About Kylie Brown
Kylie specialises in mergers and acquisitions, and commercial law, and also advises on governance, ASX and Corporations Act issues for a variety of clients across a range of industries. Major clients of the firm, including various state governments, News Corporation, Foxtel and KPMG, trust Kylie to advise on their most significant, strategic mergers and acquisitions: 'the level of confidence she gives anyone is second to none and her ability to adjust her advice to the situation is thoroughly impressive' (Chambers Asia Pacific).
Kylie's client-focused working style is reflected by her consistent ranking as one of Australia's best M&A lawyers in both Chambers Asia Pacific and Chambers Global. Clients praise her for being 'across the detail' and 'getting complex issues very quickly, and for 'her great technical skill and accessible, collaborative working style' (Chambers Asia Pacific).
Highlights of her experience include advising:
Media, entertainment and gaming
- News Corp – on its investment in online bookmaker Betr and its acquisition of Punters Paradise and Racenet;
- News Corp – on gambling advertisements and licensing requirements for online bookmakers;
- News Corp – on establishing an online market place including laws in relation to the sale and distribution of liquor;
- News Corp – on compliance with liquor, gambling and competition rules in relation to competitions run in its various publications throughout Australia;
- Various listed entities – in relation to their ASX and Corporations Act compliance obligations including in relation to continuous disclosure, remuneration and shareholder approval matters;
- Coopers Brewery – on its defence against a $352 million unsolicited takeover offer from Lion Nathan;
- News Corp and Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc. – on the reincorporation of News Corporation in the US, the subsequent separation of News and Fox into separate businesses, the $10 billion listing of new News Corporation on ASX and the delisting of Fox;
- News Corp – on its $1.8 billion acquisition of Consolidated Media Holdings by scheme of arrangement;
- News Corp – on the purchase and sale of various newspapers and magazines;
- News Corp – in connection with the sale of Melbourne Storm Rugby League Club, its stake in Brisbane Broncos Limited, and the sale of the North Queensland Cowboys;
- Foxtel – on its $2 billion acquisition of Austar by scheme of arrangement;
- Foxtel – on the terms of its licensing deals with the AFL, NRL, rugby union and motor racing;
- Endemol BV – on the purchase of the Australian production and distribution business of Southern Star.
Highlights of Kylie's broader M&A experience include:
- NSW Government – advised on the privatisation of the WestConnex toll road network, the partial privatisation of Endeavour Energy's NSW electricity distribution network in a $7.6 billion transaction, the partial privatisation of Ausgrid's NSW electricity distribution network in a transaction that valued Ausgrid at $20.8 billion, and the $10.3 billion privatisation of Transgrid's NSW electricity transmission network;
- Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan – on its investment in Greenstone Financial;
- Puma Energy (Australia) – on the disposal of 360 retailer operated service stations throughout Australia;
- Fletcher Building – on the disposal of its pipes and concrete business in Australia;
- Queensland Government – on the $6 billion IPO of QR National;
- QIC – on the $7.1 billion sale of its motorway portfolio in Queensland;
- Snowy Hydro – in connection with the Snowy 2.0 project and the Hunter Power Project;
- Heritage Bank – on its merger with People's Choice Credit Union;
- KPMG – in connection with its partnership arrangements and governance advice; and
- The Law Society of NSW – in connection with governance and member matters.