Geof specialises in corporate and securities law, with particular emphasis on corporate transactions, capital raising, listed company advice, corporate governance, takeovers and general company law.
Geof has advised public sector bodies including the Takeovers Panel, several New Zealand government departments, and the governments of Kenya and Fiji on transactional and law reform matters. He has acted for numerous public and private sector companies on takeovers, acquisitions, divestments, private equity investments, joint ventures and other commercial arrangements.
Geof is a past president of the Law and Economics Association of New Zealand, Honorary Solicitor to the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts and for two years taught the Business Associations course at Victoria University of Wellington. He regularly comments on corporate and securities law.
Recent experience
Geof's experience includes acting for/on:
- the New Zealand Treasury in relation to the retail deposit guarantee scheme and wholesale guarantee scheme
- AMP NZ Office on its "corporatisation" (conversion from listed unit trust to listed company) and on major transactions including a significant restructuring of its management arrangements, a pro rata unit buyback, a rights issue of mandatory convertible notes, and two private placements of units
- the lead manager and underwriter of the Pike River Coal IPO and subsequent rights issue
- Shell in relation to the ground-breaking staged buyback of its shares in Fulton Hogan, involving novel Takeovers Code exemptions
- the establishment of “IPredict”, New Zealand’s only real money predictions market (www.ipredict.co.nz), including the novel statutory authorisations required for that establishment
- Lyttelton Port Company in relation to the proposed merger of its operations with those of Port Otago
- leading financial software firm FNZ Holdings on its acquisition (via an innovative cash amalgamation structure) by HIG European Capital Partners
- the recent acquisition of a New Zealand company by a global IT company, and
- a provider of data hosting and web management services on an extensive outsourcing arrangement.