Top lawyer announced as newest member of Takeovers Panel

Top lawyer Silvana Schenone announced as newest member of Takeovers Panel

Source: MinterEllisonRuddWatts

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Media Release - 15 July 2016

Commerce and Consumer Affairs Minister Paul Goldsmith has announced the appointment of top corporate lawyer and MinterEllisonRuddWatts partner Silvana Schenone to the Takeovers Panel. The appointment is effective from 01 October 2016.

The Panel, which is the regulator of the corporate takeovers market, has 11 members who are appointed by the Governor General. They are responsible for administering and enforcing the Takeovers Code in New Zealand.

In announcing the newest member of the panel, Mr Goldsmith said "Ms Schenone is an experienced legal practitioner in takeovers and her appointment ensures the Panel has sufficient expertise in this field".

Cathy Quinn, Chair of MinterEllisonRuddWatts, said "Silvana is an exceptionally talented and highly regarded lawyer. She has been involved in some of the biggest and most complex M&A deals in the past few years and she has pioneered the use of schemes of arrangement for takeovers in New Zealand. Her legal knowledge and passion for helping businesses will make her a great addition to the Takeovers Panel."

Ms Schenone said "This is a fantastic opportunity to use my knowledge and experience to contribute to New Zealand’s capital markets. I look forward to being part of a regulator that takes a commercially pragmatic approach to overseeing significant transactions"

"I have advised clients for many years on how to ensure their transactions achieve their commercial objectives while complying with the regulatory framework, and watched New Zealand’s capital markets regime mature. It’s now satisfying to be also contributing to the process from a different perspective, with a broader NZ Inc focus."

The Government’s media release can be found here

About Silvana Schenone

Silvana Schenone is a corporate partner at leading law firm MinterEllisonRuddWatts and has practised law in New York, Chile and New Zealand. Ms Schenone has extensive experience in M&A and equity capital market transactions, including takeovers, scheme of arrangements, capital raising, securities offerings and IPOs.

Ms Schenone regularly provides advice on governance to the boards of listed and unlisted companies and is the author of the text Duties and Responsibilities of Directors and Company Secretaries in New Zealand (5th Edition), and of the Takeovers Chapter on Morison’s Company Law. Ms Schenone is a member and active participant in the New Zealand Global Women Trust and other diversity-focused initiatives. She holds a Master of Law from Harvard University, specialising in corporate law and governance.

About MinterEllisonRuddWatts

MinterEllisonRuddWatts is a top tier New Zealand law firm. The firm is known for providing clients with technically excellent legal solutions and innovative advice, contributing as trusted advisors who work alongside clients to ensure their success. It is proud to be a New Zealand law firm with a global outlook and reach. It has offices in Auckland and Wellington, but also has the unique ability to access a worldwide network of offices, advisors and markets through the MinterEllison Legal Group, a leading firm in the Asia-Pacific.

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