Mark Allen
Senior Associate
Mark Allen is a corporate and commercial law specialist who advises on a wide range of transactions for private and public entities, including: mergers and acquisitions, capital raising (private and public), corporate governance, procurement, outsourcing as well as general corporate and commercial advisory matters.
With over 18 years’ experience from working in multiple jurisdictions in leading national and international law firms across New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia, Mark specialises in drafting and negotiating complex, high-value commercial contracts. He provides tailored, client-focused advice that is pragmatic and commercially astute. Clients describe Mark as “a calm and safe pair of hands” and “thinks well beyond the present transaction to help us maintain our longer term strategy”.
Mark’s clients come from a diverse range of industry sectors including tech, infrastructure, finance, insurance, utilities, medical technology and ICT.
Mark brings a progressive and innovative approach to his commercial practice. This includes the development of automated legal solutions to help clients streamline commercial contracts to improve efficiency and mitigate risk.
Key Transactions
Advised on:
- A wide range of M&A transactions, including capital raises, security offerings, acquisitions, divestments, restructuring, and employee share schemes for listed and private companies;
- Complaints raised by the Commerce Commission in respect of various issues of a public company’s compliance with New Zealand’s Unfair Contract Terms regime;
- A joint-bid consortium for transport infrastructure;
- A number of tech start-up companies, from initial structuring and commercial strategy, through to capital raising, sell-downs and shareholder exits;
- The takeover of a mid-sized finance business, including takeovers code, foreign investment approvals, employee share and option schemes, and its subsequent IPO on the ASX;
- The acquisition project of a large defence-force contractor in the marine industry;
- A number of distressed asset sales, acting both for liquidators and buyers;
- The outsourcing of various business process outsourcing matters internationally for a large UK listed business, and managed the global roll-out to the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions;
- A $80m sale of an insurance brokerage to a large listed insurance underwriter;
- A range of procurement transactions, including SAAS and technologies, medical, defence and corrections as the external lead adviser to the procurement team of a large UK listed company.
- IT implementation projects, including various system and services procurement projects;
- The downstream retail and credit division of a major international oil company, covering in excess of 200 retail sites.
Credentials
Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), University of Canterbury
Admission to the Bar
New Zealand, 2005
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