U.S. law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe has announced the hire of project finance expert Michael Tardif as a partner in its Singapore office. Tardif joins from the Jakarta office of A&O Shearman.
Orrick also announced that A&O Shearman senior associate Ari Bessendorf, who has worked with Tardif for the past six years, will join as a partner in Singapore in September.
Tardif’s hire is aimed at strengthening Orrick's energy and infrastructure practice in Asia, particularly in Indonesia and the broader Southeast Asian region. He brings experience in complex financing transactions across conventional power, renewable energy, infrastructure, and mining sectors.
Tardif's client roster includes PT Pertamina (Persero), Indonesia's state-owned energy company, as well as major sponsors from Japan, Korea, and the Middle East. He also has strong relationships with key multilateral lenders and export-credit agencies in the region.
He joined the legacy Allen & Overy in 2014 as a counsel, after working at Latham & Watkins and Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy.
"Michael's hire is a perfect next step in advancing our strategy to increase the breadth and depth of our Asia energy offering," said Karthik Kumar, Orrick's Singapore office leader.
Orrick's Singapore office, which opened in August 2021, has been focusing on expanding its energy transition team. With Tardif's addition, the firm will have four full-time energy and infrastructure partners in Singapore.
Apart from Kumar, who joined in 2022, the Singapore office also has partners John Thursby and Giji John, and of counsel Lynette Lim.