Bio

John Keeves is a senior corporate lawyer with more than 30 years’ experience advising on major projects, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, corporate governance, and corporate and securities law, with a focus on large and complex transactions, public markets mergers and acquisitions (including contested takeovers) and equity capital markets. John is a senior corporate lawyer with more than 30 years’ experience advising on major projects, mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, corporate governance, and corporate and securities law, with a focus on large and complex transactions, public markets mergers and acquisitions (including contested takeovers) and equity capital markets. He has extensive transactional experience with the energy and resources sector, but has advised across many of the sectors most important to the Australian economy including technology, resources, agribusiness, infrastructure, transport, beverages, education and financial services, and has advised Australian and international corporates and investment funds, governments and government business enterprises, and family offices. He has a particular interest in energy technology including energy storage and developments in hydrogen-related energy technology, having advised the SA Government on the Hornsdale Power Reserve “Big Battery” at Jamestown, South Australia and led the Johnson Winter Slattery team advising the SA Government generally on its energy plan following the September 2016 State-wide blackout, including grants and loans by the Renewable Technology Fund. He was until recently a member of the Expert Panel advising the Deregulation Task Force of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in relation to modernising business communications, and is Chair of the Law Council of Australia’s Modernising Document Execution Working Group. John was a member of the Australian Takeovers Panel from 2006 to 2015 and a member of the Companies Auditors & Liquidators Disciplinary Board from 2004 to 2014. John has been a Director of SA Government technology agency TechInSA, Chair of the Council of Prince Alfred College, National Chair of the Corporations Committee of the Law Council of Australia, and Chair of the Business Law Section of the Law Council of Australia. He was also a Director, and is currently an Honorary Life Member, of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (formerly the Securities Institute of Australia). He is a member of the Executive of the Business Law Section of the Law Council of Australia (2005 to 2007 and 2009 to date), was the inaugural Chair of Business Law Section’s Technology in M&A Working Group, was inaugural Chair of the Law Council’s Business and Human Rights Working Group, and was instrumental in establishing the BLS’s Foreign Investment Committee.