Mark Ward is a Partner in the Firm's Corporate Department and Head of Mergers & Acquisitions. He specialises in mergers and acquisitions, company law, corporate finance, private equity, joint ventures, venture capital, corporate restructurings, commercial contractual arrangements and corporate fundraisings.
Mark's clients include public and private corporate, private equity, financial institutions and commercial enterprises generally. Mark's work ranges from general advise on compliance, including with the Companies Acts and corporate governance advise, to advise on transactions and on commercial contract arrangements.
His most recent work includes advising:
- Premier Foods on its manufacturing Co-Pack arrangements with Boyne Valley Foods.
- Icon plc in its acquisition of Firecrest.
- Irish Food Processors in the acquisition of a further interest in C&D Foods.
- Capita Group in its acquisition of AIBIFS.
- GenNx Capital Partners (US private equity) in connection with its increased shareholding in Syncreon.
- Irish Life & Permanent plc in connection with the State recapitalisation.
- Icon plc on its acquisition of Oxford Outcomes;
- Axereal Union de Cooperatives Agricoles on its acquisition of the malting business of Greencore for €116m;
- Blockbuster, a leading global provider of media entertainment on its sale of Xtra-vision Limited to Birchhall Investments;
- Bord Gáis Éireann on the acquisition of SWS Energy;
- Guanabara Holdings on its hostile takeover bid for EcoSecurities;
- GenNx360 Capital Partners on its acquisition of a Stake in Syncreon;
- Irish Food Processors in relation to its acquisition of a 50% stake in C&D Foods;
- Iralco on its acquisition by C&F Tooling;
- Irish Continental Group, on a number of takeover bids for the company;
- Newcourt Group on its floatation on the AIM and IEX market.
Mark's restructuring experience includes advising in connection with the following - EMPG (Houghton Mifflin Riverdeep); Iralco; Nortel Networks; AgCert International plc. and McInerney Group.
Mark’s experience is also across the entire spectrum of commercial contracts, from advising BearingPoint on its contract for the provision of a new passport production system for the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs to advising Scotts International on its supply agreements and intellectual property sharing agreements with Bord Na Mona.
Mark is recommended in a number of leading legal publications where he "wins admiration from peers, who highlight his outstanding technical ability and knowledge" (Chambers Global 2011); "readily accessible and always gives a first-class service” (Chambers Europe 2011); "regarded by fellow practitioners as a leader in his field" (IFLR1000 2011); "gives commercial, sound advice" (Legal 500 2011). Mark is also recommended in IFLR1000 2012 and 2010, PLC Which Lawyer 2011 and Who's Who Legal 2011.
Mark has lectured at the Irish Law Society on contractual arrangements and has presented at a number of conferences, including conferences relating to mergers and acquisitions in the technology sector.