David Azarkh

David Azarkh is a Partner in the Firm’s Corporate Department and Co-Head of the Firm’s Global Investment Banking practice, where he concentrates on capital markets transactions. He advises underwriters and corporate clients in securities offerings ranging from high yield and investment grade debt offerings, IPOs, pre-IPO financings, primary and secondary offerings to leveraged buyouts, liability management transactions and other types of capital markets transactions. He also has deep market knowledge of covenant terms and disclosure matters, and regularly advises on corporate governance and other general corporate finance matters.

Dave’s representative transactions include:

• Tech and TMT
  • $1.4 billion IPO of ADT, Inc., IPO and secondary offerings of Mister Car Wash, Inc., the financing for Carlyle’s $7.4 billion acquisition of Veritas from Symantec Corporation and approximately $2 billion of subsequent debt offerings, the equity offerings and liability management transactions of Carvana Co., a debut debt financing for Cars.com, a debut high yield debt financing for Roblox Corporation, a debut high yield and subsequent debt financings for Resideo Technologies, Inc., debt financings for Switch, Ltd. and debt financings for GenPact
  • $43 billion combination of AT&T Inc.’s WarnerMedia with Discovery, Inc. and subsequent debt financings of over $3 billion by WarnerBros Discovery, $21 billion of debt financings by Qualcomm Incorporated, including in connection with the acquisition of NXP Semiconductors N.V. and $1.5 billion of subsequent debt offerings, $2 billion of debt and equity financings by Cable One, Inc., including in connection with the acquisition of Hargray, $2.5 billion of debt financings for Sprint Corporation and approximately $3 billion of debt financings for TEGNA, Inc. and equity financings for Aspen Aerogels
  • Debt and secondary offerings by TTM Technologies, Inc., secured debt offering and secondary offerings by Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. and a secondary offering by Cubic Corporation
• Industrials and Real Estate
  • $2 billion of financings by Vertiv Group Corporation, including its $1.8 billion acquisition of E&I Engineering Ireland Limited, $6.5 billion of debt financings by Martin Marietta Materials, Inc., including in connection with the acquisition of Bluegrass Materials, approximately $4 billion of debt financings by Element Fleet Management Corp., debt financings by Cabot Corp., a debut high yield financing for Knife River Corporation in connection with its spinoff from MDU Resources Group, Inc. and a subsequent debt for equity offering, the equity offering of Columbus McKinnon Corporation in connection with its acquisition of Dorner, the $7.5 billion acquisition of Altra Industrial Motion Corp. by Regal Rexnord Corporation, debt financings for Unisys Corporation, secured debt financings for Alta Equipment Group, a debut high yield debt financing for Atkore Inc., a debut high yield debt financing for THOR Industries, Inc., a debt financing for Clearwater Paper Company, debt financings by EnerSys and debt financings by Mativ Holdings Inc.
  • $1 billion IPO and approximately $8 billion of secondary offerings and debt financings for Anywhere Real Estate Group LLC (f/k/a Realogy Group LLC)
• Healthcare
  • $12 billion acquisition of Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc. by Baxter International and $8 billion of subsequent debt financings, $11.5 billion of debt and equity financings by GE HealthCare Technologies Inc., including in connection with its spin-off from General Electric Company, $2 billion of debt financings by Charles River Laboratories, including its acquisition of MPI Research, approximately $1.5 billion of debt financings by AdaptHealth LLC, including its $2 billion acquisition of AeroCare, over $1 billion of debt financings for Pharmaceutical Product Development, LLC, a debut debt financing for Syneos Health, Inc. and equity financings for Sotera Health Company
• Consumer, Retail and Education
  • The financing for AEA’s $1.9 billion acquisition of 24 Hour Fitness, the financing for the $1.5 billion acquisition of CPG International, $3 billion of debt financings by Gartner, Inc., including in connection with its $2.6 billion acquisition of CEB Inc, the approximately $1 billion acquisition of First American Payment Systems by Deluxe Corporation, a secured debt financing for CPI Group, a debut secondary financing for First Solar and the financing for R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company's acquisition of Valassis Communications, Inc., including approximately $1.5 billion of secured debt financing
  • IPO of JOANN Inc., the $1 billion combination of 3M’s Food Safety Business with Neogen, the $1.6 billion acquisition of Acima Holdings LLC by Rent-A-Center, $4 billion of debt financings for Cinemark Holdings Inc., $3 billion and €500 of debt financings for Hanesbrands Inc., approximately €3 billion and $3 billion of debt financings for V.F. Corporation, the debut high yield financing by Kontoor Brands, Inc., over $1 billion of debt financings for Wolverine World Wide, Inc., approximately $2 billion of debt and equity financings for Central Garden & Pet Company, the debut high yield financing by Bloomin’ Brands Inc., debt financings by Brinker International, Inc., debt financings by The Brink’s Company and debut high yield financing by Masterbrand, Inc. 
  • IPO of Laureate Education, Inc., the first IPO of a public benefit corporation, and subsequent secondary and debt offerings
• Energy
  • Upstream and Midstream E&P Oilfield Services
    • Debt and equity financings for Nine Energy Service, Inc., including in connection with its acquisition of Magnum, the debut high yield secured financing for InfraBuild Australia Pty Ltd, the debut high yield financing for Minerals Technologies Inc. and a high yield debt financing for Oceaneering International Inc.
    • Approximately $4.3 billion of debt and equity financings for Crescent Energy Co., $1 billion debt financing for Whiting Petroleum Corporation, the debut high yield financing for Lonestar Resources America Inc., the secondary offerings and debt financings for Callon Petroleum Company, the debut high yield financing for Oasis Petroleum Inc., the high yield and equity financings for Oasis Midstream Partners LP, the equity financing for Cactus, Inc. in connection with its acquisition FlexSteel Technologies Holdings, Inc. and the debut high yield financing for Kraken Oil & Gas Partners LLC
  • Metals & Mining
    • Approximately $11 billion of debt financings for Fortescue Metals Group Ltd., and approximately $3 billion of debt financings for Mineral Resources Limited
  • Offshore Drilling
    • Over $3.5 billion of secondary offerings and debt financings for Kosmos Energy Ltd., approximately $4 billion of debt financings for Noble Corporation and debt financings for EnVen Energy Corporation
• Transportation and Rental
  • $30 billion acquisition of GE Capital Aviation Services by AerCap Holdings N.V. and approximately $51 billion of subsequent debt and equity financings by AerCap Holdings N.V. and the $34 billion acquisition of Kansas City Southern by Canadian National Railway Co.
  • IPO of U.S. Xpress Enterprises, Inc. and IPO of Neff Corporation
• FIG and Finance
  • The $1.8 billion acquisition of Exeter Finance LLC by Warburg Pincus LLC and subsequent debt financings by Exeter, approximately $6 billion of debt financings for OneMain Financial Corporation and debt financings for Symetra Financial Corporation
• Liability Management and Other Transactions
  • Dealer managers and issuers in multiple exchange offers, tender offers and/or consent solicitations for Carvana Co., Anywhere Real Estate Group LLC, Diebold Nixdorf, Incorporated, Pyxus International, Inc., Regal Rexnord Corporation, WarnerMedia Holdings, Inc., Sprint Corporation, Jack Cooper Enterprises, Inc., Noble Corporation, Crestwood Midstream Partners, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd., Laureate Education, Inc., Conduent Corporation, Whiting Petroleum Corporation, V.F. Corporation, Callon Petroleum Company, AerCap Holdings N.V., Bed Bath & Beyond, TTM Technologies, Inc., Cinemark Holdings Inc., Oceaneering International Inc., United Site Services and Kosmos Energy Ltd.
  • Financings related to exits from bankruptcy for TPC Group Inc., Pyxus International, Inc. and Templar Energy LLC

Dave is ranked by Chambers USA for Capital Markets: Debt & Equity, is lauded as “incredibly commercial” and “a bright star of Simpson Thacher's future,” and is recognized by IFLR1000 as a “Highly Regarded Lawyer.” He regularly writes for industry publications such as Law360 and Lexis Practice Advisor®, including, “Market Trends: High Yield Debt Offerings”, “Market Trends: Block Trades”, “How to Draft Risk Factors for a Registration Statement” and “Responding to SEC Comment Letters”. Dave served as a Contributing Editor of the inaugural edition of “Getting the Deal Through: High-Yield Debt,” and he has continued to serve as a Contributing Editor annually for this publication. He is also part of the TechGC network and regularly presents at TechGC’s conferences, webinars and other events on capital markets topics.

Dave started his career at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP in 2006 before coming to Simpson Thacher in 2011. He holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was Editor of the Georgetown Journal of International Law and elected to Order of the Coif. He received his B.A. from Boston University where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.