Puja Kumar (née Varma)

Associate


Toronto

Tel : 416.865.7079
Fax : 416.865.7048

Email : puja.kumar@mcmillan.ca
VCard : vcard

Professional Experience Puja Kumar is an associate in the firm's Financial Services Group, her practice focuses on representing lenders and borrowers in a variety of domestic and cross-border commercial debt financings, syndicated lending, asset-based lending, project financing and debt restructuring transactions. She has completed secondments providing legal support to Royal Bank of Canada and Honda Canada Finance Inc.

Puja graduated from the University of Western Ontario's Faculty of Law and completed her undergraduate degree in Finance from the Schulich School of Business at York University. Puja is actively involved in the firm's associate's committee and is a member of the board of directors of the South Asian Bar Association of Toronto.
Representative Transactions

  • Canadian counsel to a cable company in connection with its US$250,000,000 syndicated cross-border refinancing.
  • Counsel to a Canadian-based pipe coating and manufacturing company in connection with the amendments and restatements of US$150,000,000 syndicated credit facilities by affiliated companies in multiple jurisdictions.
  • Counsel to equity sponsors in connection with a $830,500,000 project to design, build, finance and maintain two new mental health care facilities in London and St. Thomas, Ontario.
  • Counsel to Royal Bank of Canada in connection with a $425,000,000 senior syndicated construction loan facility in conjunction with a concurrent $200,000,00 private placement of debentures and warrants for a real estate investment trust.
  • Counsel to a syndicate of European banks in connection with the financing of the Ontario Provincial Police Modernization Project, a project to design, build, finance and maintain new OPP facilities in 16 communities across Ontario.
  • Counsel to GE Canada Finance Holding Company as agent to a syndicate of lenders on a $600 million secured credit facility provided to Air Canada.
  • Counsel to Scotiabank (as agent for the secured lenders) when Masonite International Corporation successfully completed its financial restructuring and emerged from protection under both Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code and the the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA). The restructuring reduced Masonite's debt from US$2.2 billion to US$11.3 million of term debt and less than US$2 million of other debt.
  • Counsel to the successful private sector consortium in connection with Lakeridge Health - a $91.5 million project involving redevelopment of the Hospital's Oshawa, Ontario site.
  • Counsel to Sun Capital Partners on the Canadian aspects of its acquisition of American Standard, a leading manufacturer of bathroom and kitchen fixtures. The deal value was significant, but not disclosed publicly.
  • Counsel to Merge Healthcare Incorporated, a leading medical imaging software and services provider, in its agreement to enter into a securities purchase agreement and related agreements with Merrick RIS, LLC for $20 million in financing through a private placement.
  • Counsel to JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. as agent to a syndicate of lenders in connection with a $250 million senior secured asset-based lending credit facility provided to Cott Corporation.
  • Counsel to RBC Capital Partners in its partial financing of the acquisition of ACE Bakery of Toronto from Birch Hill Private Equity Partners and management to a Canadian subsidiary of Glencoe Capital LLC. The financial terms of the transaction have not been publicly disclosed.
  • Counsel to GE Capital Commercial Finance as agent to a syndicate of lenders on a US$700 million secured credit facility provided in connection with the acquisition of Linens ‘n Things Inc.
  • Counsel to the successful private sector consortium in connection with the Bluewater Health Capital Redevelopment Project - the $214 million expansion and redevelopment of a hospital in Sarnia, Ontario.
  • financial services

  • Canadian Bar Association
  • Ontario Bar Association
  • South Asian Bar Association
  • Women in Capital Markets
Called to the Ontario bar - 2007

University of Western Ontario, LLB - 2006

Schulich School of Business, York University, BBA - 2002