Aaron Kenavan
Partner
Sydney
Aaron Kenavan
Partner
Sydney
Contact details
Aaron specialises in public and private mergers and acquisitions, equity investments, joint ventures and foreign investment and general corporate advice. He has over 20 years' M&A experience. Aaron brings a commercial perspective to delivering practical solutions and advice to complex transactions.
Aaron has advised on transactions across a wide range of industries and in many jurisdictions in Asia Pacific, the Middle East and North America. He has advised on a number of Australia's most significant transactions.
Aaron is consistently recognised in the legal directories including Chambers & Partners and IFLR1000.
Expertise
Practices
Sectors
Qualifications
Professional
Registered Foreign Lawyer, England and Wales, 2010
Admitted as solicitor, New South Wales, Australia, 1997
Academic
Graduate Diploma Applied Finance & Investment, Securities Institute of Australia, 1997
Bachelor of Laws (Hons), Queensland University of Technology, 1995
Related articles
News: 27 June 2022
Experience highlights
Advising Asahi on its AUD16bn acquisition of Carlton & United Breweries, the Australian arm of Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Advising Chow Tai Fook on its acquisition of the entire issued share capital of Alinta Energy.
Advising Persol Holdings on its proposed acquisition of Programmed Maintenance Services for an enterprise value of approximately AUD1.46bn.
SABMiller on its unsolicited AUD12.3bn takeover of Foster’s Group
Expertise
Practices
Sectors
Qualifications
Professional
Registered Foreign Lawyer, England and Wales, 2010
Admitted as solicitor, New South Wales, Australia, 1997
Academic
Graduate Diploma Applied Finance & Investment, Securities Institute of Australia, 1997
Bachelor of Laws (Hons), Queensland University of Technology, 1995
Other noteworthy experience
Advising:
- ABB Grain on its AUD2.2bn scrip and cash acquisition by Viterra Inc. The transaction was structured to create optionality between cash and stock elections to encourage hedge funds to enter the register to dilute the vote of farmer shareholders.
- Advent International and its portfolio company Allnex on the proposed acquisition of chemicals company Nuplex Industries Limited for an enterprise value of NZ$1.18 billion (USD812 million).
- Bradken on the takeover of the company by Tokyo Stock Exchange listed Hitachi Construction Machinery Co., Ltd. (HCM) for an enterprise value of A$975 million (US$745 million).
- Equinix, Inc. a global data centre and colocation provider, on its $1.035 billion acquisition of Metronode, an Australian data centre operator.
- Fortescue Metals Group Ltd on its acquisition of a 19.9% stake in Atlas Iron Limited and its on-market share buy-back.
- Kerogen Capital on its controlling investment in ASX-listed AJ Lucas Group Limited.
- Palisade on its successful acquisition of 100% of the North Queensland Gas Pipeline from clients managed by the Victorian Funds Management Corporation.
- Prostar Capital on its USD510m acquisition of Korea’s largest independent pure-play city gas distributor.
- PTTEP on the sale of its 100% interest and operatorship in the producing Montara oil project offshore Australia to Jadestone Energy.
- R&R Ice Cream and PAI Partners on its acquisition of Peters Food Group.
- Shell on its AUD10bn hostile bid for Woodside Petroleum, which was the largest hostile bid in Australia at the time. The transaction was structured to include both cash and a call option under which shareholders could repurchase their shares after Woodside was merged with various assets owned by Shell.
Recognition
Practice head Aaron Kenavan is, in the words of one client, a "very, strong, very commercial lawyer" for whom several peers express their “high regard”. Equally at home in the public M&A and equity investment spheres, he takes leading roles on many of the practice's key mandates.
Asia Pacific Chambers & Partners 2019
Aaron enjoys high recognition among his peers, one of whom calls him "one of the strongest technical lawyers and a tough negotiator, "whilst referees speak of his" fantastic M&A and public markets experience and excellent client.
Chambers & Partners, 2017
Aaron is recognised for "his commercial pragmatism and high standard of client care"
Chambers Global, Corporate/M&A - Australia 2016
