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.