Watson Farley & Williams (“WFW”) is delighted that two deals it advised on have been named “Best Real Estate & Infrastructure Project” and “Best Banking & Finance & Tax Project” respectively at the Business Law Awards 2022 hosted by Boussias.
WFW advised Primonial REIM France SA (“PREIM”) and Hova Hospitality on the circa €70m sale and lease back of Club Med’s Gregolimano resort at Evia, Greece. The high-end resort is being renovated as part of an extension and renovation project with an initial budget of €20m. The deal was named Best Real Estate & Infrastructure Project.
This was a very complex and challenging transaction as it not only marked PREIM’s first investment in Greece but also the first triple-net lease for a Greek hotel.
WFW also acted as legal advisor to Greek telecommunications operator Hellenic Telecommunications Organisation S.A. (“OTE”) on a €150m loan agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction & Development (“EBRD”), which was named Best Banking & Finance & Tax Project. The deal is the first project under OTE’s ‘Digital Transformation pillar’, using funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Facility ‘Greece 2.0’, financed by the European Union’s NextGenerationEU programme, contributing enormously to the digital transformation of Greece’s economy.
The Business Law Awards celebrate partnerships, projects and teams that promote innovation, quality and efficiency in the delivery of legal services and recognise the top law firms and in-house legal departments of the year.
The WFW Athens Project and Structured Finance team that advised PREIM and Hova Hospitality was led by Project & Structured Finance Partner Nikolaos Kostikas, supported by Senior Associates Georgia Mathiopoulou and Sofia Tyligada.
The WFW Athens team that advised OTE was led by Project and Structured Finance Partner Nikolaos Kostikas and Assets and Structured Finance Partner Christina Giagka. They were supported by Associate Asimina Papakosta.
Nikos commented: “We are delighted that two of our deals were recognised as two of this year’s best deals at the Business Law Awards. This is a result of our top-notch expertise and our leading role in the banking and real estate sectors in Greece. A huge congratulations to everyone involved in the transactions whose expertise and commitment are second-to-none”.
Christina commented: “Congratulations to all participants at the Business Law Awards, which recognise innovation, efficiency and transformative practices in the legal sector. It is a great honour for us to be recognised in two categories this year. These awards are the results, and a great example of collaboration and teamwork”.
