Profile: John Bellew

Mergers and Acquisitions

Biography: Mergers and Acquisitions

John is a partner in Webber Wentzel's corporate services department and a member of the firm's management board.

John has 20 years corporate experience, with a specialisation in all aspects of private equity, including fund formation, merger and acquisition activity, management arrangements and acquisition finance. John also has public market merger and acquisition experience.

Over the past few years John has advised prominent South African and international private equity houses on some of the largest private equity transactions undertaken in the South African market. He has also represented private equity borrowers with respect to all layers of debt raised by them in connection with their acquisitions. He has represented high yield lenders to major South African private equity transactions. He has also formed a number of private equity funds with a focus on South and sub-Saharan Africa.

John obtained his BComm from the University of Natal in 1982 and his LLB, cum laude, in 1984. He commenced his articles in 1987 and was seconded to Maitland & Co in Luxembourg for two years in 1990 and 1991, specialising in international taxation and cross-border transactions. John returned to South Africa in 1992 and was made a partner in 1993.

John has been recognised as a leading practitioner in his field by a number of prominent journals.