People
Thomas Masterman
Biography
Tom has extensive experience helping clients navigate all aspects of antitrust, regulatory and foreign investment law.
Tom has advised on antitrust aspects of some of the highest profile M&A matters in the market in recent years. His experience spans substantively challenging Phase 2 merger investigations by the European Commission and UK Competition and Markets Authority, as well as routinely coordinating global merger control clearances for large cross-border deals. He is also an experienced advisor on multi-jurisdictional foreign investment and national security clearances, including handling complex and sensitive reviews under the UK National Security and Investment Act.
Tom has an equally established track record of advising on big-ticket cartel, abuse of dominance and market investigations. He also regularly helps clients design and enhance their antitrust compliance policies and procedures at a global, EU and UK level.
Tom is as a member of the Joint Working Party of the Bars and Law Societies of the United Kingdom on Competition Law. He also sits on the firm’s Social Mobility Committee.
Tom is listed in Legal 500 directory as a “rising star” and a “next generation partner”. He is also ranked as “future leader” by Who’s Who Legal.
Practice areas
- Corporate and M&A
- Antitrust
- Disputes
- Administrative and public law
Sectors
- Life sciences and healthcare
- Energy
- Industrials and manufacturing
- Technology
- Private capital
- Communications media and entertainment
Selected experience
- News UK on CMA clearance of its newspaper printing JV with Daily Mail. The CMA’s decision to clear the transaction made an essential contribution to extending the lifespan of print newspapers in the UK.
- Recticel on the CMA Phase 2 clearance of the sale of its engineered foam business to Carpenter Group; the first case to use the CMA’s ‘accelerated’ Phase 2 process.
- A multinational telecommunications company on the CMA clearance its GBP31bn joint venture with Telefónica SA to merge Virgin Media and O2.
- 21st Century Fox on EC and global merger control clearances for its USD 71bn acquisition by The Walt Disney Company, and the CMA Phase 2 merger control and public interest reviews for its proposed acquisition of Sky plc.
- A public petroleum and natural gas company on merger control and FDI clearances for range of M&A matters, including its recent investment in MidOcean Energy and logistics JV with DHL.
- Corio Generation on merger control and FDI aspects if its JV with Ontario Teachers to develop up to 9GW of global offshore wind projects.
- Maersk on global merger control and FDI approvals for its USD3.6bn acquisition of leading Asian logistics provider, LF Logistics, from Li & Fung.
- Hitachi on various global cartel matters, including the EC Power Transformers, Auto-Parts LCD, CRT and GIS investigations.
- Grünenthal on merger control reviews for numerous M&A matters, including its acquisition from Astra Zeneca of Nexium, Vimovo and Zomig.
- Macquarie Asset Management on antitrust and regulatory aspects of its GBP 1bn acquisition of a majority stake in Southern Water.
Education
- BA, European Legal Studies, Durham University
- Erasmus Programme, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
- Postgraduate Diploma in Competition Law, King's College London, 2009
Admissions
- Admitted as solicitor, England and Wales, 2006