Investing for Impact: Unlocking Project Finance in a Transforming Indonesia and Vietnam

Hikaru took the initiative in launching the firm’s ASEAN practice in 2010, and since she has supported various Japanese and international companies' new entry, expansion of their business, strategic investment, group restructuring, risk management, disputes, as well as exit deals. With her deep understanding of the nature of issues, as well as the business background and cultural and political context in each country, she is known for providing practical advice by working closely with the clients' business team in each jurisdiction. As a key member of our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, she has played a key role in many of our diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, particularly over the past few years. Our firm was named the winner of the region’s Law Firm: Diversity & Inclusion Category at FT Innovative Lawyers Awards Asia-Pacific 2021 and winner of Outstanding Firm for D&I (Regional) at Chambers D&I Awards Asia-Pacific 2020.

Sean Conaty is a project finance and M&A lawyer. He advises clients (including sponsors, borrowers, lenders and governments) on the development, financing, acquisition, and divestiture of greenfield and brownfield energy and infrastructure projects. His practice has a particular focus on cross-border investments into Southeast Asia.

Sean has over two decades of experience and an extensive track record of leading teams on some of the region's largest and most complex "first-of-a-kind" landmark projects, including in the areas of renewable energy (solar, onshore and offshore wind, geothermal, hydro), thermal power (including gas-to-power and LNG-to-power), waste-to-energy, LNG, airports, seaports, and water treatment facilities. His expertise spans project development work (including structuring and negotiating concession, offtake, and other project agreements) through to project financing (including structuring and negotiating multi-source financings involving MLAs, ECAs, and other financial institutions). He is ranked by leading directories including Chambers and IFLR.

Adrian has considerable experience advising lenders, sponsors and ECAs on energy, transportation and infrastructure in, Japan, APAC, the Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa. He is recognised as a market leader for project finance and asset finance and regularly advises Japanese and international clients on the development and financing of cross-border energy, infrastructure and transportation projects. Highly regarded for his commercial acumen, Adrian is recognised in Chambers Global and Chambers APAC for “Projects & Energy: International” and “Banking & Finance: International Asset Finance” and in The Legal 500 for "Projects and Finance”, “Shipping” and “Banking and Finance” for which he is ranked as a “Leading Individual”. Recent experience includes advising sponsors and lenders on: • LNG: a large number of LNG vessel financings (20 vessels since 2020), SPAs and joint ventures; • Infrastructure: projects including five subsea cable financings in APAC and the Americas and two infrastructure projects in Japan; • Renewables: greenfield projects and project sales in Japan and APAC including solar, wind and waste to energy. • Asset finance: debt finance, restructurings, SLB, ESG and JOLCOs in the shipping and aviation sectors. Adrian attended the University of Tokyo and University of Waseda and speaks and reads Japanese.