In his new role, Rhys will support the strategic management of WPS in Ireland, working with country lead, Joanna Taylor, and senior vice presidents, Nicola Byrne, Anthony Finegan and Colm Ó Murchadha. He will focus on delivering high quality corporate services for structured finance, securitisation and aircraft leasing transactions, complementing Walkers’ combined service offering of market leading legal and corporate services.
Rhys brings more than 20 years of industry experience, with deep expertise in structured finance, securitisation and equipment finance transactions from corporate services and trust and agency perspectives. Prior to joining WPS, he spent over five years at Apex Group as director and Head of Transaction Management (Capital Markets), following senior roles at Wilmington Trust and Deutsche Bank.
WPS Ireland country lead, Joanna Taylor said: ‘Rhys brings strong expertise in transaction execution and client service. His background in structured finance and aviation aligns perfectly with our growth strategy in Ireland and will support our commitment to delivering best-in-class service to clients.’
Rhys Owens added: ‘I’m thrilled to join WPS in Ireland. The team has an excellent track record managing complex transactions for SPV clients. I look forward to working with Joanna, Nicola, Anthony and Colm, and the wider WPS and Walkers teams to support clients and to contribute to the continued growth of the business.’
Walkers’ Ireland office managing partner, Jonathan Sheehan commented: ‘We are delighted to welcome Rhys to Walkers. His appointment is both a reflection of our commitment to continue to strengthen our WPS offering and of continued client demand.’
This appointment follows the recently announced signing of a definitive agreement for a strategic co-investment between Walkers and Vitruvian Partners into WPS. The partnership is designed to meet growing client demand for integrated services across key investment hubs and strengthen service standards through added capital and sector expertise.
This year marks the tenth anniversary of WPS in Ireland, reflecting a decade of market leading corporate services in Ireland, and follows the 15th anniversary of Walkers opening in Ireland in October 2010.
Part of WPS’ global network, the WPS team has over 70 colleagues in Ireland, contributing to a business that now employs over 300 people worldwide, in a 1,400+ strong Walkers group.
