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Simon Reid is a debt finance partner with more than 20 years’ experience advising private equity sponsors, private credit lenders, investment managers, financial institutions and corporate clients on complex cross-border and domestic financing transactions.
Simon is recognised for his expertise in acquisition, private credit, real estate and construction financings, regularly advising on senior syndicated and bilateral financings, mezzanine and subordinated debt arrangements, and back leverage financings.
Simon has been recognised in: Chambers & Partners 2025 (Property Finance Band 3), Best Lawyers (Financial Institutions and Real Property Law), Legal 500 (2018) (Recommended Acquisition & Property Finance Expert), and Legal 500 (2017) (Next Generation Lawyer, Banking & Finance).
Experience
Simon has acted for leading global and Australian investors, private equity sponsors and lenders on some of the market’s most significant and high-profile real estate and corporate financing transactions. His clients value his technical expertise combined with a commercial approach and his ability to deliver practical outcomes on complex and urgent transactions.
Simon’s areas of expertise include:
- real estate finance
- private credit and alternative capital
- acquisition and leveraged finance
- construction and development finance
- corporate finance.
Career highlights
Simon has advised on a number of high-profile banking and finance matters, including:
- advising Blackstone for over 10 years on its Australian real estate financings
- advising on the financing arrangements associated with Blackstone’s acquisition and subsequent ~$3.8 billion disposal of the Milestone logistics portfolio to ESR
- advising BlackRock and Wentworth Capital on the financing for the acquisition of multiple life sciences assets in Sydney forming an initial part of a $1.5 billion life sciences investment platform
- advising a private equity client on the refinancing of a Sydney CBD office tower involving senior debt, mezzanine debt and subordinated mezzanine facilities
- advising a private credit lender on the refinancing of a $1.5bn hotel portfolio, including complex leasehold and operator arrangements
- advising Warburg Pincus LLC on the establishment of a A$1 billion commercial real estate credit vehicle with MA Financial Group Limited
- advising a private credit lender on the financing of the multi-family real estate asset at Union Quarter, Spotswood, Victoria
- advising a private credit lender on the construction financing for the “W” hotel at Darling Harbour Sydney
- advising Frankfurt listed DWS on a number of their Australian real estate debt financings
- advising ESR on the financing for its public-to-private takeover of ASX-listed Propertylink Group and subsequent refinancing
- advising QIC, Pagoda and Goldman Sachs PIA on the senior and mezzanine financing for their acquisition of Icon Group, Australia’s largest dedicated provider of cancer care
- advising Brennan IT on the refinancing of its corporate facilities
- advising Ventura Motors on its financing arrangements including in connection with the entry into of new bus services contracts
- advising a State government transport department on bus operator assetco financing arrangements.
