Mr. Hammond represents parties in major corporate finance transactions in the United Kingdom and internationally, including mergers and acquisitions, bank finance and securities offerings.  He regularly advises on matters relating to the oil and gas, energy, consumer products, leisure and financial services sectors and has represented governments, public and private corporations, banks and multilateral agencies.

Mr. Hammond’s recent experience includes:

M&A and other corporate transactions

• Representation of Ping An, the Chinese insurance company, in its US $3.3 billion acquisition of a 50% shareholding in Fortis Bank’s asset management subsidiary;
• Representation of RusAl in its multi-billion dollar merger with Sual Group and with certain aluminium assets of Glencore International;
• Representation of Nestlé S.A. in its acquisition for Euro 560m of “powwow”, the pan-European drinking water business of Hutchison Whampoa Limited;
• Representation of the sellers in the US $2.3 billion sale of ATF Bank, one of the largest banks in Kazakhstan, to the Unicredit financial services group;
• Representation of BLB Investors Inc. (a consortium established by Starwood Capital and others) in its takeover bid under the UK City Code on Takeovers and Mergers for Wembley PLC, a company listed on the LSE Main Market;
• Representation of Société Générale in its multi-stage acquisition from the Interros Group of a substantial stake in Rosbank, Russia’s leading private consumer bank; and
• Representation of Bayerische Landesbank in the restructuring of its majority investment in the Formula One group of companies.

• Representation of the ultimate controlling shareholder and the immediate 100% sole selling shareholder in the LSE Main Market IPO of UK equities in Hansard Global plc, the leading provider worldwide of life assurance investment products;
• Representation of Canaccord Adams on the IPO on AIM of Sunkar Resources plc, a leading Kazakh phosphate mining company;
• Representation of Petroneft Resources plc, an international oil and gas company with assets in Western Siberia, on its IPO and dual listing on AIM and IEX;
• Representation of the Government of the State of Qatar, Credit Suisse First Boston and Qatar Telecom Q.S.C. (Q-Tel), the national telecommunications company of the State of Qatar, in the privatization and initial public offering of Q-Tel.  This was the first privatization in Qatar and the largest ever equity offering in the Gulf region; and
• Representation of Barings First NIS Regional Fund, the first fund ever established to invest in all 15 Republics of the former Soviet Union, on its IPO on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange and in various of its investments.

   
  

Private Equity/Venture Capital-related transactions

• Representation of Allianz Capital Partners in its US $1.5 billion acquisition of the pan-European vending machine business of Compass Group plc;
• Representation of two leading European private equity houses in the disposal of a major European health and fitness club business;
• Representation of Red Diamond Capital in its acquisition of the rubber automotive components and certain other businesses of Avon Rubber plc, the LSE Main Market listed manufacturer of high-technology rubber-based products; and
• Representation of McCown De Leeuw in (i) the recapitalization of its portfolio company Fitness Holdings Europe Limited (ii) its expansion and development, which included acquisitions in Sweden, Norway, U.K., Denmark, Germany and Spain and (iii) the subsequent consolidation of its U.S., European and Asian fitness club interests using new senior debt facilities for the consolidated group.

   
  

Project and Bank Finance transactions

• Representation of IFC, the private sector arm of the World Bank, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in the financing of a joint venture in Russia by one of the world’s largest soft drink makers and distributors; and
• Representation of the arranging banks in the US$570 million financing of the upstream phase of the Qatargas project to produce condensate from gas produced offshore Qatar. 

• Representation of TNK-BP in its multi-billion dollar disposal of OAO Udmurtneft to Sinopec;
• Representation of TNK-BP in various other transactions, including its disposals of (i) OAO Saratovneftegaz and (ii) LLC Buguruslanneft;
• Representation of one of the purchasers in the auction sale of the global downstream refinery business of BP plc;
• Representation of Texas-based Burlington Resources in its acquisition of 13 oil and gas exploration and development blocks in the East Irish Sea from BG Exploration & Production Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of BG plc (formerly British Gas plc);
• Representation of one of the purchasers in the auction sale of the West African assets of Devon Energy; and
• Representation of several oil and gas companies in their production sharing agreements, joint operating agreements, unitisation agreements, farm-in agreements and related financing agreements in various jurisdictions around the world.