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Tony Symons Managing Director

Contact: T 61 3 8681 4410 M +61 433 280 882 E tony.symons@ clarendonlawyers.com.au

Tony is the Founder and Managing Director of the firm and has 25 years’ experience in corporate law, mergers and acquisitions (especially of a cross-border nature) and general commercial law, including four years in Hong Kong working with Linklaters on transactions throughout Asia.

He is a skilled negotiator and is known for providing legal documentation and advice of the highest quality, matched with outstanding client service.

Tony is the long-standing trusted adviser to many founders, family offices, private equity funds and corporate clients (both listed and private) in Australia and internationally, having helped them to navigate numerous transactions and solve complex legal and commercial matters. He is especially skilled at guiding founders through exit processes.

Tony co-founded the predecessor firm to Clarendon Lawyers with a vision to bring outstanding legal services to the mid-market. The firm’s clients now include Comdain Infrastructure, Eurofins, Best Friends Pets, Amari Metals, Genpact Limited, Superior Food Services, AusNet, Sodexo SA, Jacobs Engineering Group, Escala Partners, Ironman, Navis LLC, Cargotec, The Mathieson Group, ITW Australia, The Growth Fund, AEA Investors, professional firms and numerous SMEs and their shareholders.

Recent Transactions

Tony has gained his extensive experience from a wide range of corporate transactions across a variety of industries, including:

• the purchase of multiple events (including the City2Surf and Melbourne Corporate Triathlon) from Nine Entertainment Group by World Triathlon Corporation (owner of Ironman);

• the sale of an interest in Escala Partners to Focus Financial Partners LLC;

• the purchase of Biarri Rail by Navis LLC, a subsidiary of Cargotec Corporation;

• the sale of Montlaur Project Services to CBRE Group Inc.; • the sale of Comdain Infrastructure to Service Stream Limited; • the sale of Climate Technologies to a wholly-owned subsidiary of

Symphony Limited; • the sale of a 51% stake in Scott Park Group to Sumitomo Forestry

Co.; • the sale of Sita Buslines and Sita Coaches to Transit Systems;

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• advising HongKong Hairun Food Investment Holding on its acquisition of a 49% interest in Woodard Foods Australia, a vertically integrated meat and livestock business;

• Superior Food Services’ acquisition of Clover Valley Fine Foods, Global Meats and Frozpac;

• the sale of Guardian Storage to National Storage; • advising Eurofins Scientific Group, a Belgium company listed on

NYSE Euronext and the world leader in food, pharma and environmental laboratory testing, in respect of its separate acquisitions of mgt-Labmark, Agrisearch, AMS Laboratories and SCEC;

• advising the founders of Best Friends Pets on its restructure and the subsequent sale of a strategic interest to The Growth Fund;

• the acquisition of Atlas Specialty Metals, Austral Wright/MICO Metals, Australian Stainless Distribution and Dalsteel;

• the sale of AaE Retail by Australian Air Express and subsequent disposal of Australian Air Express and Star Track Express to Qantas and Australia Post, respectively;

Industry Awards

• Best Lawyers in Australia • Lawyer of the Year, Corporate Law (Melbourne) 2021 • Leading Lawyer, Corporate Law, Commercial Law and M&A Law

(Melbourne) 2021, 2020 and 2019 • Doyle’s Guide

• Leading Victorian Corporate Lawyer (2019, 2018 and 2016) • Pre-eminent Lawyer (2017) for small and mid-market corporate/

M&A matters • Recommended lawyer (2017, for high value corporate/M&A

matters and 2015) • Mergermarket – ranked in the top handful of legal advisers in the

Individual League Tables for 2019, 2018, 2017 and 2016, by deal count)

Tony holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Melbourne. He is admitted to practice in Victoria and Hong Kong.