Craig Whitley is a director in Cliffe Dekker's finance, projects and banking department. In addition to assisting on numerous joint venture, merger and acquisition transactions, Craig has advised various banks and corporations in relation to a wide-range of financing structures, the effects of various financing and securities legislation (in particular the Banks Act, the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act and the Collective Investment Schemes Control Act), insurance (both long-term and short-term insurance) as well as structured securities.

Craig began his career as a candidate attorney at Cliffe Dekker Fuller Moore Inc in 2000. In 2002, Craig was promoted to associate and to senior associate at Cliffe Dekker Inc in 2004. On 1 September 2006, Craig was promoted to the position of director at Cliffe Dekker Inc.

BSc, LLB, University of the Witwatersrand
Date of admission: 2002

• South African legal advisor to South African platinum mining company in respect of USD100 million term funding transaction with the International Finance Corporation.

• Acted for major South African bank in the funding of the development of a hotel and beach resort in Mozambique

• Assisted and advised Lonmin in the acquisition by Incwala Resources of 18.1% of Western Platinum and Eastern Platinum from Impala Platinum valued at US$554.4 million.

• Assisted and advised CCMP Capital Asia (formerly JP Morgan Partners Asia) and JP Morgan Partners Global Fund in the acquisition of Waco International Ltd for R5.4 billion.

• Assisted and advised Platinum Group Metals (RSA) (Pty) Ltd and Platinum Group Metals Limited in respect of the large scale Western Bushveld Joint Venture with Rustenburg Platinum Mines Limited north of Rustenburg, South Africa.

• Joint advisor to the Arranger in respect of the ZAR650 million senior secured credit facilities in respect of Savcio Holdings (Pty) Ltd's acquisition of the businesses of Delta DMS (Pty) Ltd.

• Craig acts for foreign banks with local banking licences such as HSBC, ABN AMRO, Standard Chartered and Barclays Bank plc amongst others, advises them in their funding activities as well as various aspects of the Banks Act 1990, the Financial Advisory and Intermediaries Services Act 2002 and the Collective Investment Schemes Control Act, 2002.

• Craig has over the past few years been involved in various funding structures for and on behalf of banks and/or other non-banking clients for purposes of funding Black economic empowerment, infrastructure, acquisition of assets, trade and commodities finance, capital markets, management buy-outs and structuring the security relating to such finance.