About Elizabeth

Elizabeth’s expertise lies in mergers and acquisitions. She has acted for a number of leading Australian and global private equity funds. As a core member of the Private Equity and Venture Capital Group, she has helped to establish Maddocks’ reputation as a market leader for private equity clients in the mid-market space. Elizabeth is well regarded for her ability to solve problems and get transactions completed within desired timeframes.

Elizabeth is also a specialist transactional franchising lawyer and has been involved in structuring, documenting and managing a wide range of transactions involving the sale or purchase of franchise networks for both private equity funds and private companies.

In addition to her core M&A practice, Elizabeth is a trusted advisor to a number of local and global businesses and regularly works with clients to design and implement expansion models for their businesses, including via franchising, licensing, distribution and joint venture structures.

Admitted in Victoria, New South Wales and England and Wales, Elizabeth has top tier experience in both Australia and London and has significant cross border M&A experience.

Experience

• Private equity
  • Advised Fortitude Investment Partners and the key stakeholders of Birch & Waite on the sale to Quadrant Private Equity.

  • Advised Hong Kong based private equity firm PAG Asia Capital-owned Craveable Brands on its acquisition of the quick service restaurant network Chargrill Charlies, which operates 19 outlets across Sydney and Melbourne.

  • Advised US-based Sentinel Capital Partners’ investment company, Bandon Holdings, the largest franchisee in the Anytime Fitness system, on its Australian acquisitions.

  • Advised Navis Capital Partners' investment companies, Device Technologies and Software Combined, on numerous bolt-on acquisitions.

  • Advised Quadrant Private Equity’s investment company, Partnered Health (formerly Fullerton Health), on numerous business and share acquisitions.

  • Advised Corner Capital on the acquisition of Evocom Australia and partnership with founder of the business.

  • Advised a consortium of investors, including Corner Capital, on the acquisition of Victorian concrete business Cubic Mini Mix.

  • Advised Quadrant Private on its acquisition of the Cancer Care group.

  • Advised CPE Capital’s (formerly CHAMP) investment companies, Albert Automotive Operations (Dutton Group) and Gourmet Food Operations, on numerous bolt-on acquisitions.
• Founder sell side transactions
  • Advised the stakeholders of 1Bill Holdings on the sale to the ASX-listed purchaser, Origin Energy.

  • Advised the stakeholders of eWave Holdings on the sale to the NYSE-listed purchaser, Globant.

  • Advised the founder of the Soar Aviation business on the 50% sale of the group to The Growth Fund.

  • Advised founders of Sushi Musa chain of restaurants on sale to private equity owned Sushi Sushi.

  • Advised founders on the restructure and sale of Stratton Finance business.

  • Advised founders of the Ventura Health pharmacy network on the sale of the group to EBOS.
• General M&A
  • Advised Balco Australia on its acquisition of a hay processing facility from Wingara.

  • Advised Hairhouse Warehouse on the acquisition of the Australian Skin Clinics and Ella Rouge franchise networks, and then subsequently on the sale of the merged network to SILK.

  • Advised the shareholders of Eflare on the sale of the Eflare group to UK Wescom Group, owned by private equity firm Sun European Partners.

  • Advised MAAS on the acquisition of Schwarz Excavations.

  • Advised Emerald Foods on the acquisition of the Movenpick Australia franchise network.

  • Advised Portwest on the acquisition of the Prime Mover and Huski workwear businesses.

  • Advised CIMIC on the sale of construction project collaboration software to Aconex.
• Consumer Markets & Franchising
  • Advised Bailey Nelson on its design and establishment of a licensed retailer structure.

  • Worked with Laser Clinics Australia in connection with management of the franchise network, including an interim secondment while a new General Counsel was recruited.

  • Providing strategic and regulatory advice to numerous franchise networks including, McDonald’s, Quest, McGrath, Narellan, Grill’d and KFC.

  • Drafting retail network agreements for Optus.

  • Drafting dealer agreements and providing strategic advice to Nissan and Mercedes-Benz.