Mark Lowndes
Mark Lowndes
Special Counsel
+64 9 973 6990
+64 21 921 323
mark.lowndes@tompkinswake.co.nz
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Auckland
To make an appointment, please contact Annie van Zyl-Greene annie.vanzylgreene@tompkinswake.co.nz
Qualifications : LLB (Hons), BCom, University of Auckland.
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Mark is a highly experienced corporate and commercial lawyer. He advises New Zealand and international companies on a range of matters such as mergers and acquisitions, capital raising, corporate advisory, private equity, venture capital, cross -border transactions and international investment.
As an example, Mark advised Waipa Networks, one of the two vendors, on their sale of Ultrafast Fibre Limited to First State Investments for $854 million.
Mark is also a member of the firm's technology and digital practice, acting for a wide range of clients from start-ups to global brands on local and international matters.
Mark is also active advising families in the family office and private wealth areas.
Mark commenced practice at Simpson Grierson. After a period as in-house counsel for BP Oil New Zealand, he founded Lowndes Jordan in 1986 as New Zealand’s first ’boutique’ law firm, and the first New Zealand law firm to be ISO 9001 certified. Mark is known as a long-term innovator in the legal profession.
In 1997 he founded corporate and commercial law specialist firm Lowndes, which combined the partner accessibility and client-focus of a boutique firm with the knowledge and range of senior specialist expertise of a large commercial law firm. The firm and its directors were ranked across the international legal industry directories as a leading firm and/or leading practitioners across seven areas of law. Mark merged his practice with Tompkins Wake in September 2020.
Alongside his legal work, Mark holds company directorships and trusteeships in New Zealand and internationally. He is a Certified Member of the Institute of Directors and has served as a mentor for the Institute's training programmes.
Mark has an international client following. He has served as the Chair of Multilaw, a leading global association of over 10,000 lawyers practicing in 100 countries and ranked as ‘Elite’ by Chambers Global. He has been active since 2020 in the Inter-Pacific Bar Association.
Mark is recommended as a leading lawyer by prominent international legal industry directories including Chambers Global, Legal 500, Asialaw Profiles (‘Notable Practitioner’) and IFLR1000 (‘Highly Regarded’). He is ranked by Best Lawyers in New Zealand in corporate law, information technology law, technology law and telecommunications law.
Mark served as a judge of the New Zealand Law Awards and the Australian Law Awards for several years.
Client feedback:
- "Mark Lowndes – been my go-to in NZ for many years, ably supported by Kerri Dewe, who is now a Partner and very hands-on. Mark is a visionary in relation to business issues and finding solutions – a lateral thinker and problem solver." - Client feedback, The Legal 500, Asia Pacific, Corporate and M&A 2024
- "Mark's strength is his natural ability to understand the company's issues and provide measured advice." - Client feedback, Chambers and Partners, Asia Pacific, Corporate/Commercial 2024
- “Mark has exceptional responsiveness, client focus and awareness. He is extremely savvy and experienced.” - Client feedback, Chambers and Partners, Asia Pacific, Corporate/Commercial 2023
Areas of expertise
- Capital Raising
- Commercial Contracts
- Commercialisation of Intellectual Property
- Commercial Law
- Corporate Advisory
- Corporate Finance
- Corporate Structuring/Restructuring
- Mergers and Acquisitions
- Overseas Investment
- Private Equity
- Technology Commercialisation
- Venture Capital
- Family Office & Private Wealth
Other Credentials
- Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (FINSIA)
- Institute of Directors NZ, Certified Member
- Honorary Consul of the Republic of Mauritius to New Zealand
- Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael of the Wing
- Freeman of the City of London
- New Zealand Private Capital, Member
- American Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand, Member
- Inter-Pacific Bar Association (IPBA), Member & Legal Practice Committee Vice-Chair
- Advises numerous New Zealand subsidiaries of well-known multinational companies, and larger New Zealand companies, on a broad range of corporate and commercial law issues
- Advises various ASX listed companies on their business operations in New Zealand
- Advises Barfoot & Thompson, New Zealand's largest privately-owned real estate agency
- Advises Rothbury Group, one of New Zealand's largest insurance brokers, on numerous acquisitions, on the introduction of Steadfast Group (ASX:SDF) as a cornerstone shareholder, and ongoing commercial matters
- Advises a range of multinational companies with operations in New Zealand, including B.Braun, Würth, dormakaba, Kärcher, Aggreko, DMG Mori, AKVA, and Las Vegas Sands
- Advises Liberty Financial Group (ASX:LFG), an Australian finance group, in New Zealand
- Advised Waipa Networks, one of the two vendors on their sale Ultrafast Fibre Limited to First State Investments for $854 million. The transaction was recognised as the "M&A Transaction of the Year" in the Institute of Finance Professionals NZ 2021 annual awards.
- Advising Horizon Global (now renamed AutoPacific) and its Australian counsel on New Zealand aspects of its sale including undertaking vendor due diligence exercise. Total sale price AUD $340 million
- Acting for ASX listed Abacus Property on the $40 million acquisition of a self-storage facility in Auckland
- Advised PowerbyProxi, which created technology for wireless charging, for some years leading up until its acquisition by Apple
- Advises Waipa Networks on its multi-million dollar investment in Ultrafast Fibre Limited, an entity formed in connection with the New Zealand Government's nationwide UltraFast Broadband initiative. Ultrafast Fibre was sold in 2020 for $854 million
- Advises SKYCITY (NZE:SKC), owner of the 328m high Auckland Sky Tower, on its contractual relationships with various telecommunications and broadcasting clients using the tower
- Advised Madison Group on its acquisition by listed company AWF (NZE:AWF), and now acts for AWF Madison
- Advised Huawei Technologies on its financing of a US$100 mobile phone network rollout for 2degrees and advises Huawei on ongoing legal matters in New Zealand including regulatory and consumer
- Acting for Frutarom (LSE:FRUT) on its US$70 million acquisition of Taura Natural Ingredients
- Advised major shareholder of CS Company Ltd on the $37 million sale to Trilogy International (NZX: TIL)
- Acting on the sale of Fusion Electronics to Garmin Ltd (NASDAQ:GRMN)
- Acting on the sale of RX Plastics to the Aliaxis Group
- Advised Sir Peter Maire, the founder of Navman, on the purchase of part of the ProvencoCadmus business now rebranded Invenco Group
- Acting for the vendors of Ancare on the sale to Merial, now part of Sanofi (NYSE:SNY)
- Acting for iHug Ltd on its merger with then ASX listed iiNet Limited and subsequent sale of iHug by iiNet to Vodafone NZ Ltd
- Advised Kookmin Bank, Korea’s largest bank
- Acting for the NZ Police Association on establishing a mortgage lending scheme, as well as the acquisition and securitisation of a large mortgage portfolio
