British investment firm Chrysaor Holdings has appointed BG’s chief counsel for corporate and former Legal Business GC Powerlist rising star Howard Landes as general counsel (GC).
Landes, who joined BG Group from Clifford Chance over a decade ago, ran the legal aspects in relation to Royal Dutch Shell’s $70bn takeover of BG Group which included competition anti-trust and all of the regulatory clearances. He was also the key lawyer alongside external adviser Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer on the deal, which was finalised last February.
At BG Group Landes was responsible for the group’s corporate activities globally and looked after a team of lawyers as well as being accountable for a significant external budget.
He left BG Group at the end of last year after handling the transition period at the company following the $47bn takeover by Shell.
Landes said: ‘I’m delighted to be part of the Chrysaor team, bringing legal thinking and expertise to the creation of the UK’s largest independent producer of oil and gas. The package we’re acquiring is a mix of operated and non-operated assets and producing over 100,000 barrels per day’.
It is understood that the GC position at the company has been vacant for around a year.
Landes joins Chrysaor Holdings following the company’s buy-out last month of $3bn worth of North Sea oil and gas assets from Shell.
Clifford Chance, Dechert, White & Case and Watson Farley & Williams all landed roles on the sale, which saw the investment firm buy out an initial consideration of $3bn plus an additional potential payment of up to $600m subject to commodity price and $180m for future oil and gas finds.
Chrysaor was advised by Dechert M&A partner Jonathan Angell with specialist oil and gas advice from Bond Dickinson partner Paul Stockley.
Panel firm Clifford Chance were the lead advisers to Shell on the M&A side of the deal, alongside Shell’s in-house team.
White & Case partners Ian Bagshaw and Richard Jones advised energy investment house Harbour Energy Limited, an investment vehicle managed by EIG Global Energy Partners, on its agreement to lead for Chrysaor on the acquisition of the oil and gas portfolio. Watson Farley partner Joe Levin also acted as an adviser for third party banks.
kathryn.mccann@legalease.co.uk