Pinsent Masons has boosted its corporate bench in London with a pair of partners recruited from Ashurst and HSF Kramer, as the firm moves to capitalise on an expected upswing in capital markets in 2026.
Nicholas Holmes has joined from Ashurst, where he previously led the equity capital markets (ECM) team, while Dinesh Banani has moved over following 15 years at HSF Kramer and its predecessor Herbert Smith Freehills. At Pinsents, Holmes will head up the ECM practice and Banani will lead the firm’s US securities practice.
Edward Stead, partner and head of Pinsents’ UK corporate practice, said the hires would strengthen the firm’s ability to deliver larger, complex equity capital markets and public company advisory mandates.
“We believe that the UK’s capital markets have reached a turning point when it comes to new fundraisings and significant private capital placements,” Stead said. “Our continued investment in our City corporate team means we’re ready to help our clients capitalise on what’s next as the markets gathers pace.”
Holmes joined Ashurst back in 2005 from Freshfields and was instrumental in turning its ECM practice into one of the strongest in the City. Most recently he was a senior consultant at the firm, and is recognised for his expertise in equity transactions, such as IPOs and listings. He also has significant experience advising on share issuances in the context of corporate finance transactions.
Last year Holmes led the Ashurst team that advised Peel Hunt in connection with Superdry’s restructuring plan and delisting. He also guided Goldman Sachs, Citi and Merrill Lynch International in the demerger of GSK’s consumer healthcare business in 2022, at the time the largest listing in London for more than a decade, and at Pinsents is expected to continue to focus on delivering significant ECM mandates for international investment banks.
“It’s a hugely exciting time for the UK’s capital markets, with corporate finance advisers increasingly confident about the businesses they plan to help IPO,” Holmes said. “Pinsent Masons has such a presence in equity capital markets work and I feel it is the right place for me when it comes to turning this positive sentiment into concrete returns for clients.”
An Ashurst spokesperson thanked Holmes for his contributions to the firm and wished him well.
Meanwhile, Banani has joined Pinsents having been a partner for a decade at his former firm. Earlier in his career he practised at Sullivan & Cromwell and brings US securities law expertise spanning both equity and debt capital markets.
Pinsents said Banani would work closely with Homes on IPOs, placings, rights issues and related ECM matters, and was also ideally positioned to advise the firm’s banking and finance teams on US securities law aspects of bond offerings, securitisation transactions and other international finance mandates.
A HSF Kramer spokesperson commented: “We would like to thank Dinesh for his contributions to the firm and wish him well for the future.”
The duo continue a hiring streak in Pinsents’ corporate practice that saw M&A partners Richard Thomas, Mark Hough and Rob Warren move over from EY last month. September also saw the arrival of pensions partner Dan Naylor and restructuring and insolvency partner Edward Smith, both from Travers Smith, to the firm’s City headquarters.
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