and Acquisitions and Corporate Restructuring work.

Valerie has been named a Leading Lawyer of the Firm by the International Financial Law Review 1000 for the third consecutive year and a Leading Individual for Banking & Finance by Chambers Asia 2009. She was also recommended as a Leading Banking Lawyer in Singapore Who’s Who Legal – Singapore 2008. She has been described as “a notable practitioner in the market”, having a “safe pair of hands” and with a “sterling reputation” for project loan work for local and offshore banks as well as major local borrowing groups. Valerie has also been recognized as a Leading Individual for Banking & Finance work by The Asia Pacific Legal 500 and described as “excellent and intelligent” and having "good experience across the board in finance matters, including acquisition financings, as well as bilateral and syndicated loan".

Valerie graduated from the National University of Singapore and was placed on the Dean’s List. She excelled in the bar examinations before joining Drew & Napier in 1996 as an Associate and was made a Director from 1 May 2005.

Areas of Practice

Valerie has extensive experience in financing transaction work, covering bilateral and syndicated loans, bond issues, acquisition financings, debt restructurings and rescheduling. She acts for major local as well as offshore banks and lending syndicates. Her portfolio also includes acting for major investment and property development groups, with operations in the Asia Pacific region and beyond, in their business and asset acquisition financings as well as real estate and construction financings. She also advises financial institutions on banking and finance laws and regulations including the bank licensing regime in Singapore.

Her recent significant lending transactions include:-

Acting for Resorts World at Sentosa in its US$3 billion syndicated financing deal to fund the development, construction and operation of one of the two integrated casino resorts in Singapore.
Advised Bear Stearns as Singapore counsel in the funding relating to the merger between Bear Stearns and JPMorgan & Chase.
Acted for syndicate of banks in grant of S$219 million land and construction facilities to major property development group to finance the acquisition of land and construction of residential development under the Government's public housing scheme.
Acted for Saudi Basic Industries Corporation as Singapore counsel in a multi-billion dollar financing transaction to finance its worldwide acquisition of the plastics business of General Electric Company.
S$650 million Transferable Loan Facility by a syndicate of lenders to a major Singapore listed telecommunications company.
Acting for local banks, including United Overseas Bank Limited and Malayan Banking Berhad, in the grant of various credit facilities to a major real estate development group in Singapore for, amongst others, hotel projects and the development and/or construction of a luxury bungalow project and various residential condominium projects.
Acting for major real estate development group in Singapore in the procuring of various credit facilities for, amongst others, the development and/or construction of luxury residential condominium projects and office, commercial and retail real estate.

In terms of Merger and Acquisitions work, Valerie is involved extensively in corporate mergers and acquisitions and restructuring work, particularly private company work, including local and offshore acquisitions, group restructurings, joint ventures and shareholder agreements. She has acted in various acquisition transactions, including amongst others:-

Acquisition/disposal of shares and stock-broking businesses of listed companies.
Disposal and/or restructuring by institutions of their banking businesses.
Multi-billion dollar merger of Starhub Pte Ltd and Singapore Cable Vision Limited, now a leading telecommunications company listed in Singapore.
Group restructurings and reconstructions of multinational groups.
Various disposals as well as foreign investments by the Government investment vehicle, Temasek Holdings, including disposal of the corporatised arm of the then Public Works Department of the Government of Singapore and advising Temasek Holdings which teamed up with Istithmar PJSC, the investment agency of the Dubai government, in its investment in Bumrungrad Hospital, a listed company and leader of private healthcare throughout Thailand and ASEAN.
Various cross-border acquisitions, including acting for offshore entities in the acquisition of shares, businesses or assets in Singapore and for Singapore companies looking to invest in the Asia Pacific region and beyond..

Valerie has spoken at various public seminars in Singapore and is also an adjunct tutor for graduate and post-graduate students on topics ranging from finance to corporate laws.