Professional Experience

Since being called to the Singapore Bar, Markus has been practising as a corporate and commercial lawyer in Singapore. His current practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), joint ventures (JV), cross border transactions, securities and capital markets, listed company work and general corporate and commercial work.

Markus has acquired extensive experience in share and asset acquisitions (for listed and non-listed vendors and purchasers) and has acted for Singapore companies seeking to list on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited (SGX-ST). He has also represented listed companies in M&As, JV transactions and fund raising, and advised them on corporate governance and SGX-ST compliance. The clients that Markus has been working with include listed and non-listed companies and registered fund management companies.

Markus’ experience in securities and capital markets include the recent initial public offering of No Signboard Holdings Ltd. on the Catalist of the SGX-ST. He has also acted for companies on the issuance of convertible notes and bonds as part of fund raising.

Education

Markus graduated from the University of Tasmania, Australia in 2010 with an LLB (Hons) and was admitted to the Singapore bar in 2013.

Notable Cases

Markus, already has a substantial number of cases under his belt:

• Acted for the Issuer Manager and Sponsor, and Bookrunner, Underwriter and Placement Agent in the initial public offering and listing of No Signboard Holdings Ltd. on the Catalist of the SGX-ST
• Acted as Singapore counsel for SIIC Environmental Holdings Ltd in its dual primary listing on its shares on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong by way of introduction, including advising on takeover implications under the Singapore Code of Take-overs and Mergers
• Acted for Raffles Medical Group Ltd in the acquisition of 55% shareholding interests in International SOS (MC Holdings) Pte Ltd, a Singapore company (comprising 10 subsidiaries in the PRC, Vietnam and Cambodia) for a purchase consideration of US$24.5 million, including carrying out legal due diligence, advising on the sale and purchase agreement and shareholders’ agreement and preparing the relevant announcements as required under the SGX listing rules
• Acted for the shareholders in the disposal of the entire paid-up share capital of Capital Pte. Ltd. for a consideration of S$58 million, including negotiating with the purchaser (which is a Tokyo-listed company) and its lawyers, advising on the sale and purchase agreement and preparing the disclosure letter
• Acted for the shareholders in the disposal of the entire paid-up share capital of York Transport Equipment (Asia) Pte Ltd to SAF-HOLLAND GmbH for a consideration of US$40,000,000, including negotiating with the purchaser and its lawyers and advising on the sale and purchase agreement

Notable Cases

• Acted as lead counsel (with the assistance of BVI’s Cayman Islands’ and Korean lawyers) for a prominent hotel group of Singapore in the direct acquisition of the entire paid-up share capital of a Singapore investment company and an indirect acquisition of a BVI investment company of beneficial units in a private real estate investment fund that own a hotel and the hotel property in Seoul, South Korea, for a total investment sum of approximately US$50,000,000, including advising on the transaction, liaising with foreign lawyers on the legal and financial due diligence on the hotel and the hotel property (including ensuring that there is clean and marketable title), reviewing and advising on the transaction documents such as the sale and purchase agreements, supplemental agreements, escrow agreement and W&I insurance among others, and negotiating the transaction with the vendors and the vendors’ lawyers.

• Acted for the vendors in the disposal of 49% of the paid-up share capital of a Singapore fitness company for a consideration of S$1,000,000, including advising on the transaction, drafting the transaction documents such as the sale and purchase agreement and the shareholders’ agreement, and negotiating the transaction with the purchasers’ lawyers.

• Acted for the purchasers in the acquisition of 49% of the paid-up share capital of an established Singapore automobile company (which holds the exclusive rights of a German automobile manufacturer for the Singapore market) for a total investment sum of S$10,000,000, including advising on the transaction, reviewing the exclusive dealer’s agreement to verify the exclusive rights for the Singapore market and whether prior written approval for change of shareholding is required, drafting the transaction documents such as the sale and purchase agreement, the shareholders’ agreement and various shareholder’s loan agreements, and negotiating the transaction with the purchasers’ lawyers.

• Acted for the purchasers in the acquisition of 60% of the paid-up share capital of an established Singapore automobile group comprising seven wholly-owned subsidiaries (which also holds the exclusive rights for a U.S. automobile manufacturer and a German automobile manufacturer for the Singapore market) for a total investment sum of S$9,000,000, including advising on the transaction, reviewing the exclusive dealer’s agreements to verify the exclusive rights for the Singapore market and whether prior written approvals for change of shareholding are required, drafting the transaction documents such as the sale and purchase agreement, the shareholders’ agreement, and various shareholders’ loan agreements, and negotiating the transaction with the purchasers’ lawyers.