PwC LLP

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Annalie Croney

Annalie Croney is a solicitor and partner and leads PwC’s UK Legal Banking team.Annalie has over 14 years of experience in advising borrowers and lenders alike on new financing arrangements, re-financings and bank consents in connection with reorganisations and restructurings, focusing on property finance and development finance transactions. She also advises on general corporate, leveraged and acquisition finance transactions.Annalie has a broad practice, also drafting cash pooling product documentation for financial institutions and intra-group cash pooling, netting and other treasury management documentation for large international and domestic corporate groups, as well as advising on consumer credit regulation.Annalie has recently advised on an increasing number of green and sustainability linked loan facilities, leveraging the expertise that PwC has within our extensive multidisciplinary ESG network. She has been very active recently advising both borrowers and lenders alike in respect of LIBOR transition for their loan documentation and processes and on new SONIA linked financing transactions.Annalie acted for Lazari Investments on their £400,000,000 new facility with Allianz Debt Fund SCSp SICAV-SIF secured against five prime central London offices. This was Allianz’s largest single- loan debt transaction in Europe to date, and one of the largest bilateral private borrower deals in the UK market in 2020. This deal won Real Estate Capital’s award for UK Financing Deal of the Year 2020.

Charlotte Thackrah

Charlotte is a Director in our UK and Global EGC Team.Charlotte has over 15 years’ experience. She has advised a wide range of clients on all matters of corporate governance, with a particular focus on the FS sector.Charlotte advises clients on their corporate governance frameworks and reviews their existing policies and procedures. She works with Boards to practically implement best practices in corporate governance from an advisory perspective.Charlotte’s experience includes working with the subsidiary of a Japanese Bank implementing a new Board and Executive Governance framework and undertaking a gap analysis against the requirements of the UK Corporate Governance Code; and undertaking an effectiveness review of a partnership Secretariat, including advising on and implementing recommended changes.Charlotte is a member of ICSA: The Governance Institute.

Chris Perkins

Chris is a Partner is the Employment practice.

Christopher Neill

Christopher is a Director in the NewLaw team and has significant experience advising leading financial institutions on areas including commercial contracts, banking and corporate finance, acquisition finance and unsecured lending. Christopher has niche experience in consumer credit licensing, derivatives transactions and securities financing transactions. He has also acted as local counsel on asset-backed securitisations including the acquisition, warehousing and securitisation of residential and commercial mortgages and consumer credit receivables originated in Northern Ireland.Christopher was ranked as a Next Generation Lawyer in Legal 500 and Recognised Practitioner for Banking and Finance in Chambers and Partners; and named in the Northern Ireland "40 Under 40" List 2017.Prior to joining PwC, Christopher was a partner in a top-tier commercial law firm in Northern Ireland specialising in banking and commercial law.Experience Advising a peer-to peer lending platform in relation to the implementation of its operation in Northern Ireland to include the preparation of standard form compliance, loan and security documentation. Advising an IP TV solutions provider on its terms and conditions and contracts with clients, negotiating and advising on contracts with third party content rights holders such as sports licensing and distribution licensors and joint ventures with other sports rights holders. Provision of advice to a European bank in relation to the automation of its SME lending function to include electronic borrower verification, automation of credit scoring and electronic production of standard form facility documentation and external legal instruction. Advising a large housing association in relation to the negotiation and renewal of business-critical unit management software licenses. Advising the Northern Ireland Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute in relation to the capture and exploitation of range of intellectual property assets to include commercialisation and development by way of collaboration with international scientific authorities and research institutes.

Cynthia Chan

Cynthia is a Corporate partner in PwC’s international business reorganisations team in the UK. She has dual-qualifications in England and Wales and Hong Kong. Since joining PwC in 2001, she has led a significant number of cross-border corporate reorganisaton projects for US multinational corporations and FTSE 100 groups, often working alongside other specialists in tax and accounting on such projects.She has acted for clients across a wide range of industries ranging from manufacturing, technology, pharmaceuticals, health care, retail, financial services, property development; more recently, Cynthia has been working with a number of financial services groups on their Brexit-related reorganisations.In addition to acting on general intra group reorganisations and refinancings, Cynthia has a special focus on deal related structuring helping groups to carve out pre deal and integrate post deal. She has significant experience in acting for clients in this area. She has also worked on multiple legal entity rationalisation programmes alongside the specialists in Tax, Accounting and PMO, to help her clients rationalise their entity structure and create cost savings.Cynthia heads up the China Business Group at Legal in PwC and has worked with a significant number of Chinese clients in investing and setting up in the UK, including Bank of Communications, GF Securities, China Publishing and China Shipping.Cynthia and her team have been ranked Tier 1 by Legal 500 in International Business Reorganisations, and Cynthia is one of the Leading Individuals in this category.

David Anderson

David is a partner and leads the indirect tax team at PwC, who were winners at the 2014 Tax Awards. He previously spent a period with HM Customs & Excise Solicitor’s Office and with KPMG. He specialises in advice and litigation of all indirect taxes including VAT, customs duty, excise duties, hydrocarbon oils, landfill tax and aggregates levy. He has worked with clients in a wide variety of industry areas which include manufacturing, housing, telecommunications, local authorities, financial services and food and drink industries and has represented clients at all stages of the court structure up to and including the Court of Justice of the European Union. His reported cases include: United Biscuits (Pension Trustees) [2017] EWHC 2895 (Ch) and currently before the CJEU (C-235/10) Wellcome Trust [2018] UKFTT 599 (TC) and currently before the CJEU Healthspan [2018] UKFTT 241 (TC) and currently before the CJEU Rank Group [2019] UKUT 100 (TCC) Rank Group [2018] UKFTT 251 (TC) Investment Trust Companies [2017] UKSC 29 R. (oao Drax Power Ltd) v HMRC [2016] EWHC 228 (Admin) Infinis Energy Holdings Ltd [2016] EWCA Civ 1030 Iveco Limited v HMRC [2016] UKUT 263 (TCC) Brother Industries UK Ltd [2016] UKFTT 788 (TC) London Borough of Ealing (C-633/15) Colaingrove Limited (Verandahs) v HMRC [2015] UKUT 2 (TCC) Colaingrove Limited (fuel and power) [2015] UKUT 80 (TCC) WM Morrison Supermarkets Plc v HMRC [2012] UKFTT 366 (TC) Asda Stores Ltd (C-372/06) Helena Housing Ltd [2012] EWCA Civ 569 Matalan Retail Ltd [2009] EWHC 2046 (Ch) Carlsberg and InBev [2012] EWCA Civ 82 David is a regular speaker at tax conferences and seminars.

Ed Stacey

Ed is a partner in the Employment legal team. He has a wealth of experience advising clients on international projects and has recently advised two FTSE 100 clients on global compliance projects.Ed advises on the legal aspects of global mobility programmes, restructuring, the delivery of global training and the development of global policies and procedures. Ed is experienced in working with employers on employee change programmes and transactions, including restructurings and TUPE work. He has advised on the exit of senior executives; numerous individual hires; and on team moves involving the enforcement of restrictive covenants in the UK and internationally. He has advised clients in the Employment Tribunal and High Court on all types of employment litigation, and has significant experience of high profile discrimination claims. Ed’s work has been widely reported in the UK media (including the BBC, The Times, and the Financial Times) and the German press (Die Welt). The Legal 500 directory describes Ed as ‘very good at making difficult judgement calls’ and leading an extremely hard-working team ‘that is very capable of running complex, high-level employment litigation’

Georgie Blyth

Georgie is a Partner and UK & EMEA International Business Reorganisations Leader.

Jonathan Gibson

Jonathan is Head of UK and Global EGC at PwC, which is the leading practice for legal entity governance transformation on a global basis. Jonathan leads our network of PwC governance specialists in over 155 countries around the world.He helps multinational clients respond to increasing regulation and risk and the impact this is having on governance and compliance across their business. Projects include the improvement of legal entity governance frameworks, streamlining and implementing global legal entity management solutions, operating UK and global managed services, delivering digital solutions, entity rationalisation programmes and educating boards and directors on their legal and governance duties.Jonathan spent three years in Dubai running our Middle East legal and governance business across the Middle East region.Jonathan speaks at external conferences and PwC client forums in the UK, US and Middle East on all aspects of governance and compliance and in particular international trends in subsidiary governance and regulation.Jonathan is a Fellow member and adviser to ICSA: The Governance Institute.

Kevin King

Kevin is a corporate partner specialising in engagements in the financial services sector.Kevin has extensive experience advising large multinational financial services clients and other organisations on complex structuring, compliance and corporate transformational projects, frequently leading multidisciplinary teams of professionals on cross-border engagements. He works closely with global PwC tax, regulatory, accounting and other specialists to provide a combined offering – ensuring that reorganisation projects are implemented taking account of tax and regulatory considerations, and in accordance with their commercial objectives, across all relevant jurisdictions.Kevin’s recent experience includes advising on several Part VII transfers in the banking sector. He has also advised on several large Brexit restructurings, including an 11 market restructuring of an EEA passported bank. Kevin recently supported an Asian bank on its wind down and transfer of its UK business. Kevin has led the legal work on several Part VII transfers under FSMA 2000 and has worked on several strategy projects advising large global banking and insurance broking clients on their European and global group structures and business models. He also advises clients on regulatory capital issuance.Kevin joined from KPMG where he built up the legal practice in financial services. He previously worked at Skadden and Slaughter and May.

Kris Charik

Kris is a Director in our UK and Global EGC team. Kris specialises in providing governance, transaction and compliance support to multinational clients. Kris has extensive experience in the provision of legal entity governance and compliance services to clients globally, ranging from small and large private groups to large listed PLCs and US multinationals.Before returning to UK, Kris led our practice for the Middle East from Dubai and during his five years in the region he worked closely with locally headquartered Sovereign Wealth Funds and other large locally owned/government organisations. Kris is a member of ICSA: The Governance Institute.

Latika Sharma

Intellectual Property Legal Leader, Latika is a Director with more than 20 years’ experience advising on all aspects of intellectual property law and practice. This includes extensive experience advising on licensing, franchising and a range of R&D and collaboration agreements. Latika has developed an unrivalled practice in IP structuring (reorganising IP ownership and use within large groups, including tax-related projects, with an expertise in issues such as patent box, transfer pricing and BEPS). Working with corporate finance, valuations and other IP experts around PwC, she has unparalleled experience in IP commercialisation and IP audits and risk reviews (covering IP processes and controls). She regularly helps clients to develop IP strategies, deal with IP disputes or adapt their operating model to accommodate an evolving innovation. She can also draw on the expertise of IP lawyers across PwC’s global network of over 100 legal practices around the world.

Laura Freestone

Laura is a Director and corporate lawyer (qualified in Scotland) in PwC’s International Business Reorganisations legal practice. Laura specialises in strategic global corporate reorganisation projects for international groups. Laura has recently acted on a number of highly technical projects, including those requiring cross-border merger and/or Societas Europaea for Brexit related restructuring projects.Laura joined PwC in 2010 from Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP, where she was a member of the corporate team in London, specialising in M&A and AIM listed work. Laura spent three years (2012 - 2015) on secondment to PwC’s corporate team in Sydney, Australia.

Laura Nadel

Laura leads our employment legal business in the North, advising regional clients on the full spectrum of legal issues from holiday pay and national minimum wage compliance, to day to day employment advice, deals and transformation projects. She works with clients ranging from FTSE 100s to private businesses, inbounds and start-ups, Laura is extremely client focused and is recognised for her commercial and business-focussed approach. She also has significant experience leading multi-disciplinary teams, delivering large scale projects on the ground.Legal 500 describes Laura as a ‘leading light of the local market’ and she was included in the Northern Power Women Future List 2019.

Mark Whitehouse

Mark leads the Direct Tax Disputes practice. He is one of the UK’s leading specialists in contentious tax (a leading individual in both Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners), having 28 years’ experience in the field. He is a corporate tax specialist and has been involved in some of the most significant tax cases over the last decade including the UK’s only substantive transfer pricing case (DSG Retail) and several groundbreaking EU tax cases (ACT GLO, Philips Electronics, BMW and Stamp Duty GLO). He has particular experience in group litigation orders (in the context of EU law challenges), tax planning challenges, HRCP cases (the High Risk Corporate Programme), corporate tax appeals, judicial reviews and, in particular, matters of international taxation such as international transfer pricing disputes. He also has an extensive practice advising clients who seek to contest EU state aid decisions in respect of UK taxation matters. Mark’s practice includes acting for a wide range of clients ranging from blue chip FTSE100 companies, US multinationals, Premier League clubs and public and private businesses based around the world with UK operations. Where PwC acts for a client in respect of their tax affairs, Mark is their first port of call when an enquiry is opened and matters become contentious. He is also regularly called in to advise clients alongside other law firms where clients are looking for an experienced pair of hands to provide additional guidance and strategic oversight. Mark litigated on behalf of GE in respect of an HMRC clearance which was the largest piece of litigation currently being run by HMRC's Large Business.Mark litigated the UK’s only substantive transfer pricing case, DSG Retail Limited, and several groundbreaking EU tax law cases (including Philips Electronics and BMW). Recent significant cases include the Stamp Taxes GLO, Alan Anderson, Air Berlin, and Biffin. Mark is a member of the PwC Tax Dispute Resolution Network, which brings together specialists in tax disputes from across the whole of the global PwC network. He is also a CEDR accredited mediator and has experience of alternative dispute resolution. He has worked for HMRC’s solicitors’ office and has first-hand knowledge of how HMRC handles disputes.

Matt Timmons

Matt is a Director in our UK and Global EGC team.Matt specialises in helping multinational corporations reduce cost, risk, and complexity associated with operating diverse corporate structures spanning multiple territories.Matt has spent time on secondment to New York advising US multinational groups needing to respond to increased regulation and focus on legal entity structures, such as FATCA and Dodd Frank, and the impact this is having on their future legal entity governance and compliance obligations.More recently he’s been with clients on regulations focused on improving transparency and reporting with respect to corporate ownership e.g. BEPS, CBCR, Fourth Money Laundering Directive and in particular, new UK corporate governance regulations for private businesses.Matt is a member of ICSA: The Governance Institute.

Peter Johnson

Peter is a solicitor, chartered accountant and chartered tax adviser in the Legal Tax Disputes team. Peter focuses on direct tax disputes, particularly those with a multi-disciplinary aspect – recent projects have encompassed a variety of tax law, commercial law, administrative law and technical accountancy issues. Where litigation has proved necessary, Peter has helped clients with cases going to the Tax Tribunal, High Court (Business & Property Courts), High Court (Administrative Court) and the Court of Justice of the European Union. Peter is also an experienced tax adviser more generally, and acts as a corporation tax adviser in non-contentious matters for a number of international corporate clients of the firm.

Pritul Shah

Pritul is a Director in our UK and Global EGC Team.Pritul specialises in providing subsidiary governance, transaction and compliance support to multinationals with a particular focus on Listed clients. He has extensive experience in advising clients on global governance structures with a particular focus on improving governance, streamlining processes and using technology to provide services more efficiently and cost effectively. Pritul leads our global company secretarial managed services offering where he provides an integrated company secretarial service as an extension to a clients’ in-house team. In addition, Pritul has spent some time on secondment to a FTSE 250 insurance group to help them prepare for an IPO and leading a review of their global subsidiary governance framework as well as setting up the new share schemes.He has also provided board governance support to a number of Financial Services regulated entities and Pensions boards.Pritul is a member of ICSA: The Governance Institute.

Tilly Harries

Tilly is a qualified barrister with 15 years’ experience of advising on employment matters and litigating employment disputes. As a barrister, she brings extensive litigation experience from the initial preparation of claims up to and including advocacy in the tribunal and judicial mediation. She has represented a wide variety of clients, including multi-national companies, trade unions, insurers, partnerships, public and government bodies and major PLCs.Described as being ‘always solutions orientated’, Tilly has particular expertise in managing and resolving contentious matters. She has assisted clients with investigating discipline and grievance issues, resolving whistleblowing complaints, dealing with sexual harassment allegations and managing senior exits.Tilly also leads PwC’s HR Support service. The service provides clients with unlimited HR compliance and employment law advice to manage their people risk and ensure they stay compliant with the law. Through the service, clients receive unlimited advice from PwC’s specialist employment lawyers on any employee issue for a low cost fixed monthly fee.Tilly received a ‘Women in Law Award’ in 2018 and 2019 from Lawyer Monthly in recognition of her outstanding legal expertise and contribution within Employment Law. She is also referenced in the Legal 500 2020 as “a good leader” who makes “great tactical decisions”.

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