Blumenthal Richter & Sumet Ltd.

Corporate and Commercial / M&A

Senior Partner

Andreas Richter is a Senior Partner at Blumenthal Richter & Sumet and legal counsel to some of the leading international enterprises doing business in Southeast Asia. A partner since 1996, he has played a pivotal role in transforming BRS into one of the largest independent law firms in Thailand with a true international client focus. Andreas is a Thai-German national and obtained his law degree from the University of Hamburg in Germany.

Andreas specializes in corporate, commercial and business law and regularly advises Asian, European and United States multinational corporations, SMEs, start-up companies and high-net-worth individuals on market entry strategies, corporate governance, regulatory matters, joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions, cross-border transactions and intellectual property.

Andreas has worked as a team leader on the negotiation, preparation and implementation of significant investment projects in the region related to chemicals, food, automotive supplier manufacturing facilities as well as regional service and distribution companies. He regularly provides specialist advice to prominent foreign law firms whose clients are entering the Thailand market and assists with aspects of global transactions and acquisitions related to the country.

His recent experiences include advising: - one of the largest motor vehicle manufacturers worldwide on market entry strategies to establish a large automotive manufacturing facility in Thailand, obtaining Thai Board of Investment approval, corporate structuring and related tax and customs issues, valued at EUR 800 million - on the market entry of a leading German automotive supplier to establish a manufacturing plant in Thailand including land acquisition, extensive land due diligence, Thai Board of Investment promotion and compliance, complex contract negotiations and drafting as well as ongoing advisory related to construction contract work, contractor defaults and HR matters, valued at EUR 500 million - a food manufacturer based in the United States on the establishment of a new confectionary coating facility in Thailand, including Thailand Board of Investment approval and land acquisition, valued at THB 850 million - a large Chinese industrial group on the acquisition of a Thailand-based PET bottle manufacturer, including conducting an extensive legal due diligence on the target company and structuring guarantees for protection of the buyer company, valued at THB 550 million - a Netherlands-based client on the structuring and subsequent turn-key implementation of a large chemical manufacturing plant in Thailand, including obtaining Thai Board of Investment approval, assisting on the land acquisition and extensive contract drafting work related to plant construction, supplier agreements and employment matters, valued at THB 500 million - a leading Japanese manufacturer of automotive parts on a business takeover/acquisition of two Thai metal manufacturing companies, including conducting legal due diligence on the target company and its assets (machinery, buildings and real estate), contract drafting and extensive reviews, discussions with government officials and processing of Building Code-related permits and licenses, valued at THB 230 million

German and English.

Andreas is a certified director and graduate member of the Thai Institute of Directors, and a member of the Hamburg Bar Association and the Inter-Pacific Bar Association. He is a former Chairman of the Joint Foreign Chambers of Commerce in Thailand Law Committee, and, for six years, represented the Asia-Pacific region as Vice-Chair on the International Board of Directors of INTERLAW, a global association of independent business law firms which is recognized by the leading legal industry publication Chambers & Partners as one of its few global-wide “Leading Law Firm Networks” in its “The Elite” category.

Andreas is a previous President and Vice-President of the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce (GTCC) and has served seven terms on the Board of Directors of the GTCC. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the International School Bangkok, where he currently serves as Chairman of the Board. In addition, he is the exclusive representative for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) in Thailand of IR Global, which is ranked by Chambers & Partners in its global-wide list of “Leading Law Firm Networks” and the preeminent legal publication The Legal 500.

Andreas obtained his law degree from the University of Hamburg in Germany.