Schulte Roth & Zabel Expands Finance & Derivatives Group with Addition of Stuart Axford in London

Schulte Roth & Zabel is pleased to announce the addition of Stuart Axford as partner in the Finance & Derivatives Group, in the firm’s London office.

A leading practitioner of asset-backed securitization, Stuart brings more than 25 years of experience to the firm, focusing on the securitization of a wide range of assets, including residential and commercial mortgages, auto loans, aircraft, supply chain finance, cryptocurrencies and NFTs.

“SRZ is known to have an industry-leading international securitization and structured finance practice, and I am thrilled to be joining a team with these end-to-end capabilities,” said Stuart. “The combination of increased market volatility and rising interest rates has created a greater demand for structured products that provide a greater degree of certainty of funding costs over time. I am very excited about working with my new colleagues in London and the U.S. to provide clients with the insight and complexity this market demands.”

“Stuart is a great addition to our London team,” said Chris Hilditch, co-head of SRZ’s London office. “His expertise in asset-backed securitization adds complementary depth to our existing bench and
underscores our ability to offer guidance on a wide range of evolving financing opportunities.”

“Stuart adds valuable cross-border perspectives to our growing Finance practice in London, bringing decades of experience in both London and the broader European market,” added Boris Ziser, New York partner and co-head of the Finance & Derivatives Group. “Our teams in London and the U.S. work closely together to provide clients with guidance on regulatory and compliance requirements across regions, and other complex issues, and Stuart brings the same integrated and collaborative approach to client service.”

Stuart joins recent additions to the Finance & Derivatives Group including partners Martin Sharkey (London), who focuses on CLOs; Polly O'Brien (London), whose practice includes matters related to bespoke financial transactions with emphasis on specialty finance, litigation finance and fund finance; and Gregory Ruback (New York), who represents public and private entities in domestic, international bilateral, club and syndicated financings.

Other recent additions include Peter Greene, who joined as co-head of the Investment Management Group, Ben Kozinn in Investment Management and M&A and Eileen Overbaugh in the Investment Management Group; Ned Schodek in the Business Reorganization Group; Alex Kim, head of the Intellectual Property, Sourcing & Technology Group; Mike Flynn, Jeffrey Symons and Brian Miner in the M&A and Securities Group; Gayle Klein in the Litigation Group; and Douglas S. Mintz in the Business Reorganization Group.