Charunun Sathitsuksomboon

Practice Areas

• Competition and Trade

• Corporate/M&A

Career

Charunun Sathitsuksomboon is a partner in Tilleke & Gibbins’ Bangkok office, where she handles a wide range of complex commercial transactions and related tasks, including mergers and acquisitions (M&As), joint ventures, due diligence, foreign direct investment, cross-border transactions, corporate restructuring, and e-commerce matters. Charunun represents clients across industries, including automotive and electric vehicles, banking and finance, consumer goods, insurance, life sciences, manufacturing, and technology, among others.

Charunun’s deep knowledge of Thailand’s regulatory environment across a wide range of sectors makes her highly sought after by international companies looking to engage with the Thai market through M&A deals and other commercial transactions. Her legal expertise and client service have been broadly recognized in the legal industry, and Charunun is ranked as a leading M&A lawyer in Thailand by IFLR 1000 and The Legal 500 Asia Pacific. In 2021, she was recognized in IFLR 1000’s Asia-Pacific Women Leaders publication for her M&A expertise in Thailand, and in 2022 she was named one of the Top 15 M&A Lawyers in Asia by Asian Legal Business.

Charunun is an active contributor to the Thai-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce, serving as the board secretary. Charunun also regularly writes and presents on the topic of doing business in Thailand. She is a member of the Thai Bar Association and is a lawyer licensed with the Lawyers Council of Thailand.

Languages Spoken

• Thai

• English

Experience

• Worked closely with Tsar & Tsai Law Firm to represent CTBC Bank, one of the largest privately owned banks in Taiwan, in its THB 4.2 billion (approx. USD 128 million) direct acquisition of an additional 10.99% stake in LH Financial Group Public Company Limited, which owns LH Bank, among other subsidiaries in Thailand.

• Retained to advise a leading multinational electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer on all aspects of its entry into the Thai market for the importation and sale of EVs in Thailand, including advice on company establishment, Board of Investment incentives and approvals, foreign business licenses and certificates, foreign investment and ownership, O&M licenses and agreements, and employment matters.

• Assisted the client in setting up a Thai-U.S. Treaty of Amity company to carry out the first number-portability project in Thailand.

• Provided assistance to a manufacturer of beverage-filling machines to accomplish the first registration of machinery ownership by a foreign entity with no subsidiary in Thailand. In the past, only registered Thai companies or foreign entities with subsidiaries in Thailand were allowed to register such machinery ownership. The machinery was valued at USD 5,260,000.

• Assisted an aerospace and defense company to acquire a minority shareholding interest in three Thai companies engaged in high-tech products and related services. (Deal value: THB 205,000,000.)

• Assisted a worldwide distributor of dental and healthcare related products, listed on the NASDAQ, in an acquisition and joint venture with a market-dominant Thai distributor of medical and dental equipment.

• Represented a leading European security and defense company before and after a joint venture and acquisition of 40 percent shares in Thailand’s leading supplier of high-tech telecommunication products in a deal worth THB 200 million.

• Assisted a listed Singaporean company in the hospitality industry in their acquisition of a medium-sized hotel in Thailand valued at approximately THB 600 million. Participated in all stages of the acquisition, from initial due diligence up to the transaction close, and provided guidance on all legal matters concerning local regulations surrounding corporate, property, and labor laws.

• Provided assistance to an aesthetics beauty clinic, which has over 140 branches in Thailand, to restructure its group of companies whereby all five existing companies within the group transferred their assets and business, including 1,200 employees, requisite sanatorium and regulatory licenses, intellectual property, leases, and contracts to the newly established company. Advised on various fields of law throughout the transaction.

• Assisted in the acquisition of a global paper chemicals business valued at EUR 153 million. Advised the client on legal due diligence, shareholding structure, forming a new legal entity, applications for related licenses, business transfer agreements, and related filings on the required procedural steps and permits before and after the acquisition.

• Worked closely with a leading law firm in Singapore to advise a global ICT leader in the acquisition of a solution provider of digital communications equipment and systems as well as communication networks through a share acquisition or transfer of business and assets.

• Represented a world leader in nutritional solutions and additives for animal feed in relation to its contemplated listing on the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Conducted legal due diligence work for two Thai subsidiaries, issued a legal opinion, and provided guidance on regulations and completing the transaction.

• Represented a publicly traded Japanese company in connection with the proposed acquisition of the majority of shares in a leading local IT company. Completed the legal due diligence exercise which uncovered various potential legal and regulatory issues. Provided guidance on regulations and explored alternatives to rectify noncompliance issues.

• Advised a large IT and media corporation based in Mumbai in the acquisition of an Italian company which has subsidiaries in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Thailand. The transaction was valued at approximately EUR 25 million. This project required legal assistance in various fields of law and regulations, including corporate, release of security interests, and licensing compliance.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Thailand

Education