Current practice
Adrian’s practice involves advising public and multinational companies on all aspects of domestic and international tax planning, with a focus on corporate head office issues such as employee share and dividend reinvestment plans, mergers and acquisitions and structured finance.
Key areas of practice include:
- employee share and option plans
- corporate dividend and capital return strategies
- capital gains tax and other re-organisation issues associated with mergers and acquisitions
- the taxation of public and private trusts and alternative structures such as stapled vehicles, partnerships and unincorporated joint ventures
- domestic and offshore debt capital raising and securitisation financing
- structuring for inbound investment into Australia, particularly from the United States and structuring for outbound investment.
Experience
Adrian has had significant roles over an extended period with ANZ Banking Group, Centro Properties Group, Coles Myer, GE Capital and Transurban. He has implemented employee share and option plans for many leading companies in Australia, including ANZ Banking Group, AXA, Aventis, Coles Myer, GSK, Mayne, Orica, Pacifica, Santos and Shell.
Some major recent transactions in which Adrian has carried tax responsibility include Transurban’s reconstruction in 2001, GE Capital’s acquisition of AGC in 2002, Canadian miner Falconbridge’s Indonesian joint venture with BHP in 2003, Centro Property Group’s 2004 merger with the Prime Retail Group, and float of the Centro Retail Trust in 2005.
Professional background
Adrian joined Greenwoods and Freehills after nine years as a partner with Freehills in Melbourne (when Greenwoods & Freehills and the Freehills Melbourne tax practice merged). He has a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Melbourne and a Postgraduate Diploma in Taxation from RMIT University.
Adrian is known in industry through various conference speaking engagements, lecturing taxation in the Melbourne University Master of Laws, contributions to various tax journals and a monthly tax column in The Australian newspaper.
