The Brief:
A&O Shearman has hired top M&A lawyer Phil Breden from Ashurst Perkins Coie as a partner in Sydney.
He’ll co-lead the firm’s Aussie Corporate and M&A team, building on the Clayton James hire earlier this year.
A&O Shearman has nabbed one of Australia’s most highly regarded M&A partners from Ashurst Perkins Coie — Phil Breden.
Breden brings deep experience advising on public and private M&A, shareholder activism and corporate governance. He advises large ASX-listed companies as well as European and US-based multinationals.
His deal sheet includes:
Woolworths Group on its $13bn demerger of ASX-50 company Endeavour Group
CPH on Blackstone’s $9bn acquisition of Crown Resorts
HMC Capital on its $3bn acquisition of Aventus Group
Endeavour Group on its response to shareholder activism
He’ll co-lead the Australian Corporate and M&A team alongside Michael Parshall. At Ashurst Perkins Coie, he sat on the firm’s Global Board and served as Global Co-Head of Corporate and Head of Region for Australia.
Global Co-Head of M&A David Broadley called the move a statement of intent.
Phil is one of the most respected M&A practitioners in Australia, and his arrival is a clear statement of our ambition in one of Asia-Pacific's largest and most active M&A markets.
The hire follows Clayton James’s appointment as an M&A and private equity partner in February, and continues A&O Shearman’s hiring spree in Australia across corporate, litigation, energy and real estate.
Source: A&O Shearman