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Clifford Chance

Aino Mäkisalo

Associate

Associate
Aino Mäkisalo

Aino Mäkisalo is an associate in Clifford Chance’s Global Financial Markets group. She advises both borrowers and lenders on a wide range of domestic and cross-border leveraged finance transactions. Aino has significant experience representing private equity sponsors, corporate borrowers, direct lenders, and regulated financial institutions in broadly syndicated loan (BSL) transactions. Prior to joining Clifford Chance, Aino was a senior covenant lawyer at 9fin, where she deepened her experience in debt documentation and covenant analysis.

Aino's practice spans various industries and jurisdictions, with a focus on complex financing structures and cross-border deal execution.

Select private equity / corporate and related experience:

  • Advised Coupa Software on Thoma Bravo’s US$8 billion take-private of Coupa Software.*
  • Advised BP on BP’s US$4.1 billion take-private of Archae Energy.*
  • Advised Cinven and Ufinet on their US$1.7 billion term loan facility with multiple upsizes and US$200 million revolving credit facility.*
  • Advised AstraZeneca on a committed US$17.5 billion bridge-financing facility to support the financing of its US$39 billion acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals and financing matters on various acquisitions.*
  • Advised Cargill on the financing for its US$4.53 billion take-private of Sanderson and simultaneous formation of a US$2.5 billion JV with Continental Grain and private acquisition of Wayne Farms.*
  • Advised TriNet on its US$700 million revolving credit facility to fund an equity tender offer, share repurchases, and other working capital and general corporate purposes, and on its US$500 million private offering of senior notes.*
  • Advised Barclays Bank plc and HSBC Bank plc on Cineworld’s US$3.6 billion acquisition of Regal Group*
  • Advised Citicorp North America, Inc. and Credit Suisse as the lead arrangers in a US$5.5 billion 364-day bridge term loan facility to finance the acquisition by NRG Energy, Inc. of Direct Energy*
  • Advised J.P. Morgan Chase & Co in connection with the financing of vantiv, LLC’s US$10 billion acquisition of the U.K. payments processor Worldpay Group PLC*

*Work completed prior to joining Clifford Chance

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Career & qualifications

  • Columbia Law School (LL.M) 2016
  • Admitted as an Attorney-at-Law in New York 2017
  • Senior Covenant Lawyer at 9fin 2024
  • Joined Clifford Chance 2025