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Charles Smith

Director
Johannesburg
About

Charles assists clients to implement their strategic and transformative corporate transactions – many of which involve a cross border element.  He seeks to obtain the best outcome for his clients by balancing the commercial drivers of a transaction and the legal risks which arise because of those drivers.

He advises on takeover bids, private acquisitions and disposals, mergers, joint ventures, restructurings, demergers, black economic empowerment transactions, listings and all forms of equity raises.  He advises more generally on company law, securities law (including market abuse and insider trading, prospectus requirements and stock exchange requirements) and corporate governance.

He advises across a board range of sectors, but with particular experience in the financial services, technology and the consumer goods, food and retail sectors.

Over the years, Charles has advised on some of the most significant inward investment transactions in the South African marketplace.

Areas of FocusMergers and AcquisitionsCorporateFinancial ServicesConsumer Goods, Food and RetailTechnology
Professional QualificationsAttorney of the High Court of South Africa

EXPERIENCE

  • Advising Imperial Logistics on*:
    • DP World’s ZAR12.7bn takeover bid for Imperial Logistics; and
    • the disposal of its European shipping business for ZAR3.6bn.
  • Advising Standard Bank, as majority shareholder, on its ZAR10.6bn cash and shares take private offer for Liberty Holdings.*
  • Advising One Thousand and One Voices and Crossfin on their acquisition of Sybrin from EOH.*
  • Advising Alexforbes on*:
    • the ZAR2.35bn acquisition by Prudential Financial Inc. of a strategic minority interest in Alexforbes by way of bilateral acquisiton from Mercer and subsequent partial tender offer;
    • the ZAR2bn divestment by Mercer of its anchor shareholding in Alexforbes by way of simultaneous (i) bilateral sale to African Rainbow Capital, and (ii) specific repurchase by Alexforbes.
    • the ZAR2bn divestment of its South African short-term insurance business to Momentum Metropolitan, as well as the
    • separate divestment of its Namibian short-term insurance business to Momentum Metropolitan; and
    • the divestment of its South African group risk and retail life business to Sanlam;
    • the simultaneous: (i) disposal of its linked investment services platform administration business to Sanlam; and (ii) acquisition of Sanlam’s standalone retirement fund administration business.

*Denotes experience from previous firm.

Languages
  • English
Education
  • University of Cape Town, LLB, 2003
  • University of Cape Town, BA, 2001

Publications and media

Getting the Deal Through: Private M&A, 2019 and 2020

Connect

Phone

+27 (0)11 302 0897
(Work, Johannesburg)
+27 (0)82 697 5903
(Mobile)
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