MinterEllisonRuddWatts’ deal making skills have once again been recognised by the prestigious Australasian Law Awards.
Named New Zealand Deal Firm of the Year in 2020, the firm has been recognised as a finalist for this category in the 2021 awards. Partner and Head of Corporate, Silvana Schenone has also been named as a finalist and awarded ‘Excellence’ in the New Zealand Dealmaker of the Year category.
The firm led on a number of significant and complex deals during a turbulent 2020 including:
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acting for Healthscope and Brookfield’s on the sale of Healthscope’s $550+ million New Zealand pathology business to a consortium of New Zealand Superannuation Fund and the Canadian Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, one of the largest transactions completed in 2020.
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acting for MediaWorks, New Zealand’s largest independent commercial broadcaster, on its sale of MediaWorks TV to Discovery Inc.
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advising Westpac New Zealand on the sale of its financial advisory business to Forsyth Barr, a ground-breaking transaction in the market; and
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advising Resource Management Service, one of the world’s largest providers of timber land investment services, on the sale of its Wellington-based business to CFPC (Singapore), part of China Forestry Group Corporate.
Silvana Schenone’s stellar reputation as a leading deal maker continues to attract attention from both New Zealand-based companies and international clients. Sought after for her pragmatic approach and commercial acumen Silvana had another outstanding year, including:
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being engaged by Infratil, alongside Goldman Sachs, to advise on the proposed takeover from AustralianSuper for a consideration exceeding $5.4 billion;
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acting for Essity Group Holdings on the New Zealand aspects of its full takeover of Asaleo Care, via scheme of arrangement valued at AU$788m;
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advising The New Zealand Merino Company on a complex capital restructure including constitutional reform, three stage capital raising and share buy-back; and
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advising the New Zealand Government on its response to COVID-19 issues regarding directors’ duties and insolvency.
The Australasian Law Awards recognise leading law firms and in-house teams in Australia and New Zealand for their outstanding achievements.
The winners of the Australasian Law Awards will be announced online in mid-June 2021.