Neal Watson

Director, Corporate M&A and ECM

Neal Watson is a director in the Corporate M&A and ECM Group, having been Head of Corporate Finance from 2013 to 2019. Neal trained at Travers Smith, became a partner in the Corporate team in 2001 and has over 25 years' experience as a corporate lawyer.

Neal has a broad client-facing practice based on corporate advisory work and leading transactional UK and international M&A and corporate finance-related transactions, including public takeovers, IPOs and equity fundraisings. He regularly acts for a number of quoted and private companies, financial investor and sponsor clients and has wide experience of boardroom and shareholder issues and general matters of corporate governance.

Neal is ranked as a 'Recognised Practitioner' by Chambers UK for mid-market M&A.

Neal is head of our Listed Company Advisory team and part of our firmwide Environmental Social Governance (ESG) practice.

Selected deals

ETF Securities on the disposals of its European exchange-traded commodity, currency and short-and-leveraged business to WisdomTree Investments and of Canvas, its UCITS ETF platform, to LGIM.

Amphenol Corporation on several acquisitions including Ionix Aerospace, Invotec Circuits, Martec and SGX Sensortech.

The Peel Group, alongside Olayan Group and Brookfield on the consortium bid for intu.

Brewin Dolphin on several acquisitions, including Epoch Wealth Management and Investec Ireland Wealth Management (together with the related cash placing).

BUUK on the acquisition of Ovo Energy's smart meter business.

The seller on the disposal of the business and assets of St Anthony's Hospital to Spire Healthcare.

Pinewood Shepperton on its takeover by Aermont Capital.

Camellia on its move from the Main Market to AIM, the acquisition of Jing Tea and the sale of its Duncan Lawrie private bank and asset management businesses.

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