Allen & Overy has been active in Singapore for over 28 years and developed a market leading reputation for public takeovers, private M&A, joint ventures, ECM, disposals and corporate restructurings. The local practice serves as a hub for the firm’s ASEAN offices and is also closely integrated with the global corporate and M&A team which is over 1000 lawyers strong. Chris Moore fronts the APAC corporate and M&A department from Singapore and is a specialist in cross-border transactions and foreign direct investment, particularly within the financial institution, TMT, transport, consumer, energy and infrastructure sectors. Elsewhere, Alun Evans, a food and beverage expert, hones his focus on the Vietnamese, Indonesian and Thailand markets and James Mythen who is well connected within Myanmar and Malaysia, particularly for fintech, telecoms and life sciences matters. Brendan Hannigan and senior associate Tom Jokelson are also standout names and serve as the key points of contact for several clients from the technology sector.
Corporate and M&A: foreign firms in Singapore
Allen & Overy
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Alun Evans; James Mythen; Brendan Hannigan; Shuhui Kwok; Tom Jokelson
Key clients
Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA)
Telenor ASA
EdgeConnex
Tokopedia
Allianz SE
Leapfrog Investment Partners
Manulife
ESR Cayman
CIMB Bank
Work highlights
- Advised Tokopedia, Indonesia’s leading ecommerce marketplace, on its transformational combination with Gojek, the Indonesian based ride-hailing and payments giant. The transaction brings together two of Southeast Asia’s most valuable conglomerates, with the combined business having a valuation of US$18bn, and will create the largest technology company in Indonesia.
- Advised Mitsui on its US$1bn investment by way of convertible bonds in an strategic alliance with Indonesia company CT Corp Group, one of Indonesia’s largest conglomerates operating across media, travel, infra and FIG.
- Advised EdgeConneX Inc. (a leading global data centre operator) on its 50:50 joint venture with Adani Enterprises Limited, to acquire, develop and operate data centre facilities across India.
Clifford Chance
Combining domestic, regional and international law expertise, the Singapore office of Clifford Chance serves as a superhub for the firm’s activities throughout the wider South East Asia region. Its lawyers are equipped with Singaporean, Australian, English and New York law capabilities and are especially knowledgeable of the energy, infrastructure, financial institution, transport and logistics, consumer goods, retail, TMT and private equity fields. Melissa Ng is a veteran of countless M&A, joint venture and divestment transactions with a particular knowledge of the Indonesian market; she jointly co-heads the practice with Valerie Kong who distinctly advises underwriters on W&I insurance policies pertaining to M&A transactions. Tom Lin's core strengths include private equity transactions public M&A and restructurings. Beyond partner-level, counsel Alice Ho delivers general corporate advice and is also carving out a reputation for joint venture, auction and bilateral sale agreements.
Practice head(s):
Testimonials
‘Great multi-jurisdictional team work.’
‘Melissa Ng provides very practical and highly commercial advice.’
‘We have engage with CC for the past decade for any of our transaction that involve cross border partner, mainly due to strong support from Mellisa Ng in each of the transaction.’
‘Mellisa Ng, very detailed, great negotiator, very hands on, and quick turn around process.’
Key clients
Actis
Berkeley Energy and Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelingslanden (FMO, the Dutch development bank)
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ)
Intermediate Capital Group (ICG)
Keppel Infrastructure Trust
Metro Pacific
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP)
Partners Group
Platinum Equity
PSA Corporation Limited
PT Medco Power Indonesia
PT Barito Wahana Lestari
Work highlights
- Advised Keppel Infrastructure Trust and Metro Pacific Investments Corporation on the acquisition of Philippine Tank Storage International Holdings, Inc., which owns the largest petroleum products import storage facility in the Philippines, the Philippine Coastal Storage & Pipeline Corp. (PCSPC). PCSPC has a storage capacity of c.6m barrels, and accounts for approximately 38% of the total import terminal storage capacity in the Philippines.
- Advised global private markets firm Partners Group, on behalf of its clients, on the joint establishment of a telecommunications infrastructure platform, Unity Digital Infrastructure (Unity), in partnership with Aboitiz InfraCapital of the Aboitiz Group.
- Advised the consortium establishing the Partior platform on the corporate establishment, joint venture arrangements, regulatory aspects (including engagement with MAS), technology licensing, compliance and antitrust aspects.
Linklaters
At Linklaters the team has remained exceptionally active in the face of Covid-19, supporting its client on pandemic responses while also advising on how to best capitalise on market conditions and optimise their current operations through new investments, digitisations and global expansion. A paramount point of differentiation for the department is its highly specialised sector focus which sees the work of its key partners bolstered by dedicated, industry-specific practices. Sophie Mathur was recently appointed as head of the firm’s Asia corporate practice and is also supported by a financial institutions team. Meanwhile, Robert Elliot oversees a funds and private equity practice and Niranjan Arasaratnam fronts a technology department consisting of lawyers with knowhow in the fintech, insurtech, health tech and transportation tech fields, among other emerging technology sectors. The team is equipped to support the full-array of relevant matters from M&A, venture capital investments and control buy-outs through to joint ventures and general corporate and commercial advice. Managing associate Gary Beh is also an up-and-coming name for corporate regulatory and compliance mandates.
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘High technical competency, with the ability to give practical and commercial advice. Responsive and proactive from a client care perspective.’
Sophie Mathur – Professional and responsive, with very good technical capability and able to come up with commercial and sound advice and solutions. Remains calm and steady under pressure.”
‘The firm is established and experienced with its knowledge and understanding of the law and industry practice but what brings it beyond other firms is that the partner (Niranjan Arasaratnam) is willing to listen and understand our needs so that they can truly represent us in our negotiation and consider our positions when giving us advice. At this day and age, we need our firms to be able to offer practical solutions in commercial settings. Linklaters ticks all the boxes.’
‘As above, I work closely with Niranjan Arasaratnam and he is the person I go to for any complex matters. He is experienced and is willing to share his experience in terms of market practices, his team is diligent and super dependable and accountable for their work. They can be put in front our business team and able to explain complex legal concepts to the business team without any issue. Also, the acquisition we had to deal with was emotionally charged where the parties can get highly strung at times, we were lucky to have Niranjan at the table and can rely on him and his team.
‘The strength of their corporate/M&A and TMT teams in Singapore. They have a large team and good coverage across different practice areas.’
‘Niranjan Arasaratnam is hard working, very approachable and has a good understanding of commercial drivers across M&A and TMT. Niranjan has been a trusted advisor for us on one of our largest and most strategic deals over the past year. Gary Beh is also recommended.’
Key clients
Bank of Montreal
Refinitiv
Trumid Holdings LLC
Everstone Capital
Temasek
Affinity Equity Partners
Summa Equity
Verlinvest SA
Edgepoint Infrastructure
Standard Chartered Bank
Experian
Vertex Growth Management
Gojek
Continental
AWAK Technologies Pte Ltd
First Reserve XIV Advisors
TA Associates
United Overseas Bank
The Bank of East Asia
Lesaffre International
Olympus Capital
Credit Suisse
Bapcor Limited
Work highlights
- Advised Bank of Montreal on the sale of its private banking business in Hong Kong SAR and Singapore to Swiss private bank J. Safra Sarasin Group by way of an auction process.
- Advised Trumid Holdings LLC, a fintech company, on its joint venture with the Singapore Exchange and Hillhouse to launch an electronic Asian bond trading platform, Trumid XT. Powered by advanced technology and rich analytics, Tumid XT will connect the commercial footprint and liquidity from SGX’s Bond Pro and Trumid’s Market Center in the United States to provide a robust network for trading of Asian fixed income.
- Advising Everstone Capital, Sunrise BPO Services (the management vehicle) and ACP Partners in respect of the US$450m sale of 100% of the Everise Group, a next-generation customer experience (CX) solutions and technology company, to Brookfield Business Partners and its institutional partners (Brookfield).
Milbank
A team which is ‘always one step ahead’, Milbank fields a ‘very strong local team which is able to bear the depth and quality of the firm’s global practice’. The group demonstrates a tenacity for landmark and market-first transactions, recently working on one of the first de-SPAC transactions involving an Asia-based company, and has been particularly engaged within the infrastructure, healthcare, logistics and technology sectors. In addition to its M&A and corporate transaction prowess, practice head David Zemans provides banking, project finance and capital market transaction expertise while Jacqueline Chan has forged a commanding reputation for debt and equity transaction structuring. The recent workload stretches beyond Singapore and includes a number of significant transactions across India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘A very strong local team which is able to bear the depth and quality of the firm’s global practice. Good knowledge of the SE Asian market and strong deal management capability.’
‘Jacqueline Chan is great; she is highly responsive and practical.’
‘The team was always one step ahead of us thinking through the points to be negotiated. Very responsive as a team.’
‘Their timeliness and follow through is notable.’
Key clients
International Columbia US, LLC (managed by Columbia Pacific Management, Inc.)
Triterras Fintech Pte Ltd.
Farallon Capital Management
Kendall Court
PT Finansia Pacifica Raya
Del Monte Pacific Limited
Asian Development Bank
Fast Logistics Corporation
Masan Group
Emergent Capital Partners
Micro-D International, Inc.
Work highlights
- Advised the controlling shareholders in the sale of the India operations of Columbia Asia Hospitals, consisting of 11 hospitals located in India, to Manipal Health Enterprises Private Limited.
- Advised Triterras Fintech Pte Ltd., a leading fintech company for commodity trading and trade finance in its entry into a business combination agreement with Netfin Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company targeting businesses in the fintech industry, resulting in Triterras Fintech to becoming a Nasdaq listed company via a reverse takeover.
- Advised The Asian Development Bank in connection with the US$95m investment in Singapore’s Clifford Capital Holdings, a specialist financing and distribution platform for infrastructure and other real assets globally.
Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow
Clients of Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow consistently single out its capacity for cross-border deals, citing the team’s ‘grasp of how deals are conducted in Southeast Asia’ and ‘the depth of its connections across different countries’. Other key distinguishers for the group include its deep knowledge of the financial services, retail and consumer goods, industrials, TMT and healthcare sectors, as well as its dedicated corporate reorganisation practice which is engaged for post-merger integrations, carve-outs, re-domiciliations and legal entity rationalisations. Department co-head Andrew Martin has a number of high-value M&A and joint venture endeavours under his belt and is supported by Sze Shing Tan , an ‘extremely expeditious’ lawyer who notably serves as one of the leads for the firm’s global oil and gas practice. At the more junior end, local principal Xiao Hui Ting is an up-and-coming name for local and cross-border transactions, as well as general corporate and commercial mandates.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Its ability to gather multi-jurisdictional advice in a short time and cater it to the client’s specific needs. Key strength and key capabilities is in their ability to collaborate behind the scenes across borders and provide seamless co-ordination.’
‘The team I work with stands out for their speed and responsiveness and willingness to work with the client on challenging issues (like billing) and multiple changes to plans.’
‘Excellent advisors in terms of speed, quality, creativity and solution orientation – highly recommend.’
‘It has been an absolutely pleasure working with Sze Shing Tan and her team on a number of transactions in 2020 and 2021. Very high quality of work product, extremely expeditious, great understanding of our business and industry and able to support negotiations efficiently and elegantly.’
‘Baker’s outstanding quality of expertise and understanding of business complexities is the main reason of our choice. In SEA region our relationship is growing at a fast and steady pace, we are involving Baker in a number of projects and they are certainly our go-to legal advisor in the region for sensible and delicate matters, delivering reliable and solid advice. Strengths of practice most definitely are excellence of delivered work and expertise, client care and commercial approach to providing business oriented solutions. Compared to other law firms, we can highlight the efficacy of a direct central management of the region from a single point of contact, allowing a simplified approach to cross-board negotiations of fees and managing of matters’
‘I have mainly worked with Mr. Andrew Martin and Ms. Xiao Hui Ting from Singapore office. They have been extremely supportive not only on Singapore related matters but also facilitated discussions and negotiations across all offices in SEA.’
‘The depth of knowledge and connections across different countries.’
‘Strong domain knowledge, the grasp of how deals are done in Southeast Asia, the cultural nuances and at the same time the expertise of an international full service law firm.’
Key clients
China Evergrande Group
Zuellig Pharma
Cornes & Company
Unilever
Work highlights
- Advised China Evergrande Group in a USD 3.4 billion SPAC transaction in relation to its rights and obligations under the documents to which it is entering into as part of the transaction, including a transaction support agreement, registration rights agreement and other related arrangements.
- Advising Zuellig Pharma (a) the corporate restructuring involving the Singapore joint venture holding company; (b) its proposed joint venture with two incoming investors, namely International Finance Corporation and Mitsui & Co. (Asia Pacific) Pte. Ltd.; and (c) the proposed investment by these two incoming investors, in respect of the client’s existing third party administration business.
- Advised Cornes & Company in the post-merger reorganisation of its Cornes Safe Navigation and Global Navigation Solutions units into a new business unit named “Voyager Worldwide”.
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP is home to ‘great market experience and knowhow’, principally in respect of cross-border M&A, joint ventures, restructurings and investments. The team is especially well regarded for its inbound activities though has ramped up its outbound work in recent times, particularly in respect of transactions which involve India, Indonesia and Malaysia. Mark Robinson and Jamie McLaren are the go-to contacts for corporate deals within the TMT and fintech sectors meanwhile Glynn Cooper recently relocated from the Kuala Lumpur office and heads the firm’s Southeast Asian energy and infrastructure practice.
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Great market experience and knowhow; they understand the PE sponsor environment.’
‘Exceptional service and responsiveness. Ability to solve complex and novel problems in challenging markets.’
‘Jamie McLaren is calm, measured and creative.’
Key clients
Pacific Century Group (PCG)
Marubeni Corporation
Temasek
Insurance Australia Group (IAG)
EQT Global Infrastructure
CMA CGM
China Power International Holding Limited
Goldman Sachs
TPG Telecom
Yinson Holdings Berhad
Work highlights
- Advised PCG as one of the key shareholders of Indonesian technology company, PT Tokopedia, in relation to its merger with Gojek (PT Aplikasi Karya Anak Bangsa), the Indonesian on-demand multi-service platform and digital payment technology group. The transaction is structured as a takeover of Tokopedia by Gojek, with Tokopedia shareholders receiving shares in the merged entity as consideration for the sale of their Tokopedia shares to Gojek. PCG will become a key shareholder of the merged entity as a result of this transaction.
- Advised China Power International Holding Limited on all aspects of its acquisition of Zuma Energia, Mexico’s leading independent renewables generator, which develops, finances, and operates a portfolio of more than 800MW of wind and solar power projects. The role included advising on legal due diligence, transaction structuring and transaction documents (including Warranty & Indemnity insurance). This is also the largest Chinese investment in Mexico to date.
- Advised Goldman Sachs on its investment into Biocon Biologics through the subscription of optionally convertible debentures (OCD). Biocon Biologics is a biopharmaceutical company involved in the development of biosimilars. This investment was a strategically important investment for Goldman Sachs, being the first investment done through its Asia fund.
Hogan Lovells Lee & Lee
Stephanie Keen is Hogan Lovells Lee & Lee’s key point of contact in Singapore where she serves as head of the firm’s Asia Pacific corporate and finance practice, She distinctly combines a background practicing in New York and London with a qualification to practice Singapore law and undertakes work across leveraged buy-outs, cross border transactions, M&A, corporate restructurings and equity offerings. The Singapore office serves as the firm’s regional hub for South and Southeast Asia and is integrated with the firm’s 500 lawyer strong global M&A practice. Key sectors include fintech, technology, food and beverage, energy, natural resource, life sciences, financial services, education and consumer.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Flipkart Private Limited
Cathay Private Equity Ltd. Co.
Insulet
Sojitz Corporation
Tyson
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Dell
Navis Capital
Work highlights
- Advised Cathay Private Equity, as the general partner of Cathay Sustainable Private Equity Fund Limited Partnership, on the fund’s co-investment in the NT$75 billion (approx. US$2.7bn) 605MW Greater Changhua 1 Offshore Wind Farm in Taiwan.
- Advised Flipkart, one of India’s leading digital commerce entities, on its US$1.2bn fundraising.
- Advised PhonePe, previously a wholly-owned subsidiary of Flipkart, on its partial spin-off as it secured $700m in a new financing round, once again led by Walmart.
Jones Day
Jones Day works in close tangent with the firm’s 400 corporate, M&A and private equity practitioners, spread across the globe, although it is also a go-to option for matters of more local significance owing to its status as one of only a few international firms with a QFLP licence to practice in Singapore. Dennis Barsky focuses on private equity-sponsored buyouts and transformative acquisitions for multinational corporations meanwhile Elizabeth Cole is a cross-border M&A expert who also advises on business establishments and operations in China, Hong Kong and Vietnam, among other Asian jurisdictions. The duo head the practice alongside Ben Witherall, a standout name for fund formation, venture capital, capital market transactions and private equity affairs. At the more junior end, associate Christopher Slack garners acclaim for his ‘outstanding and solution-driven’ service.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Capability to bring in the needed talents on global basis and work off of it 24/7. Since M&A deals frequently require local tax advisory as well, the capability to address that within the same team is also an asset. ’
‘Ben Witherall is always timely and business-focused. Does not go into unnecessary details and maintains fine balance between what risks/options need to be considered and determined. ’
‘Jones Day’s lawyers are more commercial and business-oriented than their peers that I have worked with in Singapore and have a deep understanding of the peculiarities of the SEA market.’
‘Christopher Slack is outstanding, efficient, solution-driven and grasps issues very quickly.’
‘Dennis Barsky has always been our go to partner for M&A work in the region. He has a deep understanding of the practice in the market as well as US market. He is a pleasant person to work with and is very accommodating of client’s needs.’
Key clients
CBRE Global Investment Partners
EDBI
Glencore Singapore Pte Ltd
Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC
OMERS Administration Corporation
Macquarie Capital (USA) Inc.
UPL Limited
PETRONAS Chemicals Group Bhd
The Procter & Gamble Company
PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited
Oxford Properties Group Limited
Temasek Holdings Limited
Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
Twilio Inc.
Verizon Ventures LLC
Maxeon Solar Technologies, Ltd.
ATN International Inc.
Work highlights
- Advised Twilio Inc., the world’s largest cloud communication company, in its acquisition of ValueFirst Digital Media Private Limited, a leading Indian provider of digital communication solutions through telephone voice and data communications offering services in India and South-East Asia.
- Advised OMERS Administration Corporation, the pension plan for Ontario’s municipal employees, in connection with its US$490m acquisition of Equity Shares in Hong Kong listed ESR Cayman Limited (“ESR”), a leading pan-Asia logistics real estate platform, from an affiliate of Warburg Pincus.
- Advised SunPower Corporation, one of North America’s largest solar-panel makers, in a sponsored spin-off of its solar panel production operations into a new public company – Maxeon Solar Technologies – which will be headquartered in Singapore.
Latham & Watkins LLP
A key distinguisher for Latham & Watkins LLP is its One-Asia model which sees its Singapore lawyers operate in full integration with the firm’s 150 lawyers spread across its six offices in Asia. The team handles public M&A, private takeovers, joint ventures, corporate restructurings and disposals and runs a caseload which reaches from Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand through to Japan, Australia and India. Sharon Lau , the global vice chair of the firm’s corporate practice, has transacted some US$35m of deals over the past 12 months and Farhana Sharmeen often advises local clients on their outbound investments to the US, Europe and the Middle East. At junior partner level, Marcus Lee is dual-qualified in Singapore and the UK and is especially active in Indonesia and the Philippines. The team has been further bolstered by the arrival of Sidharth Bhasin and James Clayton-Payne from Shearman & Sterling LLP; the former arrives with an established reputation for private equity investments and exits, restructurings, workouts and joint ventures while the latter is a go-to for transactions in the energy, infrastructure and resources fields.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Key clients
Cebu Air, Inc.
GIC Private Limited
Intuit, Inc.
Princeton Digital Group
PTT Public Company Limited
ReNew Power
Silver Lake Partners
Singapore Technologies Engineering Limited
TPG Capital
Traveloka Holding Limited
Vingroup Joint Stock Company Limited
Temasek
Work highlights
- Represented ReNew Power, India’s leading renewable energy company, on its definitive business combination agreement with RMG Acquisition Corporation II.
- Advised a consortium comprising TPG Capital, Singlife, Sumitomo Life Insurance Company and others on a transaction to combine SingLife with global insurance company Aviva’s Singapore life insurance business, Aviva Singapore. This is one of the largest deals in the insurance sector in Southeast Asia and the largest in Singapore.
- Represented Silver Lake Partners in the acquisition of a US$1 billion minority stake in Reliance Retail Ventures, an India-based retail business operator. This marks the second billion dollar investment by Silver Lake in a Reliance Industries subsidiary.
Morrison Foerster (Singapore)
Morrison & Foerster (Singapore) LLP is particularly active in the logistics and real estate sectors, handling a variety of M&A, private equity and joint venture transactions. The practice is also developing a prominent position with the developing M&A insurance, SPAC and de-SPAC transaction fields and continues to expand its venture capital expertise in the areas of e-commerce, digital financial services, life sciences, fintech and cryptocurrencies, among others. Practice head Shirin Tang brings over 20 years of experience to high-stake transactions and is often engaged on matters which include Southeast Asia, China or the US. The team includes Lip Kian Ang who, in addition to his transactional work, is a specialist in general corporate, regulatory and compliance affairs.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The team has unparalleled expertise in our specialty area (W&I insurance for M&A transactions), largely driven by 10+ years of experience from special counsel Maria Steeples. The team is standout in terms of commerciality, responsiveness and collaboration.’
‘Maria Steeples, special counsel, is the go-to legal advisor of choice for underwriting M&A deals – not only by our team, but by our competitors as well. Maria has over 10+ years of experience in our product and across M&A deals in so many Asia jurisdictions. She is very commercial, always responsive, and goes above and beyond to deliver exceptional service and tailored advice.’
‘Excellent team, with top notch technical skills and client responsiveness.’
‘Ang Lip Kian – excellent and friendly. Very user friendly.’
Key clients
A leading institutional investor
Beam Mobility Holdings Pte. Ltd
GLP Pte. Ltd.
Work highlights
- Advising a leading institutional investor, as a long-time investor in Grab Holdings, Inc. (Grab), in connection with Grab’s proposed merger with special purpose acquisition company Altimeter Growth Corp. The transaction values Grab at US$39.6bn and is expected to be the largest-ever U.S. equity offering by a Southeast Asian company.
- Advised Beam Mobility Holdings Pte. Ltd., a Singapore-headquartered micro mobility firm that offers shared e-scooters, on its US$26m Series A financing from Sequoia Capital India, Hana Ventures and other investors. Beam provides electronic scooter rental services in urban cities and is the leading micro-mobility company in the Asia Pacific.
- Advised GLP Pte. Ltd. on the establishment of its US$675m GLP China Value-Add Venture III, a China real estate venture. GLP CVA III will invest in modern logistics assets in GLP Park Lingang in Shanghai.
Norton Rose Fulbright
‘A go-to for transactions across Southeast Asia’, Norton Rose Fulbright counts the technology, insurance, financial institutions, energy, oil and gas, shipping and infrastructure sectors among the keystones of its practice. The team is well versed in everything from M&A, joint ventures and privatisations through to licensing, bidding and execution matters. The team is led by Anna Tipping and Craig Loveless who ‘brings a wealth of knowledge and in-depth experience to M&A transactions’, and includes senior associates Chris Bell, Shahin Foroughian and Dexter Tan who frequently play prominent roles on the major deals. Former practice head Stephen Woods departed to Advokatfirmaet Schjødt in January 2022.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Cohesive Team who deliver timely and commercial legal advice. Flexible and accommodating on fees taking into account the Business’ perception of value and business requirements.’
‘Standout individual is Craig Loveless and by a long shot compared to partners at other law firms. Craig consistently provides quality, practical legal advice and brings a wealth of knowledge and in depth M&A industry experience to transactions. He looks to find commercial solutions to difficult problems, and is a trusted adviser and partner of the business. ’
‘Relationship management of client is second to none. Unmatched practicality and business acumen. transparent and value-creating.’
‘Craig Loveless has been instrumental to our company’s corporate development success in Asia and one of the most competent corporate lawyers in the market.’
‘Very committed service approach; availability pretty much around the clock especially during the closing phase of our transaction.’
‘Anna Tipping is an exceptional legal professional and runs her team highly efficiently.’
We use Norton Rose’s Singapore team as our go-to for transactions in SSEA. Our main contacts are Craig Loveless and Shahin Foroughian; they are knowledgeable, commercial, available & reasonably priced and most importantly have a deep understanding of our business to give us commercially orientated legal advice.’
Key clients
Singapore Life (Singlife)
AXA Asia
Michelin Asia Pacific
Axiata
Olam International Limited
Pavilion Energy Pte Ltd
AXA Investment Managers
Louis Dreyfus Commodities
IPG Howden Asia Holdings Limited
PT Semen Indonesia (Persero) Tbk
Work highlights
- Acting for a consortium, led by Singapore Life (Singlife) and TPG, on the combination of Singlife with Aviva Singapore for SG$3.2bn. The consortium included Sumitomo and IPGL and the transaction completed on November 30, 2020.
- Assisted Olam International Limited in relation to its disposal of the remaining 50% of the issued share capital of Far East Agri Pte. Ltd to Mitr Phol Sugar Corporation Limited and subsequent joint venture agreement concerning the development, management and operation of, sugar related opportunities in Indonesia.
- Advised AXA IM Impact Fund Climate and Biodiversity on its investment into Forest Carbon Pte. Ltd., a premium large-scale wetland restoration project developer in Southeast Asia, in support of efforts to restore wetland forests, conserve biodiversity and develop rural economies.
White & Case Pte. Ltd.
White & Case Pte. Ltd., praised for the strength of its ‘global footprint and expertise in corporate and M&A matters’, is especially well regarded within the financial, private equity, real estate and data centre fields. Jonathan Olier fronts the M&A and private equity offering and is noted for his ‘experience and expertise’ in both areas; his team also includes acquisition, divestment and joint venture specialist, Jon Bowden, along with Tabitha Saw who directs her attention towards capital raisings and real estate co-investments within the logistics space; and Sayak Maity who joined from AZB & Partners in December 2021. Associate Lisa Yeo frequently supports the three partners.
Practice head(s):
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The team is really held up by Tabitha Saw and her associates; she has the unique ability of breaking down complex concepts into simple terms that can be easily digested by clients and clients in turn, can provide their instructions to counsel with ease, thereby saving on time and cost. ’
‘Having dealt with numerous transactions, Tabitha Saw is able to offer specific, executable solutions to most problems faced by fund managers and investors alike. She is also up to date with the latest commercial practices and has a good understanding of issues that are out of the legal scope of work like accounting and performance reporting. As such, she has been able to bring additional value to the table by pre-empting issues, sometimes before the client is aware of them. ’
‘They are extremely helpful and able to provide value adding comprehensive solutions as a team and give heads-up on issues, which prepare the client on what’s to come.
‘This is unlike other law firms that I have worked worked with, which may only give solo solutions and leading to other issues which the client has to resolve.’
‘The firm’s key strengths would be its people. From the associates to the partners, all its personnel are highly professional and driven. The team would understand their client’s requirements and provide practical comments and advice. ’
‘Special mention to Tabitha Saw and Chua Si Wei. These individuals would cover and highlight the key risk areas and offer sound solutions in addressing them. They would even go beyond the legal aspect, to share ideas in other areas. They are not only professional, patient and helpful, but also very approachable and reliable.’
‘Jon Bowden has been an individual with strong work ethics, highly organized & very supportive due to his ability to address matters in a prompt & ethical manner, while providing recommendations on best practices which would benefit the transactions. ’
‘Jonathan Olier was very responsive to our needs. He was able to draw on the expertise of his organization to deliver the proper and timely advice to us.’
‘White & Case’s global footprint and expertise in Corporate and M&A matters are the reasons why we engage them to advise us on our international transactions.’
‘Aside from his experience and expertise in Corporate and M&A, Jonathan Olier acts as the White & Case relationship or coordination manager for our group of companies by putting us in touch with the relevant partners in White & Case’s overseas offices and helping to monitor progress of the transaction.’
Key clients
Babilou Group SAS
Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited
Baring Private Equity Asia
Blackstone
Brenntag Group
Brookfield Renewable Partners
CBRE Global Investors
ChrysCapital
CVC Capital Partners
ESR
FWD Group Limited
GIC
LOLC Group
Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA)
MNC Group
Nestle S.A.
Ooredoo PJSC
Pacific Century Group
PAG
Puma Energy
Publicis Groupe
Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco)
Schneider Electric
Svenska Handelsbanken
Takeda Pharmaceutical Company
VinaCapital
Wilmar International
Yondr
Work highlights
- Represented Schneider Electric, a global player in energy management and automation, on its ₹14,000 crore (Approx. US$1.9bn) acquisition of Larsen & Toubro Electrical & Automation business and the subsequent consortium between Schneider Electrics partnership with Temasek Holdings Private Limited, Singapore’s Sovereign Wealth Fund. The transaction was named Cross-Border M&A Deal of the Year (Over US$1bn) by the M&A Advisor in 2020.
- Representing Ooredoo Group, a leading international telecommunications company, on the proposed merger of PT Indosat, an Indonesian subsidiary of Ooredoo Group, with PT Hutchison 3 Indonesia, an Indonesian subsidiary of CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. This will potentially be the largest M&A deal of the year in Indonesia upon completion.
- Represented ESR on the development of a multi-phase data centre campus in Osaka City, within 10km of the Osaka CBD. The asset comprises an existing data centre and excess land, totalling a development potential of up to 78MW IT load. This is ESR’s first data centre development and our appointment on this significant mandate demonstrates the trust in our longstanding relationship as well as expertise in the area of data centres.
Ashurst LLP
Ashurst LLP is able to ‘leverage both a global and regional network to conduct informed multijurisdictional analysis.’ The group is especially active in the field of private equity and is led by Simon Brown, a specialist in both M&A and joint ventures, who has developed specialist knowledge of the energy and resources, infrastructure and industrial industries. Michelle Phang ‘thinks outside of the box and asks the hard questions’.
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Testimonials
‘Michelle Phang of the corporate team is very pleasant to work with, very thorough and extremely responsive to client’s needs. Despite being an experienced M&A lawyer, no task is too small to request her assistance and devotion of attention.’
‘Fast growing firm of legal experts with an Asian focus. Highly capable in designing and executing Asia-wide commercial / legal strategies to assist clients seeking to develop their Asian markets via acquisition, merger or joint-ventures.’
‘Ms Michelle Phang has been providing legal counsel to companies that I’ve been associated with for the last seven years. During this time, she and her team led several global legal due-diligence reviews as part of our ambitious Asia acquisition strategy. These included engagements that focused on China, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. She and her team worked tirelessly and continuously to insure that we completed each acquisition in accordance with our strategic and commercial objectives. I would not hesitate to engage her and the firm in similar work as it is required.’
‘Ashurst provides us with the muscle we need to execute complex deals in a complex region, a strong network of Ashurst practices across the globe covering key areas that corporates client care about such as commercial, litigation, tax, IP, etc. combined with a very strong deal-seasoned, deep-knowledge Asia team. ’
‘The team are out-and-out Asia experts, helping us complete pan-Asia deals with operations and complications across multiple jurisdictions. Solution driven, practical and easy to work with, the team have a reputation for driving the deal process forward with limited intervention, an important culture for remote collaboration. Michelle Phang is our go-to partners for deals in the region. ’
‘Simon Brown is recommended.’
‘Ability to leverage on global/regional and partner network to conduct multi-jurisdictional analysis with a good commercial sense in providing an overall legal opinion. ’
‘Commercial in mindset and being able to provide a well-rounded opinion for the client’s decision making. Responsive and nimble to any sudden changes in the transaction and deal parameters. ’
‘Michelle Phang, thinks out of the box and truly understand what matters to the client. She is willing to challenge established thinking and ask the hard questions that need to be asked to uncovering the best solutions. She has a breadth of experience and is able to meet client’s needs and expectations.’
Key clients
MIND ID (Indonesian state owned enterprise; formerly Inalum)
IHS Markit
BGC Partners
edotco Group
A-Cap Energy Resources
OMV Aktiengesellshaft
Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
CA Technologies
GPC Asia Pacific Pty Ltd
Mayur Resources Limited
The Silanna Group Pty Ltd
JFE Shoji Trade Corporation
GVK
Spirax-Sarco Engineering plc
Mitsubishi Group
Japan Bank for International Cooperation
Whitehelm Capital
Coda Payments
SGS SA
Varde Partners
Sojitz Corporation
Computershare Hong Kong Investor Services Limited
Boardroom Limited
Work highlights
- Advised SGS SA on its acquisition of a majority stake in the Ryobi Geotechnique group.
- Advised Navis Capital on its successful acquisition of 49% of the issued shares of Moneythor from its three founders and related post-completion joint venture matters.
- Advised Sojitz Corporation on its investment in Qualitas Medical Limited, a Singapore holding company of a network of GP, imaging and dental practices in Malaysia, Singapore,Australia and other Asian countries
DLA Piper
DLA Piper, a firm with an extensive international network, enjoys an excellent reputation within the TMT sector and is notably home to a number of dual-qualified lawyers, equipped to practice in the UK and New York. Practice head Joe Bauerschmidt is also active within the real estate, financial and energy sectors; his vast experience within the market is evident by the fact that he has transacted over $20bn worth of prospective and completed M&A transactions for regional clients. The team supplements its cross-border M&A proficiency through considerable banking and finance, capital markets and projects expertise.
Practice head(s):
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Key clients
PT Asia Vision Network
Sylebra Capital
Beijing Wise Road
Digital Edge Asia
Surbana Jurong
GE
Laureate Education, Inc.
Pine Labs
Danaher Corporation
FinLab EOS VC Europe I GmbH & Co. KG
Work highlights
- Advising an Indonesian media conglomerate, the MNC Group in a US$573m merger with Malacca Straits, a Nasdaq-listed SPAC. The transaction is rumoured by Bloomberg to create the Netflix of Asia and will create a Nasdaq listed stock with market cap in excess of US$600m. The deal was publically announce 21 March 2021 and expected to close early Q3 2021.
- Representing certain PIPE investors in seven SPAC investments totalling more than US$2.5b, as part of US$11.4b of SPAC transactions.
- Providing ongoing counsel to a Singapore company formed in 2020 which will be the leading Asia-based data centre company on more than US$800m of pending and potential acquisitions in China and Indonesia and other corporate work in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, the Philippines and Korea.
Duane Morris & Selvam LLP
Duane Morris & Selvam LLP
leverages a presence in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Myanmar and Shanghai with its Singapore office serving as the gateway for its business in the region. The team is thoroughly experienced in businesses formation and commercial agreements, in addition to corporate transactions, and also supports on regulatory and statutory matters. Practice head Krishna Ramachandra also leads the firm’s fintech and TMT groups and is well versed in M&A, take-overs, exit strategies and private equity participation; his team was recently bolstered by the arrival of Aaron Kok, an up-and-coming name for joint ventures, private equity transactions, restructurings and multijurisdictional M&A.
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Testimonials
‘This practice is unique to us as it operates in markets where we are operating in and is in-line with our expansion footprint. It is a well-rounded firm with various complementary specialisations.’
‘It has very well qualified partners and associates who overdeliver on their promises and commitment to us as clients. ’
‘Priyank Srivastava is very well versed with multi-jurisdiction work covering India, Singapore and Myanmar. Often coming out with innovative and commercially viable solutions, we see him as a business partner more than a lawyer. Priyank doesn’t over complicate matters and isn’t afraid to advise us that whatever we intend to do doesn’t make sense while clearly highlighting the potential risks we would undertake if we were to go ahead.‘
Key clients
Dupont
Protelindo
Globe Telecom
Avepoint Edutech
Genesis Alternative Ventures
Laura Ashley Asia Pte Ltd
Ringl Technologies Pte Ltd
Work highlights
- Advised Protelindo on its US$750m proposed acquisition of up to 6,000 telecommunication towers from Indosat Ooredoo with the final sale by Indosat Ooredoo with all remaining towers and extensive relocation rights.
- Assisted a Singapore subsidiary of AvePoint, Inc., the largest independent software vendor of SaaS solutions, with securing their S$11m fundraise from prominent Singaporean investors. The subsidiary will boast one of the first holistic SaaS education management systems directly integrated with Microsoft 365 for educational institutions and commercial businesses with training and accreditation needs.
- Represented DuPont in the sale of its Solamet business, which manufactures solar cell paste to deliver higher solar energy efficiency, to a private equity-sponsored business in China.
Gibson Dunn
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP runs a varied caseload which includes negotiated and contested M&A, tender and exchange offers, share and asset purchases, restructurings, joint ventures and private equity investments. The practice is distinctly home to lawyers who are qualified in Singapore, India, Hong Kong, the UK and the US and counts its deep knowledge of the FMCG, media, technology, oil and gas, energy, transportation and manufacturing sectors as a further point of differentiation. Practice head Jai Pathak provides a ‘good grasp of the laws governing local jurisdictions’ and is also noted for his ‘great charisma and client engagement skills.’
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Testimonials
‘Top notch PE and financing lawyers. ’
‘Ability to break down complex legal issues in easy to understand and practical way. Seamless bench strength and capabilities across different jurisdictions: Singapore and US (LA, NY).’
‘GDC is a full suite firm offering various practice areas within a single centre to clients across different service offerings. The firm’s diversity displays a strong theme of multi ethnicity background of fee earners. I have dealt with Chinese, Indians, African Black as well as white lawyers.’
‘Jai Pathak is a strong M&A talent, strong nose for non obvious risks, good grasp of the laws governing many jurisdictions (US, Singapore, HK, India); able to drive timelines, able to motivate interstate teams (sitting in Singapore and in LAX/NYC), great stamina, great charisma and client engagement skills.’
‘Very client centric, detailed, responsible and tremendous accountability.’
‘The tone is set by the leadership Jai Pathak who has been excellent.’
Key clients
Redbird Capital Partners
PAR Technology Corporation
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Chevron Corporation
Murphy Oil
No Sign Board Holdings Limited
Best World International Limited
Singapore Post Limited
Meridian Adhesives Group LLC
Everise Holdings Pte Ltd
Work highlights
- Advised Kimberly-Clark on its acquisition of Softex Indonesia, a leader in the fast-growing Indonesian personal care market, in an all-cash transaction for approximately US$1.2bn from a group of shareholders including CVC Capital Partners Asia Pacific IV.
- Advising PAR Technology Corporation, a leading global provider of restaurant software, on its acquisition of Punchh Inc., a leader in loyalty and guest engagement solutions for restaurant, retail, and convenience store brands, for approximately US$500m.
- Advising SingPost in connection with the restructuring and subsequent sale of its U.S. eCommerce businesses, Trade Global and Jagged Peak.
King & Spalding LLP
A firm traditionally dominant in the energy sector, King & Spalding LLP has expanded to the banking, insurance, healthcare, food and beverage, consumer and private equity sectors over recently years, bolstered by the arrival of practice head Lee Taylor in 2018. Taylor is a veteran of countless cross-border M&A and private equity transactions and is supported by Richard Nelson, Simon Cowled and Anthony Patten who respectively provide the group with transactional prowess in the oil and gas, energy, power and LNG industries.
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Testimonials
‘The team works seamlessly with clients to understand their commercial as well as legal requirements and will work to ensure these are met.’
‘The team shows great knowledge of M&A in our industry as well as our business. They are very responsive to our needs.’
‘Simon Cowled is very responsive and has a great ability to analyze and explain clearly complex legal issues. ’
Key clients
Conrad Petroleum Ltd.
Apollo Global Management
International SOS
Bumi Armada
MMI
Greenko Ventures Limited
Mitsui & Co., Ltd.
JERA & Co., Ltd
Cerberus Capital Management
Work highlights
- Advising Scatec Solar ASA on the acquisition of 100 % ofSN Power AS, a leading hydropower developer and independent power producer, with renewable energy assets located in Southeast Asia, Africa and Central America.
- Advising a private equity company on a competitive process to invest a total of US$250m into a private hospital in Malaysia.
- Representing Greenko Ventures Limited in connection with its minority stake sale of equity interests in Greenko Energy Holdingsto Tokyo-listed ORIX Corporation.
King & Wood Mallesons
King & Wood Mallesons has significantly expanded its practice and has welcomed Nicola Yeomans, one of the market’s foremast names for joint venture, disposal, cross-border M&A and private equity transactions. The team also excels in terms of SPAC, venture capital, restructuring and carve-out matters and operates a broad geographical caseload, having recently handled standout matters in Malaysia and the Philippines. Fintech and TMT sector. Jake Robson, who is hailed as ‘very knowledgeable when it comes to alternative structures and options’ co-heads the practice with Nick Davies, Will McCosker and Michael Lawson.
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Testimonials
‘Flexible. Able to assign and replace resources according to strength and needs. Quick to respond. Partner accessibility.’
‘Jake Robson. Expertly breaks down issues in layman-speak for easier understanding by management. Quick turnaround & always accessible. Very knowledgeable on structures and options and what are typical alternatives and have been done in the different markets and industries, including new digital businesses, startups etc.’
Key clients
MUFG Bank
REA Group
Axiata Digital Services
Verra Mobility
Princeton Digital Group
Datatec/Logicalis
GE Energy Financial Services (GE EFS)
Work highlights
- Acting for MUFG on the structuring and completion its US$706m investment into Grab Holdings Limited and related strategic partnership with Grab to develop and distribute financial services in 7 jurisdictions in South East Asia and 2 other jurisdictions elsewhere in Asia.
- Advising on REA Group’s acquisition of a controlling interest in Elara Technologies Pte. Ltd. – an Indian property portal business.
- Advising Axiata Digital Services in relation to a US$70m investment by Great Eastern into Axiata Digital Services’ digital financial services business. This transaction represents the largest investment in a Malaysian fintech to date and will allow ADS to fund their exciting expansion plans in the region.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
‘One of the first names to consider for a complex or high-value deal’, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is headed by Rajeev Duggal, hailed as ‘smooth and unruffled even during tense negotiations’. Parveet singh Gandoak departed in November 2021.
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Testimonials
‘Rajeev Duggal works seamlessly with Jonathan Stone and his HK team even when there are multiple agreements and documents to be reviewed and drafted. One does not notice any gaps. ’
‘Rajeev is smooth and unruffled even during tense negotiations. Helps keep things on an even keel. ’
‘Rajeev Duggal and Jonathan Stone are absolute stars! Extremely commercial and technically brilliant! By far one of the best corporate/ M&A practices in Singapore, and one that focuses on cross-border Indian / Asian deals.’
‘Rajeev Duggal is a good team leader, always available to help’.
‘Garrick Merlo – Always available to help.’
Key clients
Grab
Citigroup
WeWork
PT Medco Energi Internasional Tbk.
Mubadala Investment Company PJSC
First Gen Corporation
ST Telemedia
Axiata Group
Wavecell
Work highlights
- Advised Grab Holdings Inc. (Singapore) in its US$40 billion merger with Altimeter Growth Corp. As a result of the merger, Grab will become a Nasdaq-listed company in what is expected to be the largest ever de-SPAC transaction globally.
- Advised Mubadala Investment Company PJSC (United Arab Emirates), a sovereign wealth fund, in its US$1.2 billion investment in Jio Platforms Limited (India), a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited (India), through which Mubadala acquired a 1.85% stake in Jio Platforms.
Stephenson Harwood LLP
A key distinguisher for Stephenson Harwood LLP is its formal law alliance with local firm Virtus Law LLP, a relationship which allows it to act on both international and Singaporean law mandates. Other distinguishing traits for the practice include its proficiency in representing private equity and venture capital fund managers, and its specialist knowledge of the healthcare, telecommunications, technology and maritime sectors. Practice head Tom Platts ‘understands the local business environment’; his team has recently witnessed an uptick in instructions from US, European and Asian conglomerates and it is also increasingly active in the Indonesian market.
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Testimonials
‘Fast turnaround, accurate, friendly, strong expertise.’
‘Helen Rhind-Hufnagel and Tom Platts are both excellent. They understand the regional business environment.’
‘Expertise on finance and market knowledge/application in multiple jurisdictions; commercial sensible approach; great on management of local counsel and local law issues; positive fun approach to work and clients.’
‘Helen Rhind-Hufnagel is great and has a good team, effective in allowing clients to work towards deadlines. Great understanding of legal issues and market positions.’
‘Fantastic team! Always well coordinated and ready to help. Exceptional!’
‘Top lawyers – no doubt about that. Not a single weak link!’
‘Ability to cover multiple jurisdictions.’
‘Tom Platts – very commercial and reactive.’
Key clients
Equinix Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd.
iflix
Arcus Infrastructure Partners
Affinity (Shipping) LLP
Corporation Service Company
Duff & Phelps
TSA Group
Danfoss A/S
IntriCon Corporation
General Mills
Work highlights
- Advising Duff & Phelps on its acquisition of Borrelli Walsh, a leading specialist restructuring, corporate recovery, insolvency and forensic accounting firm.
- Advising TSA Group, a global hotel and hospitality consultancy, on its sale to Florida-based Frontline Performance Group, a strategic performance consultancy. This transaction creates the world’s largest and most comprehensive front office technology and training program, and comes at a strategic time for the hospitality industry emerging from COVID-19 struggles.
- Advising Arcus Infrastructure Partners on its acquisition of Peacock Containers and a follow on acquisition of a portfolio of c. 9,000 tank containers, and the associated operating and financial leases, from Gem Containers Limited.
CMS
CMS is principally focused on the TMT, energy and resources, healthcare and life sciences sector, representing a number of start-ups both in Singapore and the wider region from its equIP programme. Toby Grainger co-leads the department and is especially well connected in Indonesia, fronting the firm’s dedicated desk for the country. Matthew Nortcliff is the other co-head; he also fronts the funds practice and is a specialist within the real estate sector. The practice has attracted an increasing number of matters with wider regional significance among its workload.
Practice head(s):
Key clients
ShopBack
ST Pharm Co. Ltd. / Dong-A Socio Holdings
Bridge Resources
Gojek
Emerging Markets Property Group
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
WhatsHalal
Play Ventures
Mann+Hummel
M&C Saatchi
Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN)
Vale
Bondlinc
Payfazz
GorillaSpace
Vuulr
Ampotech
Shearwater GeoServices
Culture Group
Meltwater
L&E International
Perx Technologies
Fairway Capital
Peakside Capital Adviser
Work highlights
- Advised leading APAC e-commerce platform ShopBack on the completion of an extended US$75m fundraising round, and on its parallel acquisition of Ebates Singapore and Korea from the Ebates Group (currently known as Rakuten Rewards) – a multi-jurisdictional deal which builds out ShopBack’s reach and offerings in the wider APAC region.
- Advised one of Korea’s largest pharmaceuticals groups ST Pharm in acquiring a 70% stake in Swiss contract laboratory services and histopathology company, AnaPath Services, whilst simultaneously advising AnaPath Services on its 100% acquisition of Spanish contract research organisation, Envigo CRS.
- Advised Singapore-based Bridge Resources on an acquisition of interests in Mongolian coal assets including Baruun Noyon Uul Coal Mine and the Enkhtunkh Orchon Coal Mine from ASX-listed TerraCom Limited at a deal value of US$28m.
Dechert
Dechert thrives in respect of cross-border mandates, which form approximately 80% of its caseload. The Singaporean practice is closely integrated with the firm's global corporate and M&A team, spread across 11 different countries, and is co-led by Siew Kam Boon , an M&A, venture capital, private equity and venture capital specialist. Meanwhile, Maria Tan Pedersen, Boon's co-head, focuses on joint ventures, projects, financing transactions and capital markets affairs.
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Testimonials
We have worked with Siew KamBoon and Timothy Goh for various engagements; they were outstanding in their respective areas of responsibilities. One standout area is their ability to manage projects in a timely manner, while maintaining a high level of quality in their deliverables.’
‘Maintain clear and open communication and consultation. They give good ideas and advise to solving problems.’
‘Siew Kam Boon is extremely hard working and is a valued thought-partner for us. She is always a pleasure to work with and stands out in her expertise, efficiency, and her humble yet engaging manner.’
Key clients
Naver Corporation
Cerberus Capital Management
Norinco International
Mastercard
GIC
Manila Water Company, Inc.
AREIT, Inc.
The Global Emerging Markets Group
Work highlights
- Naver Corporation, led a consortium, in the acquisition of ordinary and preference shares of Carousell Pte. Ltd., Singapore’s homegrown classifieds marketplace.
- Represented Cerberus Capital Management in the acquisition of approximately 20% indirect ownership or notes convertible into equity of seven MCS companies operating in the telecommunications and consumer goods sectors.
- Acting for Norinco International as international and Singapore counsel in a bundle of transactions and government affairs in connection with the development of a coal mining project in Mongolia.
Dentons Rodyk
Dentons Rodyk operates closely with the firm’s Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar offices and also its wider network, located across 81 countries worldwide. The team often serves as a hub for outward-looking Singaporean companies and is particularly knowledgeable of the healthcare, technology, financial institution, corporate real estate and consumer products sectors. Eng Leng Ng, Marian Ho and S Sivanesan jointly head the practice and are respectively proficient in regional and cross-border takeovers, privatisations, joint ventures, private equity, venture capital and reorganisation matters.
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Testimonials
‘Extremely committed, availability at, it appears, all hours, very practical, hands on legal advice.’
‘I appreciate very much that they made themselves readily available for discussions. Follow-ups were always very prompt. ‘
Key clients
CEI Limited
Elec & Eltek International Company Limited
LOGOS
PFNonwovens US
Ripple Labs Inc.
Samko Timber Limited
Procurri Corporation Limited
Bosch Limited
Boustead Fund
Boustead Singapore Limited
Coastal Marine Pte. Ltd.
Frasers Property Limited
Keppel Corporation Limited
Confidential client
Lum Chang Holdings Limited
TE Asia Healthcare Partners Pte Ltd
Chunichi Copro Holdings Co., Ltd
Resona Bank Limited
Mapletree Investments Pte Ltd
Work highlights
- Acted for Ripple Labs Singapore Pte. Ltd. as Purchaser in its acquisition of a 40% shareholding interest in Tranglo Sdn Bhd, one of Asia’s leading cross-border payments specialists with offices in, amongst others, Malaysia, Singapore, London, Jakarta and the UAE.
- Acting for Bosch which, through its investment vehicle Robert Bosch Investment Nederland B.V., acquired a 26% in SUN Mobility, a leading provider of universal energy infrastructure and services to accelerate mass electric vehicle usage.
- Acting as the Singapore legal advisers to Elec & Eltek International Company Limited in relation to a voluntary conditional offer by Elec & Eltek International Holdings Limited valued at approximately US$115m and, if successful, the shares of the company will be delisted from the Singapore Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Reed Smith LLP
Long established in the field of energy and infrastructure, Reed Smith LLP has also strengthened its reputation among technology, media and variable capital companies of late. The team is headed by Matthew Gorman and leverages its vast network across the US and Middle East, Asia and Europe to represent clients from jurisdictions as diverse as China, Japan, Austria, Italy, Kazakhstan, the UK and Turkey. Manoj Purush is a new arrival and joins with a track record in cross-border M&A, foreign direct investment, restructuring and private equity affairs.
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Testimonials
‘The team is made of really good lawyers, knowledgeable, experienced, with good analytical ability and very good appreciation of local issues that become crucial in transactions. They are also very approachable and friendly, down to earth people who have a very good understanding and appreciation of cultural differences.’
‘Gerald Licnachan and Matthew Gorman are really good lawyers. They have a fantastic client base who they are very close to. They are also both very personable, that makes it very easy to work with them.’
‘New and growing teams often have teething issues, however this was not evident with the Singapore team. The team has complementary and supplementary skillsets ensuring complete coverage of matters, well thought through solutions and in the end very commercial results.’
‘All are calm, well mannered and approachable. Individually they are excellent, but as a team they stand apart from their peers. Manoj Purush clearly has outstanding experience and an ability to convert that experience into practical outcomes in terms of deal specifics.’
‘Very experienced, business-oriented team who are very pleasant to deal with, very reliable and always working very hard to meet the deadlines and come up with solutions to problems. They have the resources and are the go-to team for me in Singapore. ’
‘Gerald Licnachan is our key contact person. He is an excellent lawyer who is good both from technical perspective and also has a great commercial awareness which is always helpful in big-ticket matters. He works very hard and is very hands-on. He is very pleasant to work with. Gerald is our go-to lawyer at Reed Smith in Singapore.
‘Matthew Gorman is a very experienced lawyer who has great expertise in M&A/corporate/PE matters. He is a pleasure to work with. He is an excellent lawyer with great commercial awareness and excellent technical skills. Also, in terms of partner availability, he always gives you his time and attention, which is very much valued. ’