Timothy Hia is the Local Chair of the firm's Finance Department in Asia. He regularly serves lenders and borrowers on bank and acquisition financings, corporate securities and capital markets offerings, and project development and finance transactions.

Mr. Hia has broad experience acting for major corporate borrowers, private equity investors, underwriters, and financial advisors on transactions across South and Southeast Asia, including in Singapore, India, Indonesia, and Thailand. 

Mr. Hia is regularly recognized by Chambers & PartnersIFLR and Legal 500 as a leading advisor on banking transactions in Singapore and Indonesia.

Mr. Hia's experience includes advising:

  • The Adani Group on the US$4.5 billion financing for the acquisition of Ambuja Cements Ltd and ACC Ltd., two of India’s leading cement companies
  • The Adani Group on a US$1.35 billion debt package for a 1.69GW under-construction hybrid portfolio of solar and wind renewable projects in the state of Rajasthan, India
  • Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board on the financing of its acquisition in Sahyadri Hospitals Group, an India-based private hospital chain
  • Ola, India’s largest mobility platform and one of the world’s largest ride-hailing companies, in its inaugural US$500 million Term Loan B (TLB) debt financing
  • Oravel Stays Pte Ltd, a leading Indian hotel management technology group on a US$600 million Term Loan B debt financing. This milestone transaction made Oravel Stays Pte Ltd. the first Indian startup to raise capital using a Term Loan B instrument, as well as the first Indian startup to receive public ratings from Moody's and Fitch
  • Loka Holdings, an Indonesian based online travel company, on a US$300 million term-loan facility from a syndicate of leading private capital lenders
  • SATS Ltd. on the €2.25 billion financing for its proposed acquisition of Worldwide Flight Services ("WFS"), the world's largest air cargo handling firm
  • TPG, as a co-investor with Northstar, on the financing for the acquisition of 80% of Greenfields Dairy, a Singapore-based agriculture company
  • The mandated lead arrangers, including Morgan Stanley, HSBC, Bank of America, Bank of China, and ICBC in connection with a €1.3 billion financing of the acquisition by Tencent Holdings’ of an additional significant stake in US music entertainment company Universal Music Group
  • A consortium comprising TPG Capital, Sumitomo Life Insurance Company, and others on a senior facility and a bridge-to-bond financing to finance a transaction to combine SingLife with global insurance company Aviva plc’s Singapore life insurance business, Aviva Ltd.
  • MCO Nominee One Limited, a subsidiary of Melco Resorts & Entertainments Limited, an operator of integrated resorts with entertainment and casino gaming facilities, on a HK$14.8 billion revolving credit facility
  • TPG on a term-loan facility in connection with the acquisition of Columbia Asia Healthcare Pte. Ltd., a provider of healthcare services
  • San Miguel Corporation on a US$2.1 billion term-loan facility in connection with the acquisition of Holcim Philippines Inc., a Philippines-based cement manufacturer
  • PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk on a US$1.3 billion term-loan facility in connection with the acquisition of PT Holcim Indonesia Tbk, an Indonesian-based producer and distributor of cement, ready-mixed concrete, and aggregates
  • The joint lead managers and underwriters in connection with the Astrea VII private equity bonds — the fourth listed retail bonds in Singapore backed by cash flows from a US$1.9 billion portfolio of investments in 38 private equity funds
  • Bayfront Infrastructure Management on a US$401 million infrastructure asset-backed securities transaction with a sustainability tranche. This transaction was awarded “Structured Finance & Securitization of the Year” by IFLR Asia-Pacific Awards 2022, GlobalCapital Asia Awards 2021, The Asset Triple A Awards 2021, and FinanceAsia Achievement Awards 2021
  • Clifford Capital as sponsor, manager, and subordinated note investor, in the first infrastructure project finance securitization in Asia. The US$458 million issuance included four classes of Notes issued by Bayfront Infrastructure Capital and three classes of investment grade rated notes (Class A, B, and C Notes) listed on the SGX-ST. This transaction was awarded the Asia-Pacific Bond Deal of the Year and Asian-mena Deal of the Year in 2018, and Structure Finance and Securitisation Deals of the Year in 2019 at the IFLR Asia-Pacific Awards.
  • A syndicate of banks on a US$400 million term-loan facility, concurrent with a US$1 billion bond offering, for Adani Electricity Mumbai Limited, a provider of energy solutions
  • The underwriters in connection with the issuance by Star Energy Geothermal of US$580 million 6.75% Senior Secured Notes due 2033. This transaction was awarded Best Green Bond (Indonesia) by The Asset Asian Awards of the Year 2018
  • PT Gajah Tunggal Tbk, a leading Indonesian tire manufacturer, in a US$250 million term-loan facility concurrent with a US$250 million senior secured bond offering
  • The lenders in connection with the debt restructuring of PT Bumi Resources Tbk, a coal mining company. This transaction was awarded Finance Deal of the Year: Insolvency and Restructuring at the Asia Legal Awards 2018 and Deal of the Year in the Asian-mena Counsel Deals of the Year 2017

Bar Qualification

  • New York

Education

  • JD, Columbia University School of Law, 2003
  • BA, Yale University, 1997