Alex Kay

Alex has over 25 years' experience in advising on a wide range of corporate finance, public and private M&A transactions and on governance issues, specialising in advising corporates and financial institutions on cross border takeovers, M&A and restructurings and major commercial arrangements.

He leads our financial institutions transaction practice and also has particular experience of the real estate and consumer sectors.  His expertise is recognised by the directories.  He is rated as a leading lawyer for M&A and restructuring by IFLR and Legal 500 quotes clients who describe him as "intellectual and commercial".

Clients he regularly advises include British American Tobacco, Lloyds Banking Group, the Coca-Cola Company, Hammerson, the Bank of Ireland and Page Group.

Alex contributes to Hannigan and Prentice’s The Companies Act 2006: A Commentary. He is the editor of the European Company Law chapters of Tolley’s Company Law Handbook and of the Takeovers section of Buckley on the Companies Acts.

Experience:
 

• Hammerson plc, a major British property development and investment company, in relation to its £552 million rights issue and the €300 million disposal of its 50% interests in VIA Outlets (a premium outlets joint venture with APG Group) 
• Centremanor Limited, a major British property investment company and part of the Freshwater Group, in relation to its £1.3 billion recommended offer for the remaining stake not already held by the Freshwater Group in Daejan Holdings
• Capital & Counties Properties Plc (Capco), a major British real estate investment company, in relation to the £436 million acquisition of a minority stake of 26.3% in Shaftesbury plc across two tranches 
• Optal on the $1.7 billion acquisition of Optal and eNett by WEX
• Unite Group on its £1.4 billion acquisition of Liberty Living
• Hammerson on its bid for Intu and the approach by Kleppiere
• Arris on its $7.4 billion takeover by CommScope
• British American Tobacco on its $49.4 billion recommended offer for Reynolds American
• Qatari Diar on the formation of a >£1billion residential property joint venture with Delancey and APG
• Ping An Group on its acquisition of Mayborn Group at an enterprise value of £300 million
• Old Mutual on the sale of Rogge Global Partners, a global fixed income asset management business, to Allianz Global Investors
• Hammerson on its joint venture with Allianz to acquire €1.85 billion loan portfolio from NAMA secured against prime Dublin retail property
• Arris Group a US technology company,  on its £1.4 billion takeover offer for Pace, a UK-based technology solutions provider
• Element Financial on its $6.9 billion acquisition of GE Capital's worldwide fleet leasing business
• BlueBay Asset Management on its £963 million recommended takeover by Royal Bank of Canada
• the Governor and Company of the Bank of Ireland on various matters, including its financial services venture with the Post Office, the restructuring of its UK business and its €3.5 billion recapitalisation involving the Irish State

Background

Alex holds a Master of Arts (1st Class) in law from Jesus College, Cambridge.  Alex joined Herbert Smith in 1995 and became a partner in 2003.