As head of the Minter Ellison Foreign Investment & Trade team based in Canberra, I primarily work with offshore clients and their on-shore portfolio companies to successfully navigate Australia’s foreign investment, M&A and other regulatory and commercial/procurement regimes.
I most enjoy the intersection of law and politics - particularly on sensitive and high-profile M&A matters and other projects – as well as working with a broader advisory team to help clients achieve their commercial objectives.
Career highlights
My private treaty M&A experience is across a wide range of sectors and clients, with over 70 completed transactions. Key clients/transactions include:
- advising US private equity sponsor in its acquisition of a ~US$600m software services business and other Australian acquisitions;
- advising Vail Resorts, Inc on its acquisition of Falls Creek Alpine Resort and Hotham Alpine Resort from Living and Leisure Australia Group;
- acting for Vodafone Group plc on the $8.7bn joint venture between its Australian business and the “3” mobile telecommunications business owned by Hutchison Whampoa;
- various US private equity funds, BP Australia, Woolworths, LWP Property, Mirvac, Westpac, Macquarie Bank, Tattersalls, Archer Capital.
I have advised on and obtained prior clearance through the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) on hundreds of Australian and offshore M&A, real estate and government transactions. In doing so, I work closely with my tax and competition colleagues to provide a total regulatory clearance solution.
Highlights include advising on the first UK public markets transaction to occur under Australia's COVID related rules; advising on PAG's investment in Rex Airlines; advising on Centerbridge's acquisition of Speedcast International; advising on the Knighthead and Certares led acquisition of Hertz; advising on the successful acquisition of S Kidman and Co by Australian Outback Beef; advising on the AT&T/Time Warner merger; advising on the UTC/Raytheon merger; advising numerous private equity sponsors on acquisitions and divestments in Australia including in the sensitive health care, defence and media sectors.
In the commercial space, I have provided strategic, structuring, FDI, export control and commercial advice to clients on significant procurement projects include Hanwha Defence Australia; Fr. Lurssen Werft; Rheinmetall Defence Australia; Fincantieri; Kongsberg Gruppen and the Commonwealth of Australia.
Publications
