About Jessica Choong
Jessica is a partner in the Corporate/M&A group.
She is a highly experienced corporate lawyer, specialising in mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and consortium arrangements. Her practice is focused on advising private capital clients (superannuation and pension funds, fund managers and sovereign wealth funds), including on competitive sales processes, and in the core and core-plus infrastructure sectors. She has advised across a range of high-profile and cross-border transactions and is experienced in advising on foreign investment (FIRB) regulation. She is also experienced in corporate advisory and corporate governance matters, including for ASX-listed entities.
Jessica spent three years on secondment in Singapore, where she worked closely with a range of Australian and foreign clients on their inbound and outbound investments across the Asia-Pacific region.
Jessica's experience includes advising:
- AustralianSuper – on its acquisition of a 70% stake in Optus Towers for $1.9 billion, and on its acquisition (through its joint venture with Singtel, Australia Tower Network) on its $3.58 billion acquisition of Axicom.
- Keppel Infrastructure Trust – on its acquisition of chemicals business Ixom for $1.1 billion, and a subsequent bidder for Ixom.
- Bingo Industries – a co-investor in the take-private of Bingo Industries by a consortium led by Macquarie Asset Management.
- Vector Meters – a bidder in the competitive sales process for Vector Meters.
- Equilibrium Capital-led consortium – on their investment in a majority interest in Perfection Fresh.
- ISPT – on its investment in the Fort Street Real Estate Capital Property Fund, including the acquisition of a 75% interest in the manager of the Fund.
- Kilara Capital – on various investments including its investments in Grounded Packaging, JET Charge, Tasman Environmental Markets and Wattwatchers.
- Green Peak Energy – on the investment by CBRE Investment Management.
- North East Link PPP – a member of the Spark consortium on its equity participation in the North East Link PPP project.
- Future Fund – on a strategic review and exit of its investment in DP World Australia.
- ANZ – on the simplification of its Wealth Australia business, including the sale of its life insurance business to Zurich for $2.85 billion.
- Rest – on its acquisition of a one-third stake in Sydney's Quay Quarter Tower redevelopment for approximately $900 million.
- Rest, Hostplus and other investors – on a strategic review of their investment in Campus Living Villages.
- Aware Super – on its acquisition of an interest in Two Melbourne Quarter (jointly with Lendlease's Australian Prime Property Fund Commercial) and on its acquisition of a 90% interest in Lendlease Public Infrastructure Investment, which holds a 50% interest in the New Bendigo Hospital, Sunshine Coast University Hospital and Sydney International Convention, Exhibition and Entertainment Precinct PPP projects.
- JANA Investment Advisers – on the initial management buy-out of a 55% majority stake in the JANA asset management business from NAB and subsequent acquisition of the remaining 45% stake.
- NSW Land and Property Information – the financiers of a consortium bidder for the NSW LPI privatisation.
- Canada Pension Plan Investment Board – on its A$3.4 billion take-private of Intoll Group, its A$7.5 billion take-private of Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group and its proposed take-private of Transurban Group.
- Standard Chartered Private Equity – on its acquisitions and divestments of a number of Asia-Pacific and international investments.
- OpenSpace Ventures – on its investment in ASX-listed cloud platform provider Whispir.
Jessica has participated in the CEW Leaders Program of Chief Executive Women and is a current member of the CEW Connect Committee (Victoria). She has been a guest lecturer at Melbourne University Law School (Juris Doctor program) and a member of the 'Gen A' young leaders platform of the Asia Society Australia.