Bryan Pointon

Partner | Corporate Team Leader
Norton Rose Fulbright Australia

Sydney
Australia
T:+61 2 9330 8233
Sydney
Australia
T:+61 2 9330 8233
Bryan Pointon

Bryan Pointon

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Biography

Bryan Pointon is a private equity and corporate M&A lawyer based in Sydney. Bryan is one of Australia's leading corporate lawyers and a senior practitioner with over 35 years' experience. He was previously the senior private equity practice leader at leading law firms and multi-disciplinary firms.

Bryan is consistently recognised in legal guides. For example, Chambers Asia-Pacific comments that he: "commands tremendous peer respect as a 'well-known and very competent' practitioner with a 'strong private equity heritage' and is valued by clients for being 'very commercial, hard-working and for thinking strategically about what he's trying to achieve in terms of the overall deal'."

Bryan has advised on completed mergers and acquisitions transactions involving an aggregate value exceeding $25 billion, including private equity investments, acquisitions and exits involving an aggregate value exceeding $15 billion. He has a diverse breadth of experience in complex government transactions and privatisations and representing listed and private corporates and their founders and boards. 

He has experience in several industry segments including health, food, agribusiness, infrastructure, energy, waste services and TMT.


Professional experience

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  • Australian National University, BA (1986)
  • Australian National University, LLB (Hons) (1986)
  • Columbia University, LLM (1991)
  • Supreme Court of Western Australia 1986
  • Federal Court of Australia 1986
  • High Court of Australia 1986
  • Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory 1989
  • Supreme Court of New York 1992
  • Supreme Court of New South Wales 1994

 

Experience prior to joining the firm

Private equity

  • Colinton Capital Partners – numerous representations including the establishment of its funds and in connection with its investments in Australian Maritime Services Group Pty Limited, AMA Group Limited, Dimeo Cleaning Services Pty Limited, intellihr Limited and Alexium International Group Limited.
  • The Carlyle Group – numerous representations including:
    • Principal legal advisor to Carlyle Infrastructure Fund on all aspects of its investment in QUBE from 2011 to 2016;
    • Carlyle Fund V on the Australian aspects of its US$800 million investment in Genesee and Wyoming Inc;  
    • Carlyle Growth Opportunities Fund in connection with its joint venture with Macquarie for the $340 million acquisition by scheme of arrangement of Redflex Group Limited;
    • Funds advised by The Carlyle Group in connection with the $2.7 billion acquisition, in consortium with TPG, of Healthscope Limited;
    • Carlyle Asia Fund III in relation to the $660 million agreements to acquire Airwork Holdings Limited and Alliance Airlines Pty Limited, the termination of those agreements and the successful resolution and settlement of all claims relating to them; and
    • Carlyle Asia Fund II - on the $3 billion joint venture with National Hire Limited to acquire and merge the National Hire and Coates Hire equipment rental businesses.
  • Food and agribusiness

  • Freedom Foods Group Limited - in connection with its proposed $1.3 billion consortium bid with Coca Cola Amatil Limited and The Coca Cola Company for the Lion Dairy and Drinks business; various capital raisings including four ANREOs raising approximately $500 million; the $50 million acquisition of ACM's interest in the Pactum Joint Venture; the Australia's Own Dairy Company China investment with JLL; the proposed joint venture with Dean Foods Company in respect of a possible bid for The a2 Milk Company Limited; the $35 million acquisition of Popina Foods; and its initial joint venture with The a2 Milk Company Limited in Australia and the exchange of that joint venture interest for a substantial stake in the a2 Milk Company Limited and related matters.
  • The a2 Milk Company Limited - on their $800 million secondary listing on ASX.
  • A consortium of Freedom Foods Group Limited, New Hope Diary Co Limited and Leppington Pastoral Company Pty Limited in relation to the establishment of the $200 million Australian Fresh Milk Holdings Pty Limited joint venture; on its initial $85 million acquisition of Moxey Farms; its $40 million acquisition of Coomboona Dairy; and in relation to all material long term milk supply contracts with major milk processors.
  • Proterra Investment Partners - in relation to various matters including the $300 million disposal of BFB to Public Sector Pension Investment Board.
  • Government

  • Commonwealth Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development - in relation to certain key aspects of the Red Hat review of the Second Sydney Airport Project.
  • NSW Government - in relation to the Network Electricity Reform Program involving the integration of the three NSW electricity distributors, Essential Energy, Endeavour Energy and Ausgrid; the $235 million transfer of the Waste Recycling and Processing Corporation to SEMBSita; the $1.01 billion transfer of NSW Lotteries Corporation to Tatts Group Limited following a competitive process; in relation to the James Hardie Industries NV redomicile proposal and other matters in relation to the Asbestos Industries Compensation Fund.
  • ACT Government and ACTEW – on the $840 million joint venture between ACTEW and AGL to form Australia's first multi-utility.
  • Other select transactions

  • The founder of PC EFTPOS - on the sale of a majority interest to Potentia Capital for approximately $80 million.
  • Woolworths Limited and Lowe's Companies, Inc., - appointed as the independent legal advisor to the board of Hydrox Holdings Pty Limited, their joint venture vehicle, in relation to the $1.5 billion home improvement exit transaction with respect of the Masters business and Home Timber and Hardware business.
  • Surbana Jurong Pte Limited - on their $450 million acquisition of SMEC Holdings Limited by scheme of arrangement.
  • Tatts Group Limited - in relation to the $220 million disposal of Talarius to Novomatic and their successful $210 million proposal to be granted a long term statutory licence to operate the centralised monitoring system for gaming machines in NSW.
  • Discovery Communications Inc. - on its proposed joint bid with Foxtel for Ten Network Holdings Limited.
  • The founders and shareholders of Ezidebit - in the $305 million sale to Global Payments Inc following a competitive sales process.
  • HomeAway Inc - on its $220 million acquisitions of Stayz group from Fairfax following a competitive sale process.
  • Remondis AG - on its $220 million acquisition of Thiess Waste Services.
  • CVC Asia Pacific and Stella Travel Services Limited - in connection with the $440 million merger of Jetset Travel Group Limited and Stella Travel Services Limited.
  • I-Med Network, a portfolio company of CVC Asia Pacific - on its $250 million restructure and sale of Genesis Care to Advent Private Capital.
  • CVC Asia Pacific, lronbridge and Government of Singapore Investment Corp - on the $1.5 billion sale of Affinity Health to Ramsay Health Care following a dual track IPO/trade sale process.
  • CVC Europe - on the $530 million trade sale of the Amatek Group to Fletcher Building Limited.
  • CVC Asia Pacific - on the $700 million trade sale of Tech Pacific Limited to Ingram Micro Inc following a dual float/trade sale process.
  • Catalyst Investment Managers - on the $255 million trade sale of B&D Doors to Alesco Corporation following a dual float/trade sale process.
  • AMP Private Equity - on the $66 million public to private acquisition of Sabre Group Limited through scheme of arrangement (Australia's first successful private equity sponsored public to private transaction).
  • One Equity Partners and portfolio company BeTRUSTed - on the $110 million public to private acquisition of SecureNet through recommended bid (Australia's first private equity sponsored public to private transaction by way of takeover bid).
  • CVC Europe and Amatek Holdings Limited - in relation to the $665 million trade sale of Laminex to Fletcher Building following a dual float/trade sale process.
  • Leading individual, Private Equity, Chambers (2003 to 2017)
  • Best Lawyers – recognised in:
    • Government Practice
    • Corporate/Governance Practice
    • Mergers and Acquisitions Law
    • Private Equity Law
    • Venture Capital Law