Rebecca Maslen-Stannage

Practice Areas

Rebecca is the Chair and Senior Partner of our firm and continues to spend her time advising clients and leading transactions.

Rebecca has advised leading Australian and international clients on transactions across a range of industries.

Rebecca has been either winner or a finalist in the Australian “Dealmaker of the Year” awards every year since 2011, and is rated by all major directories as a leading M&A and Equity Capital Markets lawyer. Chambers Global describes Rebecca as “brilliant” and “acclaimed for her deft handling of ECM and M&A matters”.

Rebecca lectures at the University of Sydney on topics relating to securities regulation and continuous disclosure.

Background:

Rebecca has First Class Honours in Law and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Western Australia and a Bachelor of Civil Law from the University of Oxford. She is a member of the Takeovers Panel.

Work Highlights

Advised Seven Group Holdings on its successful 2024 takeover bid for Boral Limited

Advised Adbri Limited on its A$2.1 billion acquisition by CRH through a scheme of arrangement

Advised McGrath is its acquisition by a consortium of Knight Frank and Bayleys

Advised Origin Energy on its proposed A$18.7 billion acquisition via scheme of arrangement by Brookfield and EIG of 100%

Advised Blackmores on its A$1.9 billion acquisition of Blackmores by Kirin Holdings Company through a scheme of arrangement

Advised Perpetual on its A$2.5 billion acquisition of Pendal through a scheme of arrangement

Advised Seven West Media on its merger with Prime Media through a scheme of arrangement

Advised Seven Group Holdings on its A$600 million exchangeable bond issue and convertible bond redemption

Advised TPG Telecom on its A$15 billion merger with Vodafone Hutchison Australia and spin out and ASX listing of Singaporean business Tuas Limited

Advised JCDecaux on its acquisition of APN Outdoor by scheme of arrangement

Advised Accor on its acquisition of Mantra by scheme of arrangement

Advised Broadspectrum Limited on its takeover by Spanish bidder Ferrovial

Advised Veda Group on its acquisition by scheme of arrangement by US bidder Equifax

Advised IVE Group on its initial public offering

Advised Seven West Media on a range of transactions across equity capital markets and mergers & acquisitions

Advised Seven Group Holdings on its hard-fought successful acquisition of Nexus Energy – pioneering the “Deed of Company Arrangement Takeover”

Advised David Jones on its takeover by scheme of arrangement by South African bidder Woolworths

Advised on the restructuring of Centro Properties Group which was completed in December 2011, including five interconditional schemes of arrangement and a A$9.4 billion sale of US property assets to a Blackstone fund – widely viewed as the most complex restructuring in Australia’s corporate history. This won M&A Deal of the year at the Capital CFO Awards 2012 and Australian Insolvency & Restructuring Deal of the Year Award at the 2012 ALB Australasian Law Awards

Advised Wesfarmers Limited on its sale of its Australian and NZ insurance underwriting division to IAG Limited

Advised Fairfax Digital on its competitive sale process, and ultimately the negotiated sale of, its online holiday rental business, Stayz Pty Limited

Advised Fairfax Media on the sale of the Southern Star Television and Production business to Endemol

Advised Fairfax Media in selling its controlling interest in Trade Me (New Zealand’s equivalent of eBay), in two tranches, for approximately A$777 million. Rebecca formerly advised on Fairfax Media’s acquisition then subsequent initial public offering of Trade Me

Advised on Seven Group Holdings’ media merger with West Australian Newspapers to create Seven West Media, and Seven’s merger with WesTrac by scheme of arrangement

Selected by Freehills to act as its deal lawyer in the negotiation of its own merger with Herbert Smith LLP

Advised on the back-to-back acquisition by Fairfax and Macquarie Media of Southern Cross Broadcasting

Advised Burns Philp on its hostile bid for Goodman Fielder and Centro on its hostile bid for AMP Shopping Centre Trust (both involved Takeovers Panel proceedings)

Acted as Rinker’s defence in relation to the A$17 billion hostile bid by Cemex, including Takeovers Panel proceedings against the bidder

Acted on the Metcash hostile bid (including hostile demerger) for Foodland and the Wesfarmers hostile bid for Howard Smith