Rick (Xiaodan) Wei

Rick Wei is Counsel in the Firm’s Asia Banking and Credit Practice, based in Hong Kong. Rick advises on cross-border financing transactions throughout the Asia-Pacific region. He represents private equity firms, their portfolio companies, financial institutions and corporate borrowers on acquisition and leveraged finance, real estate finance, project finance, margin finance, fund finance, private credit, back-leverage transactions and other corporate finance transactions.

Rick’s representative experience include advising:

• Primavera on the US$2.2bn acquisition of the Greater China business of Mead Johnson Nutrition
• KKR on its acquisition of Natural Pet Food Group, a premium pet food company in New Zealand
• Blackstone on the US$1.1B acquisition of majority stake in the Greater Bay Area’s largest urban logistics park from R&F Group

• KKR on the US$625M acquisition of controlling stake in Vini Cosmetics, a leading branded person care company in India
• KKR on the refinancing of Sylvan group of companies
• Blackstone on multiple real estate acquisitions and refinancings in the Asia-Pacific region

Prior to joining Simpson Thacher in 2020, Rick worked at leading international law firms in Hong Kong and Australia, as well as an international bank in Sydney. His work prior to joining Simpson Thacher includes:

• TPG Capital on its acquisition of Pan Asia Majestic Eagle one of Myanmar’s leading independent mobile telecommunications tower companies
• Oaktree Capital Management on the financing in connection with the merger of Fitness First Asia with Celebrity Fitness, creating one of the largest fitness club networks
• HNA Group in connection with a $3B margin loan to fund its acquisition of a $6.5B stake in Hilton Worldwide Holdings from The Blackstone Group. This deal was awarded “Global Finance Deal of the Year: Acquisition Finance” by The American Lawyer
• Baring Private Equity Asia on the leveraged financing for its S$450M voluntary general offer for all the shares of Interplex Holdings (listed in Singapore)
• Baring Private Equity Asia on the US$540M leveraged financing to acquire HCP Packaging, a leading designer and manufacturer of primary packaging containers for the cosmetics, skincare and fragrance industries based in China
• TPG Capital and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board in their acquisition of up to 35% of Dream Cruises, a leading cruise brand based in Asia and owned by Genting Hong Kong Limited
• MBK Partners and a consortium including The Crawford Group and Ctrip in the $1.75B privatization of eHi Car Services (the second largest car rental company in China), which was named “2019 M&A Deal of the Year” at The Macallan ALB Hong Kong Law Awards
• Founder of ShangPharma Corporation in connection with the sale of a minority interest in ShangPharma Corporation, a leading China-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology research and development outsourcing company, to TPG Capital
• Hillhouse Capital Group on its subscription to convertible promissory notes issued by iQiyi.com (a subsidiary of Baidu), an online television and movie portal in China
• The Special Committee of directors of Sinovac Biotech, a researcher, developer, manufacturer and marketer of vaccines, in evaluating competing going private offers received from Sinovac chairman and from a consortium comprised of six Chinese private equity firms
• Bank of China and China Development Bank on the US$745m syndicated facility to Guangdong Rising for the acquisition of an Australian listed mining company, PanAust
• China Minsheng Bank, China Development Bank and China CITIC International on a US$650m to Brightoil for its US$1.1bn acquisition of Anadarko’s China unit – Kerr-McGee
• ICBC International in a pre-IPO bridge finance to a Chinese property company and subsequently advised ICBC International in relation to the borrower’s issuance of high yield bond
• ICBC International in a quasi-debt preference shares investment in a major Taiwan property company which has projects in China
• Sinopec in the US$3bn syndicated loan facility
• Renhe Commercial Holdings (a HK-listed property company) on certain syndicated and bilateral facilities with simultaneous rights issue and bond issue by the group

Rick graduated from the University of Sydney where he received his Bachelor of Commerce in 2006 and LL.B. in 2008. After relocating to Hong Kong, Rick received a Master of Arts in Chinese Language and Literature from Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2019. Rick is fluent in English and Mandarin and is admitted to practice in Australia and Hong Kong.