Sydney, 9 February 2016: Clayton Utz client China Investment Corporation's (CIC) $2 billion plus acquisition of Investa Property Group's (Investa) office tower portfolio in 2015 is in the running for M&A Deal of the Year at the IFLR Asia Awards 2016.
The deal is significant as the largest direct property sale in Australia's history and one of the largest globally in 2015. It saw CIC acquire Investa's portfolio of nine premium commercial office towers, including interests in Deutsche Bank Place (126 Phillip Street), 400 George Street and Grosvenor Place in Sydney, and 120 Collins Street in Melbourne.
Clayton Utz corporate partners David Wilkie and Kylie de Oliveira led a large, cross-disciplinary CU deal team nationally which provided specialist input in the areas of corporate, real estate, tax, competition, financial services, banking, insurance and environment law.
David and Kylie said the deal's shortlisting for a major M&A award reflected its scale and significance beyond Australia.
"With this acquisition, CIC has secured a once-in-a-generation investment that will be noticed globally as signalling a re-rating of Australian property as a global pool of investment," said David.
Kylie added: "It also demonstrates the credentials of Clayton Utz as a firm that can execute large, globally significant transactions for major global investors. It reflects our bench strength and ability as a full-service firm to bring together experienced teams to assist our clients to successfully complete strategically important deals."
The IFLR Asia Awards 2016 celebrate legally innovative teams and deals in the Asia-Pacific region. Winners will be announced in Hong Kong on March 3.