Sullivan & Cromwell has named Sydney partner Waldo Jones as the head of its Australia practice, replacing Robert Chu, who is stepping down from the post.

A US securities law specialist, Jones mostly advises on debt and equity offerings in Australia. Last year, he advised Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch and UBS as the joint lead managers on Melbourne-based Viva Energy Group's $2.2bn initial public offering on the Australia Securities Exchange. He has acted on bond offerings by large Australian corporations such as gas pipeline operator APA Group, power company Ausgrid Group and packaging company Amcor.

Like many Sullivan & Cromwell partners, Jones has spent his entire career with the Wall Street firm, having first joined in New York in 1990. He relocated to the firm's Melbourne office four years later and moved to head up the Sydney office in 2001, when it was launched. Jones became a partner in 2017, after more than 26 years with the firm, including 15 years as special counsel leading the firm's Sydney office.