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  • Shannon Finch

    Partner in Charge, Sydney
    Sydney
    T: +61 2 9296 2497
    M: +61 400 442 991
 

 Professional Biography

 
  • Shannon Finch is a corporate and mergers & acquisitions partner of King & Wood Mallesons, and joint co-ordinator of the firm's Public Companies team. Shannon is also Partner in Charge of the Sydney office.

    Shannon specialises in mergers & acquisitions, capital markets, restructuring, privatisations and corporate governance. She advises boards, companies and investment banks on major transactions and on mid-market or emerging enterprise deals, across a number of sectors including financial services, energy and resources, property, infrastructure, agribusiness and life sciences. Shannon has significant expertise liaising with key regulators including ASIC, ASX and the Foreign Investments Review Board and her experience includes significant work with government.

    Shannon is recognised as a leading lawyer in Equity Capital Markets and High Yield Products by Best Lawyers International, and in Equity Capital Markets in Chambers Global, Asia Pacific Legal 500; PLC Which Lawyer Handbook; PLC Cross Border Capital Markets Handbook; PLC Global Counsel 3000 and IFLR 1000. Chambers Global Guide 2010 described Shannon as "highly regarded, Shannon Finch impresses with her technical expertise and approachability".

    She is a regular speaker at Equity Capital Markets, Global M&A, Hybrids, Directors Duties and Securities Law conferences, and is a guest-lecturer on securities and disclosure laws at the University of Sydney, University of NSW and Monash University.

 

 Experience

 
  • 2012: Partner in Charge - Sydney, King & Wood Mallesons
  • 2010: Partner in Charge - Sydney, Mallesons Stephen Jaques
  • 2004: Partner, Mallesons Stephen Jaques (Sydney)
  • 1999 - 2003: Senior Associate, Mallesons Stephen Jaques (London; Sydney)
  • 1994 - 1998: Mallesons Stephen Jaques (Canberra; Sydney)
  • 1995: Admitted in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory
  • 1992 - 1994: Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department - Office of Legislative Drafting, Office of General Counsel; Corporations Law Simplification Unit
  • 1994: Bachelor of Laws (1st class Honours), Australian National University
  • 1992: Bachelor of Arts (1st class Honours), Australian National University
 

 Recent Matters

 
  • CORPORATE FUNDRAISING
  • Numerous accelerated rights issues, traditional rights issues, lo-doc rights issues, placements and IPO's including: Catalpa AREO capital raising; Origin PAITREO rights issue for NSW Electricity acquisition; AJ Lucas placement, rights issue and mezzanine financing; Whitehaven Coal block trade; BT Investment Management rights issue; Spark Infrastructure rights issue; Fairfax Trade-Me IPO; Aston Resources IPO; Infigen conditional placement; Campbell Brothers rights issue; Macquarie Media Group recapitalisation; Goodman Group rights issue; Mirvac rights issue; QBE placement; AJ Lucas acquisition fundraising for Mitchell Drilling acquisition; BBWP (now Infigen) restructure and IPO; RHG IPO; Talium Lithium proposed IPO; DEXUS placement; CBA VWAP placement; Alumina AREOs; Tishman Speyer placement; Tishman Speyer IPO; IAG multi-tranche acquisition capital raising for CGU acquisition
  • Convertible bond, hybrid securities and retail bond offers, including: Beach Energy convertible bond and rights issue; IAG CPS and RPS1 Rollover and Buy-back; CBA Retail Bond; Origin subordinated notes; AGL subordinated notes; Origin offshore subordinated notes; Commonwealth Property Office convertible bond and equity placement; IAG RES restructure; IAG RPS2 buy-back; IAG RES, CBA PERLS II and III, IAG RPS 1 and RPS2; Sydney Airport FLIERS restructure and Skies issue, Alumina convertible bond, ANZ StEPS, ANZ Upper Tier 2 capital, Graincorp hybrid
  • Other capital management initiatives, such as buy-backs, dividend reinvestment plans, share purchase plans and sale facilities, including for: IAG, Transpacific Industries, CBA, ANZ, and AMP
  • GOVERNANCE
  • Adviser to a number of boards and companies on continuous disclosure matters; directors duties, including in relation to takeovers approachs, nominee directors and director rotation and remuneration issues; annual general meetings and extraordinary general meetings; and liaison with ASX and ASIC
  • RESTRUCTURES, INTERNALISATIONS AND DISTRESS DEALS
  • Living and Leisure Australia recapitalisation, including underwritten rights issue and mezzanine finance acquisition; advising on subsequent sale
  • Alinta Energy - multi-track deleveraging project, including trade sale, equity raising, spin-off and debt for equity swap (loan to own)
  • Spark Infrastructure - restructure and internalisation of previously external management structure
  • Alinta Energy - EGM for its restructure of its financial indebtedness to BBIG
  • Babcock & Brown Wind Partners (now Infigen) - separation from Babcock & Brown (acting for BBW)
  • M&A TRANSACTIONS
  • Privatisations and government work: Sydney Airport privatisation, including competitive bid process and due diligence; Hancock acquisition/licensing of Victorian Plantations; consortium bid for National Transmission Network; general corporate work for ACTEW, Department of Defence; Australian Sports Commission and Australian National University
  • Public takeovers and schemes, including: QBE public approach to IAG; Palmary contested takeover of Consolidated Minerals; merger scheme for Australian Financial Planners Association; Cabcharge takeover of Combined Communications; advisory roles on foreign takeovers, including Mannesman takeover of Vodaphone, CMG plc takeover of Admiral plc, RWE AG takeover of Thames Water, the National Power plc demerger and the Anglian Water plc reorganisation
  • Private equity and private M&A transactions - bid for Tegel, in a competitive trade sale bid process; restructure and PE joint venture investment in Costa Group; Alinta competitive trade sale process (multi track); RAMS Home Loans competitive trade sale process (dual track); public approach by PE consortium to Nufarm; BIS cleanaway refinancing; Macquarie Infrastructure acquisition of European infrastructure assets of Kvaerner plc, and Pacific Energy Limited partnering; CGE buy-out of Wyuna Water; Colfax Corporation acquisition of Warner Electric; Assa Abloy acquisition of Chubb from Williams plc and onsale to Gunnebo AG
  • CORPORATE LITIGATION
  • Various pieces of corporate litigation, including: Elkington v Costa Exchange Holdings (greenmail / squeeze out challenge); AJ Lucas cleansing notice application; Hughes Aircraft Corporation ats Airservices (government tender processes); Bristol Myer Squibb class action (product liability - silicone implants); Sandahl vs Lees & ors (Phillipine gold mining investment); ICI (nor Orica) ats Kanak (vexatious litigant claims); Individual Homes (liq) ats Martin (insolvency); Paul Morgan Securities ats SS Transport Agency Group (contested statutory demands)
 

 Professional Memberships

 
  • Law Council of Australia - Corporations Committee
  • Australian Institute of Company Directors
  • Treasury Roundtable - Retail Debt
  • ASF Fixed Income Project Steering Committee
  • Women on Boards