Whale, who co-founded Norton Rose’s acquisition finance practice in the 1990s, joined BLP’s 10-partner capital markets team this week (18 June). The hire is the latest in a stream of appointments to the expansive City firm’s finance practice.
The firm’s banking and capital markets team grew its fee income by 25% in the last financial year and hired securitisation partners Tom Church from Linklaters, Paul Severs from Clifford Chance and Tamara Box from Lovells in 2006.
BLP head of finance Simon Allan said: “This is a very significant step forward for our finance team as it helps maintain the momentum behind our increasing involvement in the broader leveraged finance market.”
Whale will work alongside acquisition finance partners John Hayward, Michael Ewart, Marcus Jamson and Emma Howdle-Fuller.
Whale left Norton Rose for personal reasons in 2001 and returned in 2002 to stand in as head of the firm’s acquisition finance practice following the departure of leveraged finance partners Tim Polglase, Robin Harvey, Andrew Bamber and Clive Wells to Allen & Overy.
For the last two years Whale has been a consultant advising Norton Rose on knowledge management issues.
He said: “BLP’s finance practice is now involved in some of the highest-profile transactions in the market and it is great to be joining a team that is so clearly on the rise.”