Sophia Greaves

Director, Head of Bermuda Insurance & Reinsurance Practice

Sophia Greaves is a Director in the Bermuda Corporate practice and Head of the Bermuda Insurance & Reinsurance practice. Prior to joining the firm in 2010, Sophia qualified as an Associate in the Reinsurance and Commercial Risk department of Barlow Lyde & Gilbert LLP. During her time at Barlow Lyde & Gilbert, Sophia worked in both London and Hong Kong, where she acted in a broad range of (re)insurance commercial litigation proceedings.

Sophia’s practice at Conyers spans a number of specialisations, with particular emphasis on securitisations, mergers and acquisitions, banking regulation and (re)insurance transactions, including the formation, licensing and ongoing regulatory requirements for Bermuda captives, special purpose insurers in the insurance-linked securities sector and commercial (re)insurers.

Sophia also has an active general corporate practice, including advising on the Bermuda regulatory aspects of transactions for both local and exempted companies.

Sophia is instructed by a number of public companies, banks, (re)insurers and other leading financial institutions.

Jurisdiction

Experience

  • Advised on the formation of Third Point Reinsurance Ltd. (NYSE: TPRE) (“Third Point”) and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Third Point Reinsurance Company Ltd. (“Third Point Re”), including the licensing of Third Point Re as a Class 4 reinsurer and the funding of Third Point Re by way of an initial private placement comprising the issuance of $784.3 million of equity capital of Third Point.
  • Advised on the formation, licensing and subsequent funding of Somerset Reinsurance Limited, a Class E reinsurer.
  • Advised Butler University on the on the formation and licensing of the first known student-run captive insurance company.
  • Advised Sagicor Financial Corporation Limited (BSE:SFC) (TTSE:SFC) (LSE:SFI), one of the largest financial services groups in the Caribbean, on its continuance from Barbardos to Bermuda.
  • Advised The Bank of N.T. Butterfield & Son Limited (NYSE:BNTB) on its US$287.5 million initial public offering and its US$349 million secondary offering.
  • Advised Bermuda Commercial Bank Limited (“BCB”) in connection with BCB’s restructuring involving the merger of BCB with BNL I Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Somers Limited (“Somers”), resulting in BCB becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Somers, the delisting of the shares of BCB from the Bermuda Stock Exchange (“BSX”) and the subsequent listing of the shares of Somers on the BSX.
  • Advised Textainer Group Holdings Limited (NYSE: TGH) (“Textainer”), the world’s largest lessor of intermodal containers based on fleet size, on numerous credit/loan facilities and asset-backed note securitization transactions, most recently the issuance by Textainer Marine Containers V Limited (an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Textainer) of US$500 million fixed rate asset backed notes which represented on one of the largest ABS transactions in the history of the intermodal containers leasing industry and the initial entry and subsequent refinance by Textainer Marine Containers II Limited (also an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Textainer) of its $1.2 billion warehouse securitization facility.
  • Advised CAI International, Inc. (NYSE: CAP) (“CAI”), in connection with the issuance by CAL Funding III Limited (an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of CAI) of asset-backed notes totaling US$253.07 million.
  • Advised BW Offshore Limited (BWO:Oslo) on the implementation of a long-term financial platform comprising of amendments to the company’s USD2.4 billion facility and other credit facilities, extending the maturity and, inter alia, amending the redemption terms, equity ratio and margin of the Company’s four unsecured bond issuances and a fully underwritten rights issue of 8,559,810,000 new common shares of USD0.01 each at a subscription price of NOK0.10 per share, which was over overwritten by 44%.

Qualifications

Professional Background

  • Associate, Reinsurance and Commercial Risk, Barlow Lyde & Gilbert LLP (London and Hong Kong)

Education

  • London School of Economics, MSc Politics & Communications (Merit), 2006
  • College of Law, London, Legal Practice Course (Commendation), 2005
  • King’s College London, LLB (Hons), 2004

Bar Admissions

  • Bermuda, Attorney-at-Law, 2007
  • England & Wales, Solicitor, 2009 (not currently practising)

Awards & Accolades

  • Recognised in the 2024 edition of Chambers Global (insurance and reinsurance – Up and Coming)
  • Recognised in the 2023 edition (and since 2022) of Chambers Global (insurance and reinsurance)
  • Recognised in the 2023 edition (and since 2016) of IFLR1000 (financial and corporate)
  • Recognised in the 2021 edition (and since 2018) of Legal 500 Caribbean (banking, finance and capital markets)
  • Recognised in the 2024 edition (and since 2017) of Legal 500 Caribbean (corporate and commercial, insurance/reinsurance)

Associations

  • Bermuda Bar Association
    Member of the Board of Directors of the Bermuda Tourism Authority
    Justice of Peace