Cecilia Hong

Ye (Cecilia) Hong

Partner
Baker & McKenzie LLP

Biography

Cecilia Hong is a partner based in our New York office, with a primary focus on leveraged finance and complex financing transactions, and is a member of the Firm's Global Banking and Steering Committee.

Practice Focus

Cecilia has been an active advisor with close to 20 years’ experience in leading and advising various complex financing and transactional matters. Cecilia has well-rounded and versatile skill sets drawn from extensive experience in representing and advising public and private corporate borrowers, private equity funds, as well as lenders across the full spectrum of debt finance transactions, including leveraged acquisition financings, asset based credit facilities, cash flow deals, term loans, high yield notes, split collateral capital structures, unitranche, debtor-in-possession facilities, bespoke special situations, restructurings and other banking and credit matters.

Representative Legal Matters

Direct Lending, Acquisition Financings and Portfolio Debt Investment Transactions:

Lenders / Investors

  • A Fortune 500 financial service provider in its various direct private debt placement and co-investments
  • A leading business development company (BDC) in its various unitranche, term loan investments and sponsor financing transactions
  • A leading sponsor finance and private debt manager in its various leveraged financing transactions
  • A leading global investment manager in its various direct private debt placement and impact investing investments
  • An international bank, New York branch, in its various mortgage loan investments
  • A leading national bank in its various leveraged financing transactions

Borrowers / PE / Strategics

  • Brookfield Infrastructure in its USD 600 million acquisition financing in connection with its USD 1.1 billion acquisition of datacenter colocation operations and assets from AT&T
  • Total System Services in its USD 54 billion merger of equals with Global Payments; and Total System's USD 1.5 billion senior credit facilities, consisting of a USD 700 million term loan facility and a USD 800 million revolving credit facility
  • EVO Payments in its USD 845 million senior secured credit facilities, consisting of a USD 670 million first lien credit facility and a USD 175 million second lien credit facility
  • Pamplona Capital, Golden Gate Capital, EVE Partners, First Atlantic Capital, ICV Partners, MidOcean Partners and Sun Capital Partners and their respective portfolio companies for various acquisition financings, add-on direct investments and portfolio debt investments

Professional Honors

  • Notable Practitioner in Banking, Capital Markets: Debt, Capital Markets: Equity, and M&A, IFLR 1000 US, 2018
  • Recognized in the M&A/Corporate and Commercial category for M&A: Middle Market transactions, Legal 500, 2016

Admissions

  • New York~United States

Education

  • University of Chicago Law School (LL.M.)
  • China Foreign Affairs University (Master of Laws)
  • China Foreign Affairs University (Bachelor of Laws)

Languages

  • English
  • Mandarin
  • Chinese
  • Co-panelist, The Wolves of Wall Street: Beating Stereotypes and Bias on ‘The Street’, Diversity & Equity on Wall Street Conference, 2 November 2023

  • Co-author, How Sustainable Lending Is Financing A Greener Future, Law360, November 2019

  • Co-author, Sustainable Lending: Finance of the Future, Energy Law Exchange, October 2019

  • Moderator, Green Loan, Sustainable Finance and Impact Investing Panel, June 2018