About Chris Blane
Chris is a leading M&A and corporate advisory specialist.
Chris has extensive experience advising clients on public takeovers and schemes of arrangement, private M&A transactions (including competitive sales processes) and corporate governance. He has advised on numerous recent high-profile public and private M&A transactions across a broad range of sectors, with particular expertise in the infrastructure, financial services and property sectors.
He is recognised as a leading lawyer in Chambers Asia Pacific, where clients have praised his 'strategic mindset' and described him as 'very well respected in the market and technically strong'.
Chris is a member of the Allens board and the firm's audit committee.
Chris' experience includes advising:
- Aware Super – on the establishment of a distributed renewable energy platform aimed at developing renewable and battery energy storage system solutions in partnership with Birdwood Energy.
- Platinum Equity – on its acquisition of JELD-WEN Australasia from NYSE-listed JELD-WEN Holding for A$700m and subsequent sale and lease back arrangements with Charter Hall.
- Brookfield – on its proposed acquisition of the Energy Markets division of Origin Energy pursuant to an acquisition in consortium with EIG of Origin Energy for an implied enterprise value of A$18.7 billion.
- InfraRed Capital Partners and Northleaf Capital Partners – in connection with the acquisition of an 80% interest in Vodafone NZ's passive mobile tower assets.
- Sydney Airport – on its response to takeover proposals from the Sydney Aviation Alliance and recommended scheme of arrangement transaction valuing Sydney Airport at A$32 billion.
- Heritage Bank – on the merger of Heritage and People's Choice to create Australia's largest customer-owned financial institution, with 720,000 members and more than $23 billion in assets.
- ALE Property Group – on its recommended acquisition by scheme by a Charter Hall-managed consortium, comprising the Charter Hall Long WALE REIT and Hostplus, with an enterprise value of A$1.7 billion.
- Seven Group Holdings – in relation to its A$8.5 billion off market takeover offer for Boral Limited.
- Prime Media – in relation to its proposal to sell its entire business to Seven West Media by way of a shareholder approved disposal of main undertaking under the ASX Listing Rules.
- Aware Super (formerly First State Super) – on its A$675 million proposal to acquire OptiComm Limited via an off market takeover, the acquisition of a majority interest in the Oak Tree Group and its successful A$2.6 billion bid to operate a 35-year concession of the land titling and registry operations of New South Wales Land and Property Information.
- Couche-Tard – on its A$8.8 billion proposal to acquire Caltex Australia by scheme of arrangement.
- Brookfield – on its $1.3 billion acquisition of the Aveo Group, its $699 million proposal to Gateway Lifestyle and the take private of the Brookfield Prime Property Fund.
- AMP Capital – on its acquisition of the Australian National University Purpose Built Student Accommodation assets.
- Prime Media – on its takeover defence and proposed scheme of arrangement with Seven West Media.
- Equifax Inc. – on the A$2.5 billion acquisition of Veda Group Limited by scheme of arrangement and subsequent follow-on acquisitions.
- CCCI – $1.1 billion acquisition of John Holland from Leighton Holdings (CIMIC) and on John Holland's subsequent acquisition of the RCR Tomlinson rail business.
- NSW Government – advising on the sale of a 51% interest in the WestConnex project and the privatisation by leasehold of the assets of Ausgrid, TransGrid and Endeavour Energy.
- Bank of Queensland – $440 million acquisition of Investec Bank Australia Limited.
- Frasers Centrepoint Limited – advised Frasers Centrepoint on its $2.6 billion off-market takeover of Australand Property Group.
- Macquarie Bank Limited – on its disposal of a security backed loan product portfolio to Bell Potter.
- Macquarie Infrastructure-led consortium – bid for the Port of Newcastle.
- Sydney Airport – simplification restructure proposal.
- Rio Tinto – $1.6 billion privatisation of Coal & Allied Industries.
- Deutsche Asset Management – disposal of a $500 million interest in a major Australian airport holding company.
- Rio Tinto – defence of BHP Billiton's US$150 billion merger proposal, the $20 billion proposed strategic alliance with Chinalco and the US$16 billion right issue.