Christopher Besant

Executive Summary

Chris is a partner of the firm’s Financial Services Group and co-lead of the firm’s Insolvency & Restructuring Practice, and has a national and international profile.  A specialist in corporate restructuring, lending and corporate finance, private mergers and acquisitions, and distressed corporate governance, he has extensive experience in advising in large institutional and high value added situations. Prior to joining Gardiner Roberts, he was a partner in the Toronto and New York offices of a leading global law firm, where as a member of the global banking practice, he led the Canadian Financial Services/Restructuring practice, and served on the global steering committee of the firm’s financial restructuring and automotive practices. Earlier in his career, he was a partner of a national firm based in Canada where he co‑founded its Financial Restructuring Group, and prior to that worked in an Australian office of an international law firm.

Expertise

• Financial Services

Representative Work

• Act for leading Schedule 1 banks/other financial institutions in acquisition financings, asset based financings, syndicated loans, distressed financings, structured financings, traditional financings and DIP loans.
• Acted for a major international real estate brokerage in connection with its role in the monetization of a large real estate portfolio in the US Steel CCAA proceedings.
• Acted for a high profile Canadian arts organization in its restructuring and refinancing.
• Acted for a Boston based private real estate group in the cross-border restructuring of a glass manufacturer and related chapter 15 proceedings.
• Acted for Canada’s largest national flooring and tile group in its CCAA restructuring and sale.
• Acted for the North American division of a Chinese parent company in the restructuring of a Canadian public alternative energy company and its international patent portfolio.
• Acted for a Quebec public company in the successful resolution of a material tobacco tax reassessment arising from its Ontario operations, and on the subsequent sale of those operations.
• Acted for private equity group and major mall landlord in Sears Canada CCAA restructuring.
• Acted for an international mining and metals company in its 9‑figure acquisition financing of the Latin American mining operations of a publicly‑listed Canadian company.
• Acted for the financial arm of a Japanese multi‑national corporation in connection with its 9‑figure acquisition financing of certain energy reserves in Alberta.
• Acted for a California‑based health care fund and the venture funds of a global pharmacy chain in their 8‑figure acquisition financing of a Canadian pharmaceutical technology business.
• Acted for an arm of a global US bank in a 9‑figure refinancing of an NHL team and arena, and for financiers and acquirers in various other financings, restructurings and acquisitions of major professional sports teams and facilities, including the acquisition of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators out of CCAA.
• Acted for a US defense giant, Lockheed Martin Corporation, it its 8‑figure acquisition financing of the engine, maintenance, repair and overhaul business of an aviation MRO.
• Acted for a global fashion retailer in its 100+ location exit from the North American marketplace.
• Acted for a global tier‑one automotive supplier in its restructuring and refinancing of its pension exposures.
• Acted for the purchaser on its $650 million acquisition financing bid for one of the five key divisions of Nortel Networks during its restructuring proceedings.
• Advised a global brewing conglomerate on the restructuring of long‑term North American distribution arrangements with other global brewers.
• Acted for a consortium of financiers in a bid to refinance Stelco out of CCAA
• Acted for the City of Toronto in the restructuring of SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre).
• Represented the largest group of international aviation financiers in the restructuring of Air Canada.
• Acted for the company in the CCAA filing of one of the world’s largest nickel mines.
• Acted for the co-owner in the restructuring and refinancing of a multi‑billion dollar oil sands project.
• Acted for pension funds in the restructuring of a Canadian retail icon.
• Advised a bal European energy company on the restructure and refinancing of a multi‑billion cross border energy pipeline.
• Acted for an overseas private equity fund in connection with its multi‑million dollar bid to provide the DIP loan in the CCAA proceedings of a major Canadian mining company.
• Acted for the parent company of an iconic Australian conglomerate in the defence of a multi‑billion dollar multi‑jurisdictional medical devices class action.
• Acted for the federal Inspector‑General of Banks (now the Superintendent of Financial Institutions) in a Royal Commission into the collapse of two regional Canadian banks, and in respect of certain bank rescues.