Sanjev Warna-kula-suriya is a partner in the London office of Latham & Watkins and a member of the Finance Practice. He is also Chair of the Global Structured Finance and Securitization Practice. Mr. Warna-kula-suriya is a visiting Fellow at The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London. He advises private equity sponsors, hedge funds, commercial and investment banks, and corporates on a broad range of innovative capital raising and investment transactions.

Mr. Warna-kula-suriya advises clients across a wide range of asset classes and structures, including public and private debt, equity-linked and hybrid capital markets issues, securitizations, CMBS, cash and synthetic CLOs, OTC and exchange-traded derivatives, and cross-border structured finance.

He also has significant expertise in the sale and purchase of financial asset portfolios, distressed investments and restructurings, and the establishment of alternative lending platforms and direct lending.

Mr. Warna-kula-suriya’s representative transactions include advising:

  • A leading investment fund on the proposed purchase of a credit card and consumer finance business
  • Cairn Capital Ltd on synthetic securitization of a leading bank’s corporate loan portfolio
  • Fortress Investment Group on the provision of asset-backed loan finance in Finland, Poland, and Spain
  • Goldman Sachs on an asset-backed loan financing for a UK fintech lender
  • A leading investment bank on a funded equity derivative over the shares of a major UK listed company
  • Magnetar Financial LLC on synthetic securitization of banks’ corporate loan and real estate loan portfolios
  • Mariner Investment Group on synthetic securitization of a bank’s project finance portfolio
  • Morgan Stanley as Arranger of High Yield Bonds issued by AnaCap backed by structured credit products
  • Och Ziff Capital Management as asset-backed lender to an international fintech lending business
  • A leading investment bank on a funded equity derivative over the shares of a listed Spanish company 
  • The sponsor and manager of a project finance CLO in the far East
  • Apollo Management on CMBS investments, debt restructurings, and financial asset portfolio purchases*
  • A leading global market maker on various debt and hybrid structured finance transactions, distressed investments, and restructurings*
  • Davidson Kempner on the servicing arrangements for its financial asset portfolios*
  • Deutsche Bank on various derivatives and structured finance transactions, financing of portfolio purchase transactions, and the auction sale of mortgage portfolios and related securitization financing*
  • Fortress Investment Group on direct lending, asset-backed financing, CLOs, CMBS, and portfolio purchase transactions*
  • Highbridge on the acquisition and related financing of an equipment lease portfolio and servicing platform*
  • Magnetar on various structured investments including synthetic securitizations, insurance-linked investments, and direct lending platforms and lending joint ventures with financial institutions*
  • Nordea Bank on various derivatives and structured finance transactions, capital raising and CMBS transactions, synthetic securitizations, and restructurings*
  • Och-Ziff on various structured finance transactions, asset-based lending and real estate finance transactions, RMBS restructurings, and portfolio purchase transactions

*Matter handled prior to joining Latham

Bar Qualification

  • England and Wales (Solicitor)

Education

  • Bachelor of Arts (Combined Hons), The Dickson Poon School of Law, King's College London, 2018
    Visiting Fellow
  • Legal Practice Course, College of Law, London, 1987
  • LL.B. (First Class Honors), King's College, University of London, 1986