Robert A. Ryan

ROB RYAN focuses on the representation of issuers, underwriters, sponsors and other transaction parties across an array of SEC-registered and exempted capital markets transactions, such as initial public offerings, preferred and common equity offerings and various types of debt offerings. Rob also regularly advises clients with regard to ongoing disclosure, reporting and corporate governance matters. These clients range from highly-seasoned public companies to nascent enterprises, and represent a variety of different geographies and sectors, including financial services and insurance, technology, hospitality, life sciences, real estate, manufacturing, consumer goods and retail.

Rob has been recommended by Chambers Global in Capital Markets: Debt & Equity: Eastern United States (2022–2025) and Chambers USA in Capital Markets: Debt & Equity (2021–2025).

Selected recent transactions and experience include acting as:

• Underwriter’s counsel on Central Bancompany, Inc.’s US$373 million initial public offering.
• Issuer’s counsel to Accelerant Holdings on its US$830 million upsized initial public offering.
• Issuer’s counsel to Aspen Insurance Holdings Limited on its US$397.5 million upsized initial public offering and other debt and equity offerings.
• Underwriters’ counsel on Brown & Brown’s US$8.5 billion debt and equity financing in connection with its acquisition of Accession Risk Management.
• Issuer’s counsel to the Nassau Financial Group in connection with its capital markets debut offering of high yield senior notes.
• Initial purchasers’ counsel on Atlas Warehouse Lending Company’s (Apollo-sponsored warehouse lending business) inaugural and subsequent senior notes offerings.
• Issuer’s counsel to The Northern Trust Company in connection with its senior notes offerings.
• Underwriters’ counsel in connection with innovative forward equity offering structures by UMB Financial Corporation, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation and Old National Bancorp for their respective acquisition financing transactions.
• Issuer’s counsel to The Fortegra Group, Inc. in connection with its offering of fixed rate resetting junior subordinated notes.
• Issuer’s counsel for Soho House & Co. Inc. in connection with its initial public offering.
• Issuer’s counsel for nCino, Inc. in connection with its initial public offering.
• Issuer’s counsel for Outset Medical Inc. in connection with its initial public offering.
• Issuer’s counsel for Athene Holding Ltd. in connection with its initial public offering, which was awarded “Equity Deal of the Year” at the IFLR Americas Awards, and multiple follow-on equity offerings.
• Issuer’s counsel for RenaissanceRe Holdings Ltd. in connection with its equity financing for its acquisition of AIG’s treaty reinsurance business.
• Issuer’s counsel for CDW Corporation in connection with its debt offerings and liability management transactions.
• Issuer's counsel for Aon plc and its affiliates in connection with multiple offerings through its bespoke co-issuer structure. 
• Issuer’s counsel for Synchrony Financial and Synchrony Bank in connection with multiple SEC-registered and exempted debt offerings.  
• Issuer’s counsel for Aflac Incorporated in connection with multiple SEC-registered offerings.
• Initial purchasers’ counsel in connection with Mercedes-Benz Group AG’s senior debt offerings.
• Issuer’s counsel for SBL Holdings, Inc. in connection with its preferred share and senior notes offerings.
• Issuer’s counsel for McKinsey & Company, Inc. in connection with its private placement of senior notes.
• Designated underwriters’ counsel for numerous other issuers, including BGC Partners, Inc., Brown & Brown, Inc., Federal Realty Trust, McKesson Corporation, Newmark Group, Inc., O’Reilly Automotive Inc., Stryker Medical Corporation, and Western Alliance Bancorporation.
• Counsel to major private equity and other sponsors in connection with portfolio company private fundraisings, IPOs and other offerings and related capital markets considerations.
• Issuer’s counsel to a host of private and emerging companies in connection with exempted capital raising transactions and potential public company planning and preparation.

Though based in the firm’s New York office for the majority of his career, Rob spent three years in Sidley’s London office, and completed extended secondments in the firm’s Hong Kong and Sydney offices.

Rob is a long-tenured co-chair of the New York office Recruiting Committee, as well as a member of the New York Bar Association and the American Bar Association, and previously served as a member of the NYCBA Securities Regulation Committee. He regularly presents at the firm’s Corporate College and other professional conferences for corporate and securities law matters, and serves as a member of the board of directors and vice chair (as well as a long-time volunteer) of Read Ahead, a not-for-profit organization focused on reading-based mentoring and literacy development for children in under-resourced NYC public schools.

In addition to his extensive capital markets and corporate experience, Rob maintains an active and meaningful pro bono practice. He regularly advises not-for-profit and early-stage and developing businesses on issues relating to corporate formation, governance, disclosure, commercial contracts, and other matters. Further, Rob previously represented several petitioners in connection with clemency appeals submitted through Sidley’s partnership with the Clemency Project.