Challenges in Cross Border Merger Assessment

We are delighted to announce the inaugural conference of the Institute for Global Law, Economics and Finance at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies in Paris.

The aim of this conference is to showcase areas of convergence and divergence in merger assessment, and to discuss means for greater harmonisation in the ways in which major jurisdictions assess mergers that have a cross border impact on competition.

Some of the topics to be discussed include:

• What are the challenges for a company that is involved in a cross border merger assessment both from the perspective of an in house counsel

• What is the best advice for clients that are involved in concentrations with a cross border impact and multiple notification requirements

• How does an EU national competition authority  decide whether to ask for a referral. What are the considerations an NCA would take into account in deciding to request a referral to/from EC. How does an EU NCA collaborate with non NCAs from non EU jurisdictions

• How does the US Federal Trade Commission cooperate with  other authorities on cross border mergers and what may be the challenges in such cooperation

Speakers

Simon Genevaz, Head of Mergers Unit, Autorité de la Concurrence

Patrick Hubert, Partner, Avocat à la Cour, Clifford Chance Europe LLP

Krisztian Katona, Counsel for International Antitrust at U.S. Federal Trade Commission

Doris Speer, recent Deputy General Counsel, Mergers and Acquisitions, ALSTOM Group

Moderator

Ioannis Kokkoris, Professor of Law and Economics, Queen Mary University of London

There is no charge for attending this event. We hope that you will join a drinks reception afterwards.

5.30pm - accueil

6pm - conference

8pm - drinks reception

 About the Speakers

Simon Genevaz

Simon Genevaz is Head of the Mergers Unit with the French Competition Authority. Prior to his current position, he was an International Fellow with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, a Case Handler with the French Competition Authority and an attorney in private practice. He holds an LL.M. from Harvard Law School (2003) and a Law Degree from the University Rennes I (2001). He is also a former student of the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Cachan and was admitted to the Agrégation in Economics and Management in 2002.

Patrick Hubert

Patrick Hubert works with the anti-trust, public law and environmental law groups in the Paris office. His appointment matches Clifford Chance's enhanced activity in these three areas. Patrick has published various articles on administrative law (in particular on expropriation), on antitrust and environmental questions.  He is the author of a report about the future of justice in Europe.

Krisztian Katona

Krisztian Katona is Counsel for International Antitrust in the US Federal Trade Commission’s Office of International Affairs. He is responsible for multilateral antitrust affairs and coordinates FTC antitrust enforcement activities with those of European national competition authorities. He has represented the FTC in a number of international fora related to competition policy and law enforcement, including the OECD Competition Committee and the International Competition Network.

Doris Speer

Doris L. Speer was until recently Deputy General Counsel, Business Transactions for the ALSTOM Group, a French CAC 40 company where she had worldwide responsibility for all legal aspects of ALSTOM’s M&A activity (acquisitions, divestitures and joint ventures) for its four sectors (transport infrastructure, thermal and renewable power generation and transmission). In this position she regularly handled international transactions worldwide.

Ms. Speer started her career at Alstom in its Transport Sector in 1999 in New York City, holding the position of Associate General Counsel of the Americas Region, responsible for legal matters in North and South America.

She graduated summa cum laude from Detroit College of Law at Michigan State University and has an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) from Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (H.E.C.), in Paris, France. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Music from Wayne State University, majoring in Percussion Performance. She is a member of the bars in New York and Michigan.

Doris started her career at Shearman & Sterling, where she represented clients in the areas of M&A and securities laws. She was also a Senior Associate at Pillsbury Winthrop, where she focused primarily on corporate finance, handling public offerings and private placements.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Doris was a professional musician, playing drums in jazz and rock bands, and percussion in orchestras and musical theatre groups, during which time she also performed on tour in the United States and France.

Ioannis Kokkoris

Professor Ioannis Kokkoris holds a Chair in Law and Economics at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies, Queen Mary University of London. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Institute of Studies in Competition Law and Policy.

He is an expert on competition law as well as on law and economics. His main research interests are in the area of law and economics, comparative competition law/economics and policy, intellectual property, as well as banking law and financial regulation. Professor Kokkoris has formerly served as Principal Case Officer/Economic Advisor in the Mergers branch at the Office of Fair Trading, UK where he dealt with leading cases such as NASDAQ/LSE, NYSE/Euronext, Global/GCap and was a member of the drafting team of the UK Merger Guidelines. He has also worked on abuse of dominance cases as well as cartels and other anticompetitive agreements cases. He has previously served as an Economist in the Merger Task Force at the DG Competition-European Commission.

About the Institute of Global Law, Economics and Finance (IGLEF)

IGLEF constitutes a forum for stimulating and conducting interdisciplinary research and disseminating knowledge in areas of law, economics and finance. The Institute focuses on advancing legal scholarship, bringing together scholars, policymakers, and practitioners; and informing policy through research projects, conferences, teaching and publications. The Institute aims to become one of the leading Institutes for the study of competition law and policy in the UK and globally. It aims to constitute a catalyst for dialogue, thought leadership and scholarship. IGLEF adopts a flexible approach in its engagement with stakeholders and is closely aligned with the needs of policymakers, as well as the needs of the industry and their advisors in various areas of competition law and policy.

For further information, please contact:

Anna Gray

Phone: +33 (0)1 44 11 73 97

E-mail: anna.gray@qmul.ac.uk