European law firm Fieldfisher has announced the appointment of Sam Fowler-Holmes as a banking partner in its Financial Markets and Products (FMP) group in London. His primary focus will be trade, commodity and export finance, advising on a wide range of structured and unstructured trade products.
Sam, who joins from Sullivan & Worcester, has an impeccable track record of advising a wide range of traditional and alternative financial institutions and corporate clients on a host of established and innovative trade and export finance products, including pre-export, prepayment and borrowing base facilities, letter of credit and payment instrument facilities, as well as working capital and receivables and payables financings.
Commenting on the appointment, Philip Abbott, Co-head of FMP and Head of the Banking Group, said: We are delighted to welcome Sam to our fast growing team at an exciting time when trade is in the spotlight. The trade finance sphere continually evolves to meet the needs of international trade, the challenges of emerging markets, and the regulatory and capital pressures faced by financial institutions. Sam's cross border experience will be a key asset to our growth plans in this sector.
Sam's international experience and expertise include working on transactions across Continental Europe, the CIS, Africa, Asia and the Americas and involving a wide range of commodities including oil, gas, metals and softs. He advises on receivables and supply chain finance transactions, covering traditional and bespoke structures, as well as focusing on the digitalisation of trade, acting for both electronic platform providers and platform participants for different digital financing solutions.
A regular speaker at industry events, Sam has been a member of the ITFA (International Trade and Forfaiting Association) Emerging Leaders Committee since January 2020. The ELC is an initiative of ITFA, one of the leading global trade associations focussed on creating a network and support infrastructure for more junior members of the trade industry.
Sam Fowler-Holmes said: We are seeing significant shifts in the trade finance world – characterised by economic uncertainty, increased digitalisation, diversification and disruption of supply chains, growing scrutiny of sustainable finance and increasing regulatory complexity and oversight by global institutions. There is a pressing need for clarity in the directions that organisations need to embark on as they navigate these choppy waters. I am looking forward to working with some of the industry's prominent trade practitioners.
Fieldfisher's highly successful FMP practice focuses on banking and real estate finance, derivatives, structured finance, financial regulation and funds with over 40 partners across Europe, advising clients on cross-border deals across the world, including in emerging markets. Over the last few years, the trade finance team in particular, has been involved in advising banks, commodity trading houses and producers on prepayment financings and related offtake arrangements. The firm has also seen the continued use of alternative financing techniques, such as streaming facilities, royalty facilities and inventory management facilities, in particular in the mining and metals sector and also for oil and gas.
This news story was originally published on the firm’s website.