John Coleman

John has over a decade of experience advising private equity funds, asset managers, multinational companies and sovereign wealth funds on complex cross-border M&A, investments, joint ventures, restructurings and strategic transactions. John has broad experience across various sectors, including consumer goods and retail, real estate and energy.

John also has significant experience advising clients on M&A and investments in emerging markets, with a particular focus on the Middle East and Africa.

• Advised Macquarie Asset Management and The Public Sector Pension Investment Board on the sale of their respective interests totalling 88% of AirTrunk to a consortium of investors led by Blackstone in a transaction with an implied enterprise value of over AUD 24 billion – one of the largest M&A deals in Australian history and the biggest data centre deal globally at that time.

• Advised Huntington Ingalls Industries, a major US military shipbuilder, on its strategic Australian-based joint venture with Babcock, a UK contractor which sustains the UK’s Royal Navy submarine fleet. The joint venture will focus on participating in the AUKUS Pillar 1 nuclear submarine programme.

• Advised Novigi, an IT services company focused on the superannuation sector, and its founders on an equity investment by IFM Investors.

• Advised Shell on the disposal of its downstream retail and lubricants business in Pakistan and its investment in OviDrive, an Australian-based international fleet management company.

• Advised GIC and Tasman Capital on the disposal of Serenitas, a leading Australian lifestyle communities business, to Pacific Equity Partners and Mirvac for approximately AUD 1 billion.

• Advised Tasman Capital on the exercise of its option to acquire an additional 15% interest in Serenitas and its related $200m fundraising in conjunction with Aquilius Investment Partners.

• Advised Terra Firma, a leading European private equity house, on various transactions in the UK, including its acquisition of Richborough Estates, a major UK land promotion business, its acquisition of Kier Living (a major UK housebuilder) from Kier Group plc and the strategic reorganisation and sale of the Wyevale Garden Centres group (formerly the largest garden centre operator in the UK), involving the sale of 145 sites across over 50 transactions.*

• Advised Nordic Aviation Capital, one of the world's largest lessors of turboprop aircraft and its founder, Martin Møller Nielsen, on the acquisition by EQT of a majority stake in Nordic Aviation Capital (enterprise value of USD 1 billion) and a bolt on acquisition of Irish aviation leasing company, Aldus Aviation Limited.*

• Advised Brandeaux Student Accommodation Fund on the sale of its UK student accommodation portfolio, Liberty Living, to Canada Pension Plan Investment Board for approximately GBP 1.1 billion.*

• Advised AW Rostamani Group, a Dubai-based conglomerate, on its acquisition of a portfolio of Nissan dealerships across the UK.*

• Advised bp on the disposal of its retail network, wholesale fuel business and logistics assets in Mozambique to Total Energies.*

• Advised British International Investments plc (BII) on various transactions across Africa, including: its USD 200 million joint venture with Norfund to acquire, develop and operate hydropower assets across Sub-Saharan Africa; its follow-on investments in Jacoma Estates, an agribusiness based in Malawi; and its follow-on investments in Liquid Telecommunications, Africa’s largest fibre-network operator operating in 13 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa.*

• Advised Actis, an emerging-markets focused private equity house, on various transactions, including: its USD 62 million majority investment in Sigma Pensions, a leading pension fund in Nigeria; potential investments in tertiary education institutions in Egypt; and its investment in Echoenergia, a Brazilian wind farm operator.*

• Advised The Carlyle Group on its investment in Alamar Foods, operator of Domino's Pizza and Wendy's restaurants throughout the Middle East and North Africa.*

• Advised African Infrastructure Investment Managers and ASMA Capital Partners on their investment in Seven Energy alongside Savannah Petroleum plc, an oil exploration and refinery business in Nigeria.*

* Experience gained at previous firms.