Biography

    Chris is a partner in Gilbert +Tobin’s Corporate Advisory team. 

    Chris specialises in regulated/public M+A transactions – schemes of arrangement, takeovers and other transactions involving ASX-listed entities – and private M+A transactions across a range of sectors and industries.  Chris’ practice also includes equity capital markets work (including IPOs, equity capital raisings and share buy-backs), advising on joint ventures and corporate restructurings, and advising ASX-listed and non-ASX-listed entities on a range of corporate matters, including corporate governance, ASX Listing Rule and corporations and securities law compliance, employee incentive plans, and continuous disclosure matters.

    Chris’ experience includes advising:

    • Genex Power Limited in relation to the approach by Skip Essential Infrastructure Fund and Stonepeak Partners LLC regarding a potential ~$320 million acquisition of Genex in 2022.
    • Cardno Limited on its ~$57 million sale of its International Development business to DT Global in 2022;
    • Intega Group Limited on its ~$400 million acquisition by Kiwa by way of a scheme of arrangement in 2021;
    • Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (“MIRA”) on its $2.6 billion cash and scrip acquisition of ASX-listed Bingo Industries Limited by way of a scheme of arrangement in 2021;
    • Infigen Energy (Australia’s largest ASX-listed renewable energy generator at the time) on the unsuccessful hostile takeover bid from UAC and the successful “friendly” takeover bid from Iberdrola SA (which valued Infigen Energy at ~$1.4 billion) in 2020;
    • United Malt Group Limited on its $165 million capital raising by way of an institutional placement and share purchase plan in May 2020 to manage market uncertainty caused by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic;
    • GrainCorp Limited on its ~$2 billion demerger of United Malt Group (the world's fourth-largest independent commercial maltster) to GrainCorp’s shareholders by way of a scheme of arrangement and ASX-listing in April 2020;
    • GrainCorp Limited on its ~$350 million sale of its Australian bulk liquid terminals business to ANZ Terminals in 2019;
    • GrainCorp Limited on its successful defence of the highly geared approach by Long-Term Asset Partners (financed by Goldman Sachs and Westbourne Capital) regarding a potential $3.3 billion control transaction in 2018-2019;
    • LifeHealthcare Group Limited on its $211 million acquisition by Pacific Equity Partners by way of a scheme of arrangement in 2018;
    • Cover-More Group Limited on its $850 million acquisition by Zurich Insurance Group by way of a scheme of arrangement in 2017;
    • Cover-More Group Limited on its $75 million capital raising by way of a rights issue to partially fund its acquisition of Travelex Insurance Services in 2017;
    • SAI Global on its $1.1 billion acquisition by Baring Private Equity Asia by way of a scheme of arrangement in 2016; and
    • The Australian Grains Champion consortium on its approach to Australia’s largest co-operative, Co-Operative Bulk Handling (CBH), regarding the proposed corporatisation, commercialisation and ASX listing of CBH in 2016.