Recent global promotion round includes 21 counsel, four knowledge counsel
Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF) has announced the promotion of Magdalena Blanch-de Wilt, Chevi Levin, Kai Low, and Kristin Northway as executive counsel in Australia.
The elevations were part of the firm’s annual worldwide executive counsel promotion round.
“Congratulations to our new executive counsel on their promotions,” said Kristin Stammer, executive partner – Asia and Australia, in a news release. “The promotions recognise the outstanding contribution of Magdalena, Kai, Kristin and Chevi to our clients, teams and firm.”
Based in Melbourne, Blanch-de Wilt serves as HSF’s Asia Pacific cyber risk advisory lead. She has two decades of experience in the technology sector, with an emphasis on cyber, data governance, critical infrastructure, and emerging technology matters. Her experience covers the areas of data breach and governance matters and cyber incident response, readiness, and recovery.
She advises clients in the critical infrastructure, telecommunications, technology, financial services, resources, energy, and government sectors on matters such as governance, risk, compliance, and legal issues across the technology lifecycle.
Levin practises from the firm’s Melbourne office. She has more than a decade of experience, including with M&A transactions such as acquisitions, divestments, sell-downs, joint ventures, and restructures.
She acts for Australian and international clients in the projects, energy, and infrastructure sectors. Her M&A background also encompasses industries such as private equity and financial services.
Low practises in Perth and has advised lenders and sponsors on various financing transactions. Low also assists clients with a broad array of domestic and cross-border financing matters.
Low also handles real estate and development finance matters. Low’s practice focuses on project finance in the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors. Low’s experience also spans African jurisdictions, such as Botswana, Burkina Faso, and Ghana.
Northway, based in Brisbane, has nearly two decades of experience focusing on international and domestic resources, energy, and infrastructure projects. She assists clients with the legislation regulating new resources projects and project expansions, making arrangements for rail and port capacity, and procuring water, among other resources projects.
Her work includes preparing and advising on project and joint venture agreements for exploration, production, and processing projects, as well as engaging in purchaser and seller due diligence on mineral, coal, gas, and energy assets.
The current global promotions round saw the elevation of 25 HSF lawyers in all, comprising 21 counsel and four knowledge counsel across the firm’s offices. The promotions took effect as of 1 May.
“We are excited to be promoting our counsel and recognising their expertise in some of our key areas including energy and infrastructure, M&A, project finance and cyber risk,” Stammer said in the news release. “It is a very exciting time to be stepping into a leadership role at our firm as we prepare to combine with Kramer Levin in the United States and further cement our leading market position globally.”
