Mark has 22 years experience as a tax professional focussed mainly on mergers and acquisitions services, including private equity fund formation, leveraged acquisitions, business and share acquisitions and disposals, empowerment transactions, corporate actions such as share buybacks, unbundlings and schemes of arrangement, group rationalisations and distressed debt structuring.
Recent experience includes tax structuring for the largest buyout transactions in South Africa's history. Mark also has significant experience in corporate tax advisory services such as tax opinions and dispute resolution.
Areas of expertise
Design private equity buyouts, including debt pushdown, management participation structures and BEE equity
Design or appraisal of acquisition and disposal transactions
Group rationalisations, unbundlings, BEE structuring and liquidations
Tax due diligence reviews
Corporate tax advisory services, including tax opinions, tax planning, tax disputes, objections and appeals
Top matters
Acting for a consortium including Actis, RMB, RMB Ventures and MIC Investment Holdings (Proprietary) Limited in relation to the acquisition of Tracker Investment Holdings (Proprietary) Limited. (2011)
Acted for Life Healthcare Group Holdings Limited in its ZAR7 billion initial public offer, the largest IPO ever on the JSE (2010).
Advising in respect of various debt and equity restructurings (2009-2010).
Advising in respect of a merger of two South African groups within the steel sector (2010).
Advising on the formation of various South African and Pan African Funds (2010).
Structuring and tax due diligence review for the leveraged buyout of Alstom (SA) (Proprietary) Limited (2008).
Structuring the acquisitions of Idwala Industrial Holdings (Proprietary) Limited by an Ethos-led consortium (2008).
Structuring and tax due diligence review for the leveraged buyout of House of Busby Limited (2008).
Structuring and tax due diligence review for the acquisition of Brandcorp Limited by Ethos Private Equity (2007).
Structuring and tax due diligence review for the acquisition of Fuel Logistics (Proprietary) Limited by Actis (2007).
Structuring the acquisition of Edgars Consolidated Stores Limited by Bain Capital (2007).
Acting for Ethos in respect of its disposal of Tsebo (2007).
Acting for Ethos in respect of its disposal of IST (2007).
Structuring and tax due diligence review for the acquisition of Alexander Forbes Limited by an Actis-led consortium (2006 & 2007).
Accolades
Endorsed as a Tax adviser by PLC Which Lawyer? 2008 - 2012.
Nominated to appear in the Guide to the World's Leading Tax Advisers as one of the pre-eminent practitioners in this field.
Named as a 'Leader in his field' (Tax) by Chambers Global 2007-2012.
Recognised as one of the leading tax advisors in South Africa in The Legal Media Group Guide to the World's Leading Tax Advisers.
Listed by Legal Experts EMEA 2012 - 2013 as an expert in his field.
