George

George Yiend

Corporate and M&A Partner, London

"I advise on complex, cross-border transactions across a range of corporate areas, with a particular focus on public and private M&A and joint ventures. With my science background, I aim to combine technical legal excellence with a commercial focus, working to achieve pragmatic solutions to help clients achieve their strategic objectives."

Overview

Education and qualifications

Overview

George advises domestic and international clients on a wide range of transactions, in particular public and private M&A. He also regularly advises listed companies on corporate governance issues and his broad range of experience extends to joint ventures, transfer schemes, corporate restructurings and reorganisations, company law advice and equity capital market transactions. He has advised in many sectors with particular knowledge of the professional services, energy and utilities and fintech sectors.

George was seconded to the firm’s Tokyo office between 2010 and 2011 and to the firm’s Moscow office between 2013 and 2015. He spent some months on secondment to Novartis during its portfolio transformation transaction with GSK.

Within the firm, George helped lead a big data initiative creating structured and rapidly-analysable data from share purchase agreements.

Work highlights

George has led on, or played a significant role in, a wide range of high-profile corporate transactions. These include advising:

  • SIX Group as offeror on its €2.8bn public M&A cash voluntary tender offer for the Spanish stock exchange, BME
  • Charter Court as target on the £800m share-for-share public M&A merger of equals by OneSavings Bank
  • SIX Group on the CHF3bn auction sale of its Payment Services division to Worldline
  • Novartis on its US$23bn transformational three-part asset-swap transaction with GlaxoSmithKline
  • Glencore on the sale of a 51% stake of its petroleum storage and logistics business over four continents and multiple jurisdictions, establishing the joint venture structure and providing ongoing advice in respect of the joint venture
  • BP on its agreement with the Supreme Petroleum Council of Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company for a 10% interest in the ADCO onshore oil concession in Abu Dhabi
  • PwC International on the acquisition and incorporation into over 20 countries in the PwC Network of Strategy& (previously known as Booz & Co)
  • RBS on various matters, including a Part VII transfer scheme, multiple cross-border mergers and an innovative share buyback

Education and qualifications

George studied natural sciences at Gonville & Caius College, University of Cambridge, where he also holds a master’s of science in organic chemistry.