Rhodes University

Head Of Legal at Attacq Limited

Johannesburg Area, South Africa

I am currently the Head of Legal at Attacq Limited, a JSE listed REIT company.  In addition to managing the legal team at the company, reporting to various JSE required committees and EXCOs, my key focus is to attend to the debt (introducing new senior debt into new developments, managing the security structures, refinancing of existing finance deals etc) and equity structures (disposals, JVs etc) of the company.

Attacq Limited

Head Of Legal

I work in the legal team at Attacq Limited, a JSE listed property company (REIT), as a legal advisor with a focus on equity (general M&A) and debt (banking and financing) transactions, working predominately on the South Africa property portfolio.  I work closely with the funding team on introducing senior debt into green field projects (i.e. construction of new developments, whether it be retail, industrial or commercial), refinancing of existing debt, and advising on appropriate security documents.  I also work closely with the asset management teams (and the COO) in respect of the disposal of existing portions of the SA portfolio, introducing JV partners into our greenfields and brownfields projects etc.

Legal Advisor

I was a legal manager and transactor at AttAfrica Limited (AttAfrica) whose shareholders are Hyprop and Attacq (both of which are listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange) and Atterbury. AttAfrica is mandated by its shareholders to acquire grade A commercial retail properties (brownfield) in Africa (outside of South Africa) as well as develop retail properties on the continent (greenfield). I play a key role in our deal-making team driving property acquisitions across the African continent, managing the legal aspects of the Group's equity and debt structures, as well as advising on high level legal aspects emanating from the asset management division tasked with managing the property portfolio. AttAfrica's current property portfolio consists of 4 income producing assets, namely Manda Hill Shopping Centre in Lusaka, Zambia, Accra Mall in Accra, Ghana, West Hills Mall in Accra, Ghana and Achimota Mall in Accra, Ghana. Another mall is currently under construction in Kumasi, Ghana. AttAfrica's listed shareholders also separately own Ikeja City Mall in Lagos, Nigeria, which was acquired from Actis end of 2015, which deal I was intricately involved on behalf of such shareholders.

AttAfrica Limited

Legal Manager and Transactor

Before I joined AttAfrica, I was a senior associate in the Africa Team: Private Equity and Mergers and Acquisitions at Webber Wentzel. I have, amongst other things, advised on M&A and private equity transactions and have been involved in a number of projects for clients of the firm in South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Tunisia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Christy Hobson