Sergei is an English law qualified partner with more than 20 years’ experience in project finance, and development and agency finance. He specialises in emerging markets (such as Türkiye, the Caspian region, the Balkans, and Africa), and his expertise spans a range of assets, including transport infrastructure (roads, airports, ports, and rail), renewable energy (wind, solar, and BESS), and social infrastructure. Sergei regularly advises lenders (including multilaterals), sponsors, and ECAs on structuring, documentation, and execution of cross-border project finance and ECA-backed/MDB-backed finance transactions.
Sergei's experience includes advising:
- Lenders in connection with a EUR 1,5 billion IBRD-covered facility for Türkiye Vakifbank T.A.O.
- Lenders in connection with a EUR 600 million IBRD-covered financings for Türkiye Sinai Kalkinma Bankasi A.Ş.
- Lenders and UKEF in connection with a USD 710 million financing of the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the approx. 1300 MWp PV power plant in the Karapinar region of Türkiye (Europe ESG Deal of the Year (PFI Awards); Best Deal (Global Trade Review); Project Finance Deal of the Year (IFLR Europe); Best Structured Finance Deal in CEE (EMEA Finance) and Best Green-line Syndicated Loan (EMEA finance) and many other awards);
- Lenders in connection with a project financing for the Bilkent Hospital PPP and Mersin Hospital PPP in Türkiye (awarded Best Deal in Türkiye by PFI – International Project Financing Awards, and Best Healthcare Deal by World Finance)
- International Finance Corporation on a complex USD 165 million senior debt financing of five green-field ceramics tiles plants in Senegal, Zambia, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and Mozambique, and one brown-field expansion of ceramics tiles plant in Ghana
- Lenders and SACE S.p.A. on a EUR 120 million push facility for Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality in connection with, amongst other things, the Ümraniye-Ataşehir-Göztepe Metro Line in Istanbul
- Bidder in connection with the privatisation of Sofia Airport, Bulgaria
- Lenders in connection with the refinancing of project finance debt raised to modernise and develop Ankara Esenboga Airport, Türkiye.
- national and international lenders, multilaterals, sponsors and ECAs on the project financing and restructurings of PPP projects in Türkiye (such as Bilkent and Mersin hospitals, the Third Bosphorus Bridge and Ankara Esenboga Airport) and other jurisdictions;
- financial institutions and ECAs (such as SACE, Hermes, SERV, KUKE, Bpifrance, Atradius, K-Sure, KEXIM, OeKB, UKEF, Sinosure, Credendo and NEXI) on tied, multi-tied and untied (including under SACE push strategy) financings to borrowers in various jurisdictions.
Before joining Simmons & Simmons, Sergei worked at a magic circle law firm in London, Frankfurt and other offices. Sergei also holds an Executive MBA degree from Frankfurt School of Finance & Management.
