Gijs Smit

Gijs Smit

Corporate Counsel, Amsterdam

"I am a corporate lawyer within the Amsterdam corporate/M&A team. I lead the Dutch Energy Sector Team which advises on a range of energy related matters including renewables, oil and gas and other infrastructure assets. Acting as a trusted advisor to clients, I am keen to understand their business and give them tailored, efficient and pragmatic advice as a solution for their commercial issues and needs."

Overview

Professional experience

Education and qualifications

Overview

Gijs is knowledgeable on a wide range of energy market related matters including advising on transactions involving oil and gas companies, green-field projects, investments in renewables and regulatory matters. In addition, he is involved in various cross-border M&A and corporate restructurings and provides general corporate and transactional advice.

Gijs was seconded to the London corporate practice in 2013.

Work highlights
  • First State Investments: advising on the acquisition of Caldic’s tank storage and production facilities in Europoort, the Netherlands.
  • JUST EAT plc: advising this miscellaneous food and kindred product company on its £ 9bn recommended all-share combination with Takeaway.com.
  • ENGIE: advising on the sale of its German and Dutch coal-fired powerplants to financial investor Riverstone and the related coal optimisation activities in Belgium.
  • Alliance Automotive: advising on the acquisition of PartsPoint Group B.V.
  • E.ON SE: advising on the completion of a worldwide intra-group restructuring as a milestone for the spin-off of its generation, exploration & production and energy trading business to its shareholders and the listing of shares in the new holding entity (Uniper).
  • Centerbridge Partners: advising on the acquisition of Solidus Solutions, an European wide packaging group.
  • Siemens Project Ventures GmbH: advising on the acquisition of a 20% participation in the 600MW offshore Gemini park in the Netherlands.
  • Cerberus Capital Management, L.P.: advising on the acquisition (through an affiliate) of a controlling interest in Staples, Inc.'s European operations.
 

Professional experience

Memberships:

  • member of the Dutch foundation for corporate litigation (Vereniging Corporate Litigation)
  • member of the Dutch foundation for energy law (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Energierecht)

Education and qualifications

Gijs studied corporate and private law at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands and at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, China. He speaks fluent Dutch and English.