The Minister for Financial Services, Superannuation and Corporate Law, Chris Bowen MP, is pleased to announce the appointment of 10 new members and the reappointment of 11 members to the Takeovers Panel.
"The appointments ensure a high level of skills and experience continue to be available to the Takeovers Panel, providing well-qualified members to deal with the differing issues raised in applications," Mr Bowen said.
"I would like to express my appreciation to these new and reappointed members, and to the current and previous members, for the commitment to the Panel. Their skills and experience will help ensure that the Panel continues to provide a fair, informal and timely means of dispute resolution of takeovers activity."
The purpose of the Takeovers Panel is to provide a mechanism for peer review of takeovers activity, with the aim of being more efficient, less formal and more expeditious than the courts. The functions and powers of the Panel are conferred by the Corporations Act 2001 and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001.
The Panel now has 54 members, all of whom are appointed on a part-time basis.
All members have been appointed until 7 March 2013.
26 February 2010
Attachment
Appointments to the Takeovers Panel
The following 10 new members were appointed:
- Mr Ewen Crouch - has particular experience in mergers and acquisitions, infrastructure and regulatory capital transactions for Australian financial institutions and leading corporate entities. He is also highly regarded as an adviser to leading corporates on governance and corporate structure issues. He has acted in recent years on some of the country's most significant transactions and was named Australian Dealmaker of the Year in 2006 at the ALB Australasian Law Awards as the outstanding rainmaker in the Australian legal services industry. He is currently Chairman of Partners and also Co-head of Mergers and Acquisitions and Capital Markets Group, Allens Arthur Robinson, Sydney.
- Mr Peter Day - has had a diverse background in accounting and finance. He has held positions as Executive Director Finance for Bonlac Foods and was the Deputy Chairman of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. He has also held senior executive positions in the Rio Tinto/CRA Group, including Chief Financial Officer at Commonwealth Alumunum Corporation and Managing Director, Business Services. He is currently the Executive General Manager Finance, Amcor in Melbourne.
- Mr James Dickson - is a corporate practitioner with significant experience in corporate governance, funds management and securities law. His focus is on mergers and acquisitions (including public company takeover and reconstructions), capital raising and IPOs (through prospectuses memoranda) and corporate structuring. He is currently a partner at Piper Alderman, Adelaide.
- Ms Sarah Dulhunty - practices in the areas of companies and securities law and heads up Blake Dawson's Equity Capital Markets practice. She has extensive experience in advising on takeovers, corporate restructuring, fund raising by way of equity and hybrid security issues, buy backs and other capital management transactions, general Corporations Act 2001 and Listing Rule issues. She is currently a partner at Blake Dawson, Sydney.
- Mr David Friedlander - is a mergers and acquisitions and securities lawyer and is consistently ranked as one of Australia's top mergers and acquisitions and equity capital markets lawyers. He is currently in the Mallesons Stephen Jaques' Sydney office.
- Mr Rod Halstead - has more than 25 years' experience advising major corporations in relation to the structuring and execution of contested and negotiated takeovers, acquisitions, mergers and divestments and the foreign investment laws and guidelines which impact on those transactions. He is currently a partner at Clayton Utz, Sydney.
- Dr Nora Scheinkestel - has been a professional non-executive director for the last 14 years and is currently a director of four publicly listed companies. She has had a major involvement with the regulated utility sector through the corporatisation and privatisation of government utilities, serving as both chairman and director of companies in the water, gas and electricity sectors and has had a background as a senior banking executive in international and project financing. She is currently an Associate Professor of Law at Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne.
- Ms Jane Sheridan - practises in commercial and corporate law, with a particular focus on public company and insolvency matter. She has acted for equity investors in the acquisition of major infrastructure assets within the transport and electricity industries. In addition to her public company and insolvency work, also acts for a number of clients involved in the financial services industry, providing general advice relating to commercial issues and regulatory requirements. She is currently a partner at Arnold Bloch Leibler, Melbourne.
- Mr Laurie Shervington - has more than 35 years experience with corporate issues, particularly capital raising, reconstruction, mergers and acquisitions, directors' duties and corporate governance advice, due diligence and risk management issues, and Australian Securities and Investments Commission licensing and investigations. He is currently Special Counsel at Minter Ellison, Perth.
- Ms Alison Watkins - has experience in leadership roles in agriculture and food processing industries. She has held senior roles at the ANZ Banking Group, including Managing Director of Regional Banking. She is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Bennelong Group, an investment and funds management group based in Melbourne.