Kam Jamshidi

Practice Areas

Kam specialises in private equity, public and private mergers and acquisitions, founder M&A, providing strategic advice for takeover defence, managing demergers and spin-outs, as well as facilitating US inbound M&A transactions.

Kam is a leading mergers & acquisitions expert focussing on private equity, public M&A and private M&A.

Kam is trusted by some of the most sophisticated clients for their most important transactions, including takeover defence, take privates and complex and novel structures.

He has also worked extensively with both private equity firms and founders in sale processes and bilateral situations, including management roll-overs.

Kam has deep cross-border M&A experience, particularly relating to the United States, having worked on some of the largest US-Australian transactions in the market, including advising Newcrest on the scrip merger with NYSE-listed Newmont Corporation, Amcor’s redomicilation to the NYSE and combination with Bemis, and the combination of BHP Petroleum and Woodside, which required a US registration statement rules. In addition, Kam has advised on a large number of US inbound private acquisitions, including involving US financial sponsors. He has worked closely with a range of US law firms and navigated multi-jurisdictional transactions.

Kam is an expert in:

- Private equity transactions: partnering with founders, formulating strategies to win sale processes, take privates, roll-up strategies, PE secondaries and exits

- Public M&A: acting on takeover defence, scrip mergers and acquisitions, as well as demergers, redomiciliations and other novel transaction structures

- Private M&A: advising various Corporate and Founder clients on acquiring and selling under bilateral and multi-party sale processes

- Shareholder and joint venture arrangements: consortium arrangements, founder roll-overs and other shareholder or joint venture arrangements

Clients trust Kam with their most important and complex acquisitions and divestments. He is deeply technical, highly commercial, an innovative problem solver and highly responsive. Kam has built a loyal following among his clients for his effectiveness and service.

Kam has been ranked by Chambers and Partners for consecutive years.

Kam has a double degree Bachelor of Laws (honours) / Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting / Finance) from the University of Melbourne. Kam has been admitted to practice in Victoria since April 2009.

Kam previously worked as an Investment Banker with Goldman Sachs in the Industrials team.

Work Highlights

Newcrest’s recommended $26 billion merger with NYSE-listed Newmont, the third largest public company M&A transaction in Australian corporate history.

BHP on its US$21 billion sale of BHP Petroleum to Woodside for scrip consideration that was simultaneously distributed to BHP shareholders by way of an in specie dividend – the first transaction of its kind globally

Crown Resorts on the $9.8 billion takeover by Blackstone by way of scheme of arrangement

BHP on the unification of its dual listed company structure by way of UK scheme of arrangement

Quadrant Private Equity on the acquisition of Birch & Waite for the reported $300-400m

BGH Capital on its roll-up of various cyber security and cloud service providers through CyberCX

BGH Capital on its investment in the Laurent Bakery business

BGH Capital on the take private of Village Roadshow with the Kirby family by scheme of arrangement

Afterpay on its collaboration with Westpac Banking Corporation to establish Money by Afterpay

Amcor’s US$17 billion merger with NYSE listed Bemis Company Inc and redomiciliation by way of scheme of arrangement

BHP’s competitive sale process for its onshore US oil and gas assets and eventual US$10.5 billion sale to BP

Takeover defence:

- The Reject Shop on takeover defence in respect of the hostile bid by a subsidiary of Kin Group

- Pacific Brands on the acquisition by Hansbrands Inc, valued at ~A1.1 billion

- UXC on the scheme of arrangement proposed by Computer Sciences Corporation, valued at ~$500 million

Demergers / spin-outs, including:

- BHP Billiton’s complex restructure and demerger of South32, valued at ~$13 billion

- Iluka’s assessment of the demerger of its MAC Royalty interest

Private equity transactions:

- Multiple mid-market acquisitions for Advent Partners, in various sectors, including Compass Education, Integrated Packaging Group and Integral Diagnostics

- TPG Capital’s A$880 million acquisition of Ingham Enterprises

Founder exit roles and sale processes:

- Swisse Wellness’s highly competitive sale process and eventual A$1.9 billion sale to Biostime International

- Rip Curl’s sale to Kathmandu for cash and scrip consideration valued at $350 million.

- Total Tools in the sale process conducted, eventually resulting in the sale to Metcash.

Government privatisations

- Shareholders arrangements for the successful bidders in Port of Melbourne

- Shareholders arrangements for the successful bidders in Ausgrid

- Shareholders arrangements for the successful bidders in Queensland motorways

- Equity documents, shareholder arrangements and due diligence for various other government privatisations