Oona Lilja

Partner, Helsinki

Biography

Next Generation Partner in Banking and Finance: Oona Lilja
The Legal 500 EMEA 2023

Overview

Oona Lilja is a partner who supports Finnish and international clients in corporate and financial transactions, including debt finance and mergers and acquisitions.

Oona's debt finance experience includes acquisition finance, project finance, real estate finance and general bank lending, representing lenders as well as corporate clients. In M&A transactions, Oona represents private equity, venture capital and corporate clients across a range of business sectors.

Oona joined White & Case in 2013 upon graduation from law school. In 2017 – 2018, Oona was seconded to the Firm's London office.

Bars and Courts
Finnish Bar Association
Education
LLM
University of Helsinki
Faculty of Law
Languages
English
Finnish

Experience

Representation of F-Secure Corporation, a Finland-headquartered consumer cyber security company, on the financing of its US$223 million acquisition of the mobile consumer security business from Lookout, a US-based cloud security and data protection company.

Representation of Stora Enso Oyj, a leading global provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden construction and paper, on the €700 million revolving credit facility (RCF) agreement with a syndicate of 12 banks to refinance its existing €600 million facility. The five-year facility has two one-year extension options and will be used as a backup for general corporate purposes.

Representation of Metso Outotec Oyj, a world-leading industrial company offering equipment and services for the sustainable processing and flow of natural resources in the mining, aggregates, recycling and process industries, on including sustainability targets to its €600 million Syndicated Revolving Credit Facility and utilizing the facility's remaining one-year extension option. The sustainability targets included in the facility are CO2 emissions from the Group's own operations, CO2 emissions from the Group's logistics and the Group's suppliers having a Science Based CO2 emissions target.

Representation of Nordea Bank Abp (Nordea) and Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ) (SEB) on the financing for the merger of Virala Acquisition Company Plc (VAC), the first company listed on the SPAC segment of the regulated market of Nasdaq Helsinki, and Purmo Group Ltd. The merger financing arrangements, all originally for Purmo Group, comprise a €280 million committed term loan facility, an €80 million committed revolving credit facility, an up to €125 million uncommitted term loan facility, and a €95 million committed bridge loan facility. Nordea and SEB acted as coordinating bookrunners and mandated lead arrangers and, in relation to the €280 million committed term facility and €80 million committed revolving facility, as joint underwriters. The facilities will be transferred to the combined company upon completion of the merger. The new combined company's shares will be applied to be listed on the official list of Nasdaq Helsinki.

Representation of Sponsor Capital Oy, a Finnish private equity investor, and Sponbike Oy and Oy Duell Bike Center Ab, Finnish distributors of motorsports products, on the financing of the acquisition of Tecno Globe SAS, refinancing certain existing indebtedness, and financing general corporate purposes, of Sponbike, Duell and the Group. The secured financing was provided by Nordea Bank Abp.

Representation of Nordea Bank and Pareto Securities, as the joint bookrunners, on the issuance of €300 million 4.75 percent senior secured callable notes due 2026 by PHM Group Holding Oy, a property maintenance and management services group. The Notes were offered in the United States to qualified institutional buyers as defined in, and in reliance on, Rule 144A under the Securities Act and outside the United States in reliance on Regulation S under the Securities Act. White & Case also represented Nordea Bank on the €50 million super senior revolving credit facilities. The notes and the super senior revolving credit facility share security and guarantees provided by PHM Group Holding Oy and other group companies. The notes were listed on the Open Market at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and will be listed on Nasdaq Helsinki or another regulated market within twelve months of the issue date.

Representation of the investment fund Accent Equity 2017 LP in its acquisition of a majority stake in Global Attractions SPI from founders and management, and the related acquisition financing. Global Attractions SPI is a European market leader in equipment for indoor playgrounds and other leisure related activities, and offers turn-key services ranging from concept development and design to production and installation. The group has local presence in fifteen countries and a wide distributor base in twelve countries, together covering five continents.

Representation of the underwriters and syndicate banks in relation to the new EUR 950 million financing arranged in connection with the combination of Tieto Corporation and EVRY ASA, both IT service companies, consisting of a bridge loan facility, a term loan facility and a revolving credit facility.

Representation of Metso Corporation in relation to a financing package in preparation for the combination of Metso Minerals and Outotec Oyj under the name Metso Outotec, with the remainder of Metso, Metso Flow Control, becoming an independent separately listed company under the name Neles. The financing for Metso (and, subsequently, Metso Outotec) comprised of a EUR 1.55 billion backup and term loan facilities with Nordea Bank Abp for the purposes of supporting the transaction and possible amendment and consent solicitation processes related to Metso's current financing arrangements, financing the potential cash redemption of Metso's shares up to EUR 500 million, as well as providing backup liquidity to Metso (and, subsequently, Metso Outotec) in the form of a revolving credit facility amounting to EUR 500 million. The financing for Metso (and, subsequently, Neles) comprised of a EUR 150 million term loan facility with Nordea Bank Abp, which may be used for the repayment and replacement of Metso's credit facilities and other liabilities that benefit the flow control business and are to remain with Neles post completion.

Representation of Outokumpu Oyj, a Finnish stainless steel company listed on Nasdaq Helsinki, in relation to its new secured EUR 400 million term loan facility arranged by Danske Bank A/S, Swedbank AB (publ), OP Corporate Bank plc, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ) and Nordea Bank Abp. The new term loan is sustainability linked and the margin of the loan is linked to the total recordable incident frequency rate and carbon dioxide emission per ton of stainless steel produced, both in relation to set targets. The loan shares the existing security package e.g. with Outokumpu's existing syndicated revolving credit facility and with the secured notes due 2024.

Representation of Technopolis Plc, a modern real estate company providing shared office space and related services, and certain of its group companies in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Lithuania in connection with its approximately EUR 930 million euro, Norwegian krone and Swedish krona denominated senior secured facilities and mezzanine secured facilities. The facilities are to be used for, among others, the refinancing of Technopolis and its group companies' existing indebtedness and the financing of certain existing and future organic growth projects.

Representation of Antilooppi Ky, a modern real estate company focusing on office properties in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, in connection with its EUR 565 million facilities agreement with Nordea Bank Abp, OP Corporate Bank plc, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB (publ) and Danske Bank A/S and Handelsbanken Capital Markets, Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ) as lenders and arrangers. The facilities consist of three separate tranches: a EUR 385 million committed term loan facility, a EUR 165 million uncommitted term loan facility and a EUR 15 million uncommitted ancillary facility, to be used for refinancing of Antilooppi's and its subsidiaries' existing secured facilities and financing additional investments.

Representation of Supercell Oy, a Finnish mobile games company, and the management/founding team, in the acquisition by Tencent Holdings Limited, one of China's largest and most used internet portals, of approximately 84.3% of Supercell equity securities for a consideration of US$8.6 billion, with put and call options for the rest of the equity securities over a four-year period.

Awards and Recognition

Rising Star in Banking & Finance, The Legal 500 EMEA 2020-2023

Individual Mention in Real Estate & Construction, The Legal 500 EMEA, 2023