24
Jun
Cross-border deals: Picking up speed
-
SpeakersMichael Butler Head of Investment & Finance Shizen Energy
Joseph Fisher Partner, Head of Corporate, Japan Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer GJBJ
John Price M&A Group General Manager Nippon Express Holdings Inc
Michael Sonego Partner Pitcher Partners
Andrew Thain Senior Managing Director, Head of Shareholder Services, APAC Sodali & Co
Feng Wang General Manager, M&A Support Department Nissan
Confirm cancellation
Something went wrong.
An error occurred trying to play the stream. Please reload the page and try again.
CloseSign-up to join the ION Analytics Community to:
- Register for events
- Access market insights
- Download reports
- Lead a team of 18 which does M&A, developer partnerships, project finance, corporate finance and equity finance.
- Over 15 years of M&A experience including 11 in Japan.
- Started career in London with EY in the Infrastructure Advisory team.
- Moved to PwC Japan and was a Director in the Energy & Utilities M&A team.
Joe is a Partner within the Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer Corporate team in Tokyo.
Joe has worked on a wide range of corporate matters for a number of major Japanese companies with a particular focus on M&A, joint ventures and general corporate and commercial transactions. He regularly advises on transactions in both developed and emerging markets and has worked on deals across numerous jurisdictions in the firm's London and Tokyo offices. Joe also has experience across a wide range of sectors but has particular specialisms in M&A in the TMT sector and commercial contracts in the defence sector.
Joe is ranked as a leading individual for Corporate / M&A in Japan by Chambers Asia-Pacific in 2025 and as a "Next Generation Partner" for Corporate / M&A and TMT in Japan by Legal 500's Asia Pacific 2025 rankings.
John Price is Group General Manager & Legal Counsel at the Nippon Express Group, a Japan-based global logistics provider, where he is responsible for large-scale investment strategy and acquisition activities. Previously, he has managed several acquisitions as in-house counsel at LIXIL Corporation, including a $4 billion acquisition of Grohe in Germany. In private practice, John has worked in the US and Japan, where he practiced primarily M&A, intellectual property, and general corporate law, and the Big Four consulting firms in the US and Japan concentrating on business valuation and tax consulting.
He is admitted to the bar in New York, New Jersey and in the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He is also a licensed Registered Foreign Lawyer (Gaikokuho Jimu Bengoshi) in Japan and an Adjunct Professor at Temple University Japan campus where he lectures on international law, trade law and international contract drafting.
As a Partner in the Corporate Finance team of Pitcher Partners Melbourne, Michael assists many clients, from a range of industries, with their transaction pursuits with specialist services including: lead mergers and acquisitions advice, financial analysis, due diligence investigations and valuations.
Michael leads the Global Corporate Finance group for Baker Tilly International a top 10 accounting network globally.
Clients benefit significantly from Michael’s astute business acumen and persuasive negotiating skills. Clients seeking growth through divestment and acquisition strategies draw on Michael’s networks and knowledge to maximise their business and financial results. He works with many public and private businesses on their buy and sell side mandates.
Michael has worked on notable transactions with Japanese corporates investing in Australia. Recent examples include supporting Sumitomo Forestry on its acquisition of Metricon, Australia’s largest builder; advising Airmaster on its sale to Daikin; supporting Daikin on its expansion of maintenance services; and advising DFP Recruitment on its acquisition by the Will Group.
Andrew leads our APAC Proxy and Corporate Governance Practice, continually recognised as the 'best in market' practice across the region, with over 20+ years of senior leadership experience, he is a trusted advisor for corporations navigating stakeholder engagement and corporate governance complexities.
Andrew specializes in strategic advice on mergers and acquisitions, annual and extraordinary shareholder meetings, and contested or dissident campaigns.
Before rejoining Sodali & Co, Andrew served as Country Head of Georgeson Australia, where he successfully led and grew the business, advising clients on high-stakes shareholder engagements. Andrew's deep understanding of the Australian corporate landscape makes him a go-to expert for listed companies seeking tailored proxy and governance strategies.
As the global landscape continues to evolve, Andrew remains pivotal in delivering innovative solutions that align corporate objectives with stakeholder expectations, ensuring long-term value creation for his clients.
Feng Wang is the General Manager leading Nissan’s M&A team in Japan. He supports Nissan’s global initiatives in mergers, acquisitions, investments, divestments, joint ventures, partnerships and alliances. Prior to joining Nissan in 2019, Feng served as Executive Director at Business Sweden and Senior Corporate Development Manager at Corning.
Feng’s earlier career includes roles at Capgemini, EY Transaction Advisory and Barclays Capital in Hong Kong. He holds MBA from INSEAD and a Bachelor’s degree of Software Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.