Paul Shew to step up at Rothschild

Rothschild has appointed its director Paul Shew as head of debt advisory and restructuring for Australia and NZ.

Boutique investment bank Rothschild has appointed its Sydney-based ­director Paul Shew as head of debt advisory and restructuring for Australia and New Zealand.

As foreshadowed by The ­Australian’s DataRoom column last week, he succeeds Alistair Dick, who is returning to Britain following his four-year tenure.

Mr Shew, who has advised on financing and financial structuring for 17 years, joined Rothschild in 2009. “Paul is a market-leading debt-advisory and restructuring banker and has been a highly ­valued member of the Rothschild team for a number of years,” said ­Trevor Rowe, executive chairman of Rothschild Australia.

“His appointment as head of our debt advisory and restructuring team is a testament to his capabilities and ongoing success, and his expertise has proven to be invaluable to our clients.”

Recent deals he has been involved in include the financing for Woolworths of South Africa’s acquisition of David Jones and advising lenders and hedge funds on the $3 billion restructuring of Alinta Energy. Mr Shew has previously been involved in roles at UBS, Westpac and Macquarie Bank. He will continue to collaborate with Rothschild’s global debt advisory and restructuring groups .

Australia’s debt restructuring and advisory market has been relatively quiet in recent years as low interest rates have allowed companies to tap overseas bond markets to replace bank debt.

Mr Shew’s appointment is the latest in a series of high-profile moves in the sector, including Lachlan Edwards’s move from Goldman Sachs to Lazard and Jim McKnight’s exit from UBS.