Overview
Derek is a corporate partner in the London office and one of the firm’s global tech sector leaders.
He advises on public and private mergers and acquisitions, equity capital markets transactions, joint ventures, strategic investments and restructurings, specialising in particular on complex cross-border private M&A. He acts for clients across a broad range of sectors, including technology, financial institutions and industrials.
He is ranked by both the Legal 500 UK and Chambers UK for his significant M&A work and was listed in The Lawyer’s “Hot 100” for 2024.
Work Highlights
Derek has led on many high-profile corporate transactions. Selected experience includes advising:
- bp on the acquisition of the 50.03% interest it does not already own in Lightsource bp
- Carrier Global Corporation: advising on the US$4.95bn sale of its security business, Global Access Solutions, to Honeywell
- Carrier Global Corporation: advising on the EUR12bn acquisition of Viessmann’s Climate Solutions business
- Carrier Global Corporation: advising on the US$3.1bn sale of its Chubb fire and security business to Api Group Corporation
- HSBC on the US$10bn disposal of its Canadian banking operations to RBC
- Visa on its £700m acquisition of Currencycloud
- bp on the US$5bn disposal of its petrochemicals business to Inneos
- Just Eat on its US$10bn merger of equals with Takeaway.com NV
Just Eat plc on the acquisition of Hungryhouse
- Just Eat plc on the acquisition of Hungryhouse
- The Carlyle Group in relation to the acquisition of a 30% interest in CEPSA
- Old Mutual plc in connection with the £12 billion demerger of its four core business units
- HSBC in connection with the US$5.2 billion disposal of its banking business in Brazil
- CMC Markets plc on its initial public offering
Education and qualifications
Derek holds degrees in both Law and Engineering (specialising in Computer / Software Engineering) from the University of Melbourne.
