Tony Berriman
Partner, Sydney
With more than 20 years' experience in the field, Tony Berriman is a leading practitioner in corporate and property finance, acting primarily for financiers and arrangers. He heads the firm’s Property Finance practice.

Tony has led numerous transactions spanning project-style construction facilities and corporate facilities to listed property groups. He has extensive experience in institutional finance and bank syndication, as well as high profile A-REIT debt restructure transactions. Tony sits on the Asia Pacific Loan Market Association documentation committee and is currently tasked as lead author of a new real estate debt facility agreement to be considered by the committee.

Career highlights

  • Acted for a Canberra based development joint venture between Geocon and Empire Global in relation to senior and mezzanine debt facilities to fund 2 separate but related residential and mixed use developments in Canberra known as the Establishment and Aspen Village developments comprising 6 residential apartment towers containing more than 900 residential apartments, 28 commercial tenancies and associated parking.
  • Acted for the lenders in relation to the $500 million Opera Residences development. Situated in one of Sydney's prized locations facing the Opera House. This development contains some of Australia's most expensive real estate with prices reputedly yielding up to $96,000 per square metre.
  • Acted for the lender in relation to the $200 million PPP style redevelopment of the Newcastle Bus Interchange. The redeveloped site will serve as a central transport hub in Newcastle that connects heavy rail, light rail and bus platforms and include up to 13,000 square metres of new office space (underpinned by a long term lease to a government tenant) as well as residential and retail outlets.
  • Acting for the lending syndicate on the $650 million financing of the wholesale real estate investment trust Charter Hall Direct Office Fund, secured by a portfolio of commercial real estate assets.
  • Acting for Ovolo Hotel Group in its syndicated refinance and construction funding facilities secured over its portfolio of Australian hotels.
  • Acted for the syndicate lenders in relation to the funding of a $300 million mixed-use stage in inner western Sydney known as Park Sydney being developed by a Greenland led joint venture. Greenland is a global Fortune 500 company and is delivering this project with a Hong Kong joint venture partner. The master plan for the development will result in a 6.9 hectare community which will be one of the most significant urban renewal projects in Australia.
  • Acting for the lender in relation to the redevelopment of the circa $400 million redevelopment and adaptation of two existing heritage buildings in Sydney’s “Sandstone Precinct” on Bridge Street. The project involves the redevelopment, restoration and reinvention of the Department of Lands Building, the Department of Education Building and the adjacent urban context of Sydney’s heritage Sandstone Precinct. The project encompasses two entire blocks of the Sydney CBD and features detailed colonial architecture dating back to the late 1800s. Pontiac Land Group’s vision is to create one of the finest hotels in the world, in the heart of Sydney’s Central Business District.