Sofia Platzer

Sofia Platzer

Antitrust & Foreign Investment Managing Associate, London

"I advise clients on a broad range of antitrust issues, with a focus on complex UK merger control, foreign investment, subsidies and utilities regulation. I have a particular interest in the interplay between law and economics. Having worked in our London, Hong Kong and Brussels offices, I have gained experience on global competition issues across a number of sectors, including digital markets, utilities, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and financial products.”

Overview

Education and qualifications

Overview

Sofia is a Managing Associate in the Antitrust & Foreign Investment Group and is qualified in England & Wales and Ireland. Sofia joined the firm in September 2014.

Sofia’s experience includes all aspects of the UK and EU competition law regimes, including merger control, foreign investment, subsidies and regulated sectors. Sofia has spent time in the Linklaters’ Hong Kong and Brussels offices. In 2022, Sofia was seconded to the Competition and Markets Authority where she advised on a range of Phase 1 mergers.

Work highlights

Sofia’s experience includes advising:

  • Pennon on its acquisition of Bristol Water
  • Northern Gas Networks on its appeal against Ofgem’s RIIO-2 price control decision.
  • Anglian Water on its price control redetermination to the CMA and previous submission of its business plans to Ofwat.
  • E.ON in relation to a far-reaching asset exchange with RWE, involving distribution grid and customer solutions as well as renewables activities and an acquisition by RWE of a non-controlling minority stake in E.ON.
  • Just Eat on its merger with Takeaway.com, leading to the creation of a world-class online food ordering platform and on its acquisition of rival UK food ordering marketplace Hungryhouse. This acquisition, which involved detailed consideration of multi-sided platforms and indirect network effects in the rapidly changing takeaway market, was unconditionally cleared by the CMA after an in-depth Phase II investigation and won the Financial Times European Innovative Lawyers Award for innovation in legal expertise (Enabling Business Growth category). 
  • Sibanye-Stillwater on its acquisition of Lonmin plc.
  • Novo Holdings on a range of recent merger control matters, involving both EU and multijurisdictional filings.

Education and qualifications

Sofia studied in the USA (Cornell University) and Spain (University of Navarra) and has degrees in Law and Economics, where she received the “End of Studies Extraordinary Award” for achieving the highest score in the graduating class of 2012. Sofia also completed the King’s College Postgraduate Diploma in EU Competition Law achieving the “Dickson Poon School of Law Price” for her year and also the highest overall mark in the programme’s 22-year history.

She speaks English, Spanish and French.