Profile details
About Sam Withnall
Sam is a counsel in our London tax team. He advises corporates, financial institutions and investment funds across a range of sectors and industries, including consumer goods, energy, financial institutions and insurance. His work encompasses public and private M&A, joint ventures, equity and debt issuances, IPOs, demergers and restructurings, in each case usually with an international component. Sam also advises on tax disputes and litigation.
Recent work
Sam’s experience includes advising:
- Universal Music Group on its acquisition of Mavin Global, a leading Nigeria-based record label;
- Tesco on the sale of certain of its banking operations and the entry into a strategic partnership with Barclays;
- a number of clients on the implications of the European Commission’s decision concluding that aspects of the UK’s CFC rules constituted illegal state aid, including in proceedings before the European General Court and CJEU;
- GIC on its acquisition of Cinven’s interest in Miller, the leading specialist (re)insurance broker;
- Mars, Inc on its recommended cash offer for Hotel Chocolat Group plc;
- Cinven on acquisition of life insurer International Financial Group Limited;
- London Stock Exchange Group plc on its 10-year strategic partnership with Microsoft;
- Haleon plc on its demerger from GSK and its listing on the London Stock Exchange;
- Rentokil Initial on its $6.7 billion acquisition of Terminix;
- CK Hutchison on the landmark $6 billion merger of its Indonesian telecommunications business, Hutchison 3 Indonesia with Indosat Tbk, a subsidiary of Ooredoo Group;
- Sun Life on its sale of Sun Life of Canada UK to the Phoenix Group;
- London Stock Exchange Group plc on its £750m share buyback programme;
- Lloyd's of London on its landmark £650m insurance cover for the Central Fund;
- Warburg Pincus on its sale of a 25 per cent. stake in Reiss to Next plc;
- Starbucks Corporation on its $7.15 billion global coffee alliance with Nestlé;
- Goldman Sachs Asset Management, L.P. and Petershill Partners plc on Petershill Partners’ IPO and London premium listing; and
- Heathrow Airport and others on their application for judicial review of the UK government’s decision to abolish the UK VAT Retail Export Scheme and to withdraw airside tax free shopping in UK airports from the end of the Brexit transition period.
Qualifications
- New College, University of Oxford, UK (BA (Hons) Classics)
- New College, University of Oxford, UK (MSt Ancient Philosophy)
- BPP Law School, UK (Graduate Diploma In Law)
- BPP Law School, UK (Legal Practice Course)