Mark is a corporate partner with particular expertise in public takeovers and cross-border M&A.
Mark has been a partner at the firm for over 13 years and has helped clients to close more than US$300 billion worth of transactions across the US, UK, Europe, CIS, Middle East, Africa, India, Asia and Australia.
He focuses on advising corporate clients and works with boards on both transactional and advisory work. He is frequently involved in advising on significant challenges that face boards whether on transactions, shareholder activism, governance issues or regulatory investigations. In addition, he regularly works with and advises investment banks and corporate finance advisers in connection with their roles on major cross-border transactions.
Mark is ranked in Chambers and recommended in Legal 500 for M&A premium deals and noted for his public takeover expertise. He is a General Editor of Butterworths Takeovers Law and Practice (second edition 2015) and a contributor to other leading practitioners' texts on topics including shareholder activism, market abuse, schemes of arrangement and takeovers. He lectures annually at Cambridge University to postgraduate MCL students as part of the Deals Course.
In September 2011, he completed a two-year secondment as Secretary to the UK’s Takeover Panel. During that time he was closely involved in the day-to-day regulation of UK public takeovers and also in significant revisions to the UK's Takeover Code. He continues to be actively involved in consultations regarding amendments to the UK's Takeover Code. He also acts as Secretary to the Takeover Appeals Board in relation to various appeals.
Background
Mark holds an MA Cantab (Hons) Law from Fitzwilliam College Cambridge. Qualified as a barrister. Called to the Bar 1998.
Experience & expertise
Selected matters
- an affiliate of funds advised by Elliott Advisors (UK) Limited on its sale of Gardant S.p.A. to Italian listed doValue S.p.A. for cash and share consideration, and its participation in doValue's rights issue, for a total aggregate value of €460 million
- GIC on its > €1 billion investment and participation as a cornerstone investor in simultaneous capital raises by Energias de Portugal S.A. (“EDP”) and its listed subsidiary EDP Renováveis, S.A. (“EDPR”), through a "PIPE" style arrangement
- a consortium led by affiliates of Elliott and Brookfield on the $16 billion leveraged buy out of Nielsen Holdings plc by means of a UK scheme of arrangement
- Atlassian (NASDAQ: TEAM) on its re-domiciliation and domestication to the U.S., by means of a UK scheme of arrangement, and various other matters
- Patrick Drahi's telecoms investment group, Altice, on the acquisition of its 24.5% stake in BT Group plc (market cap >£15 billion), including in response to the UK Government's intervention in 2022 under the NSI Act 2022
- Johnson Matthey on a variety of transactions including the sale of its health division to Altaris Capital and the sale of its food packaging business, StePac, to Nili Capital Partners
- Sky on the competing takeover situation involving 21st Century Fox, Disney and Comcast Corporation, for which the HSF team won M&A Team of the Year (Large Deal) at the prestigious 2018 British Legal Awards
- Sky on a variety of matters including the £800 million sale of its controlling stake in its betting and gaming business, Sky Bet, to funds advised by CVC Capital Partners and ongoing joint venture and other commercial arrangements, and on the subsequent sale of Sky Bet to Canadian listed Stars Group
- Shaanxi Ligeance Mineral Resources Co., Ltd on its £326 million acquisition of Gardner
- Aerospace from funds managed by Better Capital and the subsequent acquisition of Northern Aerospace in 2017, successfully concluding the transaction following the UK Government's first ever intervention under its new extended powers
- on over 30 successfully completed public takeovers including EdF on its £12.5 billion takeover of British Energy Group including the issue of the innovative CVRs, the Nuclear Power Notes, as consideration; Tata Steel on its successful £6.2 billion acquisition of Corus, following the competitive auction with CSN; Resolution throughout the competing bids from Friends Provident, Standard Life/Swiss Re and the ultimately successful £5.0 billion bid from Pearl/Royal London; Cable & Wireless Worldwide in response to unsolicited approaches from Vodafone and Tata Communications leading to Vodafone's £1.0 billion recommended bid; Arris Group on its US$2 billion takeover of Pace; and The Prospect Japan Fund on the US$147 million recommended takeover by Prospect Co. listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange believed to be the first all share offer of Japanese listed shares into the UK.
Sectors
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