Shoosmiths LLP

Business Advisory, Regulation, business crime & compliance

Kiran is a Partner and Head of Brussels office with extensive experience advising on competition law, both UK and EU, as well as EU compliance law generally. He has worked on matters covering many sectors and in the past few years has been particularly active in relation to the TDT sectors and technology aspects of other sectors, such as automotive. In recent years he has focused on competition and EU regulatory law issues concerning local markets mergers, technology and data.  He has advised clients in relation to the UK/EU interface as a result of Brexit and in relation to broader UK trade law matters, including sanctions advice.  Kiran is a member of the firm's India Business Group and regularly advises Indian corporations.

Kiran is qualified to practice in England & Wales as well as Brussels, the latter allowing his advice to benefit from legal privilege when advising clients on sensitive EU competition law issues.

Kiran is a recognised author and speaker on competition law, in particular the technology sector. He is the standing contributor to the UK competition chapter of Competition & Regulatory Law Review, published by Lexxion. He also writes regularly on topical subjects, typically with a business angle rather than a purely descriptive account of the legal development.

Examples of Kiran’s experience include:

• • advice to a client subject to a cartel allegation by the UK's FCA that was using its concurrent competition powers in an esoteric activity in the financial sector.

• • advice to a client subject to the double cartel investigation by the UK and EU competition authorities into the the recycling of cars and vans.

• • multi-jurisdictional merger control advice for an Indian HQ'd client in relation to the acquisition of a Scandinavian based target business,

• • advice and support for client in relation to a voluntary NSI Act application that was subject to an in-depth investigation,

• • production of a report for a leading Chinese technology producer proposing a methodology to examine the government effects of removing its products from the market as regards competition law and cybersecurity law,

• • a second phase merger investigation with divestments in Germany for a leading European cinema exhibitor,

• • a study in relation to tobacco price rules for a global tobacco company,

• • litigation before the European Court of Justice on behalf of the several leading UK companies appealing the European Commission’s CFC State aid decision,

• • a study for the European Commission, where he was the lawyer addressing the competition and regulatory aspects, including liability and insurance of changes to the structure of air transport navigation, in particular the data aspects of such changes,

• • competition compliance and strategic advice for an ad hoc group of suppliers concerning certain downstream issues,

• • sanctions advice to a sports business in relation to its broadcasting agreement with a national broadcaster,

• • advice to a sport association about a possible competition complaint to the European Commission re the conduct of a sport organising body.

Examples of Kiran’s articles include:

• • The CMA's report into AI foundation models, European Competition and Regulatory Review, Volume 7 (2024), Issue 4

• • Competition, Big Tech and Retail Financial Services - A Regulator's Discussion Paper, European Competition and Regulatory Review, Volume 6(2023), Issue 1

• • Follow-on Damages Actions: An Example of When They Might Not Occur?, European Competition and Regulatory Review, Volume 6 (2022), Issue 4

• • National Security and Investment Act 2021: Eight Months Review, European Competition and Regulatory Review, Volume 6 (2022), Issue 3

• • Facebook / GIPHY merger - The end of BigTech's spending spree? European Competition and Regulatory Review, Volume 6 (2022), Issue 1

• • Changing Competition Law for the Digital Sector, European Competition and Regulatory Review, 1/2021 (Vol. 5) https://core.lexxion.eu/article/CORE/2021/1/0 UK State Aid Rules Post-Brexit, European State Aid Law Quarterly, (2020, No.4).

• • The UK Competition and Markets Authority’s report, Online platforms and digital  advertising, in context, European Competition and Regulatory Review, 3/2020 (Vol. 4) https://core.lexxion.eu/article/CORE/2020/3/9

• • Antitrust M&A: 4 to 3 mergers might be back on the strategic table, EY Law, June 2020 The sharing economy: legal fragmentation might lead to harmonization of the law, EY Law, June 2020

• • EU State Aid – An overlooked element of transaction strategy, EY Law, May 2020

• • COVID-19: State Aid as Part of Your Financial Solution – The Questions to Ask, EY Law, May 2020

• • EU Competition Rules: Covid-19 Crisis Response EY Law, April 2020

• • Chemicals Industry: Competition Rules and State aid: Key Developments, EY Law, March 2020

• • A Major Strategy Initiative – EU Data – Competition & Industrial Policy, EY Law, February 2020

• • Data ownership and monetization are core issues of a recent competition complaint, EY Law, September 2019

Examples of Kiran’s speaking engagements include:

• • 2023 August 8, Competition and employment laws overlap, podcast

• • 2023 April 28, ESG practical points for business, episode 1, Five actions for the coming months, podcast

• • 2022 November 22, UK-India commerce: Competition and bilateral investment, podcast with Khaitan & Co

• • 2022 November 1, NSI Act - nine months review, Shoosmiths webinar with DRD Partners

• • 2020 October 9, Forum Europe, Cyber-Security Salons, Global Outlook

• • 2020 May 2, EY Forensics and Vaish Associates Advocates, Competition in India and Abroad

• • 2019 September 20-21, Prague EU Law Days, Competition Law and the 4th Industrial Revolution

• • 2019 June 17, EY Law, M&A client seminar, Competition Law

• • 2019 May 23, EY global M&A partners meeting, London, EU & Competition Law Hot Topics for M&A lawyers

• • 2018 IBC Advanced EU Competition Law, Brussels, Blockchain: Competition Law Challenges

• • 2018 September 25, EY global webcast, Navigating tomorrow’s automotive industry legal challenges

• • 2018 July, EY global tax conference, New York, Legal Aspects of Brexit
  • 2018 June 7-8, Prague EU Law Days, Competition Law and Innovation

• • 2018 February 14, EY global webcast, Navigating routes to market in an era of change

Kiran joined Shoosmiths in January 2022. Previously he was the EU Competition Law Leader at EY Law in Belgium and prior to that the managing partner of the Brussels office of Mayer Brown.