Simon leads Freehills’ cross-border property funds management team in Singapore. He originates and manages major commercial real estate investment transactions across Asia and Australia. Simon also represents global clients undertaking foreign direct investment, procurement and cross-border M&A transactions in other sectors including manufacturing, infrastructure and resources.

Simon has lived and worked in Singapore for over 7 years, being first seconded to Singapore from the Freehills Perth office during 2000–02. He has been permanently based in Singapore since June 2006.

Simon represents listed and unlisted multinational corporations and funds, including sovereign wealth funds. He is experienced in fund formation and structuring, and managing and documenting major acquisitions, joint ventures, disposals, developments and leasings, and offtake arrangements. Simon’s broad commercial practice includes contracting and procurement. He was named in The International Who’s Who of Public Procurement Lawyers 2011 for Singapore.

Major projects and clients

Recent major projects and clients include:

• the sponsors of a proposed US$1 billion pan-Asian industrial property fund to be listed in South East Asia
• Lend Lease and one of its managed funds ARIF, on their successful joint bid for the acquisition of Singapore’s Jurong Gateway Road mixed-use development site for S$748 million
• structuring joint venture arrangements and supply contracts for a resources sector company on a proposed joint venture in Thailand
• structuring and investment advice for agribusiness companies in the Philippines and Indonesia
• advising on retail development projects in Malaysia and Vietnam
• an attempted hostile change of manager transaction, the first of its kind in the Singapore listed REIT market
• Lend Lease with the structuring of its ownership of the 313 @ somerset retail development on Orchard Road, Singapore, including joint ownership, property management, retail leasing, development management and administration arrangements for the S$1.1 billion project
• corporate and foreign investment advice on the establishment of a pan Asian private property fund to be domiciled in Singapore
• numerous cross-border investment transactions in the manufacturing, insurance, telecommunications, energy and resources sectors in Australia, Singapore, India and Indonesia.

Simon holds a combined degree of Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Tasmania. He is admitted to practice in Australia, and is a registered foreign lawyer in Singapore.

Simon is a member of the Regulatory & Liaison Committee of the Asia Pacific Real Estate Association (APREA) and the Australian Chamber of Commerce (Singapore), and is an associate member of the Law Society of Singapore.

He has presented at international conferences and industry briefings on REITs and structuring M&A transactions across Asia and Australia. Simon is a board member of Freehills Foundation, whose aims are to increase access to justice and assist disadvantaged people in the Asia-Pacific.