Senator the Hon Mathias Cormann

The Government is pleased to announce the appointment of five new members of the Takeovers Panel and the appointment of five existing Panel members as new Alternative Presidents.

The Takeovers Panel is a mechanism for peer review of takeovers activity and facilitates an efficient, expeditious and less formal process of regulating takeovers in Australia.

Ms Karen Evans-Cullen, Ms Michelle Jablko, Mr Ian Jackman SC, Mr Christian Johnston and Mr John Sheahan QC have been appointed as new members of the Takeovers Panel.

Due to the nature of the work conducted by the Takeovers Panel, it may be necessary for an Alternative President to step in when the President is absent from office or is unavailable to act as President due to conflicts of interest or otherwise.

For those occasions, Dr Nora Scheinkestel, Mr Ewen Crouch AM, Ms Sarah Dulhunty, Mr Richard Hunt and Ms Heather Zampatti have been appointed as Alternative Presidents.

Ms Evans-Cullen is a partner with Clayton Utz with over 20 years experience as a strategic mergers and acquisitions and corporate advisory lawyer. Ms Evans-Cullen has a strong reputation for co-ordinating large cross-jurisdictional transactions. She is also a Senior Fellow at Financial Services Institute of Australasia (Finsia).

Ms Michelle Jablko has more than 16 years of transaction experience and is a Managing Director at Greenhill Calliburn. Ms Jablko has significant experience working on complex mergers and acquisitions across a variety of industry sectors, including financial services, media, transport, resources, gaming, industrials, consumer products and retail.

Mr Ian Jackman SC practises as a barrister and is a Senior Counsel in New South Wales. Mr Jackman has extensive experience acting in corporations law matters, including mergers and acquisitions, particularly on schemes of arrangement. He has been a Rhodes Scholar for New South Wales and was previously a director of Counsels Chambers Ltd.

Mr Christian Johnston has served as Managing Director, Head of Investment Banking Division in Australia and New Zealand at Goldman Sachs, since 2007. He has extensive investment banking experience covering mergers and acquisitions and financing (both debt and equity) with Goldman Sachs and previously with UBS and Bankers Trust.

Mr John Sheahan QC is a practising barrister and specialises in corporate and commercial law in a 29 year career at the Bar. Mr Sheahan has previously been the Counsel Assisting in the Jackson Inquiry. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Law and Justice Foundation, and a Board member of the Haymarket Foundation Ltd.

These five appointees join the 32 existing members on the Takeovers Panel, maintaining the high level of skills and experience available. All new appointments took effect from 14 April 2014 and will expire after 7 March 2017.

I would like to acknowledge outgoing Takeover Panel members, Mr Hamish Douglass, Mr Andrew Sisson, Mr Robin Bishop, Mr Stephen Creese, Mr John Fast, Mr John Humphrey, Mr Alistair Lucas, Mr Tony Osmond, Mr Mike Roche, Mr Peter Scott, Mr John Story, Ms Diana Chang, Ms Stephanie Daveson, Ms Paula Dwyer and Ms Julie McPherson and thank them for their contribution and service.