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Expertise

Darren is a corporate partner with over 20 years’ experience (including five years in London) in all aspects of a range of corporate and funds management transactions, including:

  • mergers and acquisitions – private acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures, partnerships, off-market takeovers, schemes of arrangements, capital reductions, restructures and share buy-backs
  • equity capital markets – IPOs, delistings, capital raisings and rights issues
  • funds management – advising on and establishing managed investment schemes (including registered and unregistered schemes), restructures and changes in responsible entities
  • corporate advisory – corporate governance (including directors duties), issues relating to share capital (including financial assistance), capital raising and financial services regulation.

Darren has particular expertise in cross-border transactions having advised foreign clients on all aspects of corporate finance transactions in Australia, including mergers and acquisitions, fundraising, takeover and private investments.

Darren has been listed in the The Best Lawyers in Australia since the 2021 edition for Corporate Law.

Experience

Darren’s recent experience includes:

Mergers and acquisitions

Private mergers and acquisitions

  • advising Sonrac Pty Ltd (a Singaporean owned hotel group) on the sale of The Old Clare Hotel
  • advising the shareholders of Traffic Logistics on a sale of their business to Altus Traffic (owned by Pacific Equity Partners)
  • advising the shareholders of Cancer Care Group on a $100m equity investment by Quadrant Private Equity
  • advising the shareholders of CCE Group on the sale of their national business to Eptec Group, a private equity owned business
  • advising LifeWorks, a subsidiary of a Canadian listed company on the acquisition of two employee assistance and well-being businesses, SMG Health and Optum Australia
  • advising Randstad Australia on the acquisition of two IT recruitment businesses, Finite Recruitment, and Aurec Group
  • advising UK-listed Hilton Foods Group on the acquisition and joint venture with an Australian business
  • advising FRV, a global renewable energy solutions provider and leading solar developer, on the acquisition of a number of renewables projects
  • advising US owned Hunter Industries on the acquisition of Lumascape, an Australian based global manufacturer of lighting products
  • advising the owners of WGC Cranes on the sale of a cranes business to the Australian subsidiary of US conglomerate, Marmon, Inc.
  • advising Frasers Property on the sale of a commercial property and hotel development at its landmark Central Park development in Chippendale.

Public mergers and acquisitions

  • advising the shareholders of Blake e-Learning, providers of online literacy products on its merger with ASX listed 3P Learning Limited
  • advising a number of companies listed on the Singapore Exchange in relation to seven off-market fully scrip takeover bids for ASX listed companies
  • advising the bidder on an off-market takeover, compulsory acquisition and delisting of ASX listed Everest Funds Management.

Funds Management

  • advising Bensons Funds Management in relation to its portfolio of unregistered wholesale managed investment schemes
  • advising E&P Investments in relation to its exit as responsible entity of a number of registered schemes, including schemes listed on ASX
  • advising Fort Street Funds on various matters relating to the Fort Street Real Estate Capital Funds, including a change in responsible entity
  • advising CHAMP Private Equity Group in relation to restructures of its funds
  • advising Goldmate Funds Management on the establishment of unregistered wholesale managed investment schemes for property development projects
  • advising Avari Capital on the establishment of unregistered wholesale managed investment schemes for property development projects
  • advising Mandala Group in relation to the establishment of an unregistered managed investment scheme for the purposes of acquiring various hotel properties, including regulatory advice under the financial services and managed investment scheme provisions of the Corporations Act.

Joint ventures/restructures

  • advising Grace Worldwide Group (Australia’s leading provider of integrated asset moving and information management solutions) on a corporate restructure of its Australian operations
  • advising UK listed Hilton Foods Group on its Australian joint venture with Woolworths Group
  • advising a UK listed software business on an Australian corporate restructure
  • advising a US owned global chemical business on its Australian corporate restructure.

Equity Capital Markets (ECM)

  • advising ASX-listed 3P Learning Limited on various matters, including acquisitions of private companies, corporate governance and a share buy-back
  • advising ASX-listed Enero Group on various matters, including two foreign acquisitions, issues of securities and corporate governance matters
  • advising US registered, ASX listed PinchMe.com on the delisting of its CDI securities from the ASX, including buy-back
  • advising an institutional investor on a private placement of 51% in Oldfields Holdings Limited
  • advising on various private placements in ASX listed entities.

Membership

Finance and Investment Committee Member, Western Sydney University

Singapore Business Circle

Publications

01 February 2023 - Knowledge

A guide to deregistration and members’ voluntary liquidation in Australia

#Corporate Restructuring and Insolvency, #Corporate & Commercial Law

If you’re thinking about tidying your corporate structure, now is the time to do it. In this article, we outline how solvent Australian companies can wind up entities they no longer require.