Ken Petty
|Managing Partner Gold Coast

Ken Petty is a leader in mergers and acquisitions, franchising, corporate advisory and property leasing. He has formidable experience in both public and private sector transactions.

Known for his adept strategic management of projects, Ken’s practice covers all industry sectors including education, government, health, manufacturing, property development, retail, and tourism.

Ken’s mergers and acquisitions expertise includes negotiations, due diligence, contract development, corporate buy or sell strategies, roll-ups and sell-downs.

His wide corporate advisory services span private equity, fundraising disclosure obligations, AFSL applications, IPOs, and corporate compliance.

Ken also has a strong practice in the development of franchising systems from inception to international expansion, as well as market-leading expertise in property leasing strategies.

His key clients include Jetts Fitness 24/7, Centro Property, Thakral Holdings, National Trust of Queensland, Queensland Airports, G8 Education, Billabong, Gold Coast Institute of TAFE and the Australian Football League.

Active in numerous peak industry groups, Ken is also a respected industry, client and legal trainer.

Expertise

Professional Background

Areas of expertise include:

Corporate Advisory

Corporate advisory forms a significant part of Ken’s highly regarded practice. Throughout his career, Ken has had hands-on dealings with a wide range of corporate transactions. This includes venture capital and private equity deals, disclosure obligations for fundraising, applications for Australian Financial Services Licences, initial public offerings and compliance listings on the ASX and NSX, and ongoing corporate compliance and continuing continuous disclosure.
Franchising

Ken has market-leading expertise in the development of franchise systems across all stages including start up, growth, maturity, and international expansion. This typically involves corporate structuring, intellectual property development, development of franchise and disclosure documents, supply arrangements, Trade Practices compliance, financing divestment strategies and sell-downs, leasing, mergers and acquisitions, and dispute resolution.
Mergers and Acquisitions

Mergers and acquisitions are a key component of Ken’s highly regarded practice spanning one-off buy and sell transactions and corporate expansion through to ongoing acquisition programs. His work typically involves assisting clients with negotiations and execution strategies, including transaction risk identification and allocation. Ken has developed a deep understanding of commercial requirements in transactions. He has driven deals for both small and large enterprises including SMEs, infrastructure, multijurisdictional acquisitions, and acquisitions forming part of an initial public offer.
Real Estate and Leasing

Ken has a deep understanding of leasing transactions across all sectors including retail, commercial, industrial, public infrastructure, aviation and tourism. Over the years, he has worked on numerous major deals, including recent leases for the new AFL stadium on the Gold Coast and the Southern Cross University Coolangatta campus. Ken has a strong reputation for his lateral approach and commercial experience in managing and adapting to discrete property issues and commercial resolution of leasing disputes.
His broad practice includes the development of documentation and systems for new sites, existing sites, sites undergoing significant refurbishment or extension, and those in a transition phase.