+64 7 839 4771

Kerri Dewe

Kerri Dewe

Partner

To make an appointment, please contact Jessica Miller jessica.miller@tompkinswake.co.nz

Qualifications : LLB (First Class Hons), BCom, University of Otago.

 

Recommended Lawyer for Bios 2035    The Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer 2061 Recommended Lawyer 2022 Legal 514

 

Kerri is an experienced corporate and commercial lawyer with more than 20 years’ experience. A proactive and effective professional, Kerri is commended by clients for her responsiveness and project contributions. Her skills have been recognised by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific as 'Next Generation Partner' and 'Recommended Lawyer'.

Kerri’s practice has a focus on transactional M&A matters, private capital raising and investment, and significant commercial contracts. She also advises on business structuring and regulatory compliance matters.

Kerri works with clients across a range of industries, from start-ups to SMEs to leading corporates, private companies, listed companies, private equity and venture capital funds, financial institutions and professional services firms. She is an effective advisor to business, with broad corporate and commercial experience and valuable perspective gained while working within various commercial organisations as in-house counsel.

Client feedback:

  • "Kerri Dewe is very focussed, and technical, but still commercial and pragmatic." - Client feedback, The Legal 500, Asia Pacific, Corporate and M&A 2024
  • "Mark Lowndes and Kerri Dewe are both super-responsive and personable. They are always a safe pair of hands and look after our client files in a superb manner. I recommend them unreservedly." - Client feedback, The Legal 500, Asia Pacific, Corporate and M&A 2024
  • Kerri Dewe is always across from the details, extremely diligent and focused." - Client feedback, The Legal 500, Asia Pacific, Corporate and M&A 2023

Areas of expertise

  • Capital Raising
  • Commercial Contracts
  • Corporate Governance
  • Corporate Structuring/Restructuring
  • Employee Share Schemes
  • Joint Ventures
  • Limited Partnerships
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Private Equity
  • Shareholder Agreements
  • Shareholder Disputes
  • Venture Capital
  • Employment Law (non-contentious)
  • Start Ups

Other Credentials:

  • NZ Private Capital, Member
  • Recommended Lawyer, Corporate and M&A, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024
  • Highly Regarded Lawyer, M&A, IFLR 2022
  • Next Generation Partner, The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2020 (and as Next Generation Lawyer in 2019 and 2018)
  • Auckland Women Lawyers' Association, Member
  • TRI NZ, Member

Kerri has had a leading role in significant M&A transactions (both the buy and sell side) and advises on a wide range of corporate and day-to-day commercial matters.

Examples include:

  • Yellow Pages acquisition by NASDAQ-listed Thryv, Inc
  • The sale of Vesper Marine to Garmin
  • ASX-listed Dicker Data's A$68 million acquisition of Exeed Group 
  • The purchase of executive recruitment business Hobson Heavy by NZX-listed Accordant
  • An ASX-listed entity’s multi-million dollar investment into a special-purpose property fund 
  • Various venture capital firms on early-stage and venture capital convertible note and preference share investments
  • Various start-ups on seed capital raising
  • GB WFC France SAS’s global acquisition of ACP Worldwide, air cargo, advising on the New Zealand subsidiary aspects
  • The sale of Waipa Networks' 15% shareholding in Ultrafast Fibre Limited under a $854 million sale agreement
  • The NZ aspects of the sale of Horizon Global's Australasian operations (renamed AutoPacific)
  • The sale of Decortech Ltd and Plytech Ltd to ASX listed Big River Industries
  • The sale of recruitment agency Madison by NZX-listed Accordant (then AWF Group)
  • The sale of Fusion Electronics and its subsidiaries (located in four countries) to Garmin
  • Rothbury Group becoming the founding New Zealand member of Australian insurance broking network Steadfast, making it the largest such network in Australasia, and on various subsequent brokerage acquisitions
  • The sale of all of the assets and business of a medical centre to private equity interests
  • The cross-border acquisition by ANL, a subsidiary of CMG-CGM, of a regional NZ shipping line
  • The refinancing of significant vendor finance provided by Huawei to 2degrees
  • Transitioning various clients to the new securities law regime under the Financial Markets Conduct Act
  • The private equity investment, alongside executive management, in a significant health information technology company
  • The sale of a biodiesel manufacturing business and the transfer of worldwide patent and other intellectual property assets
  • Establishment of a New Zealand start-up for investment (through US start-up) to commercialise emerging battery technology and the monetization of related IP licensing streams, including fundraising and securities law advice
  • The sale by a managed investment scheme of a portfolio of 17 supermarket properties throughout New Zealand
  • Acting for multiple professional firms (accounting and legal) in connection with constitutional arrangements, internal structuring, and exit arrangements
  • Acting for clients in various industries on NZ establishment and shareholders’ arrangements (whether as majority, equal or minority shareholder)

Kerri has gained valuable perspective and experience working within commercial organisations as in-house counsel, including for Vector, Vodafone New Zealand, and BP Middle East.

Tompkins Wake advises Vesper Marine on its sale to Garmin

Tompkins Wake is pleased to have acted for Vesper Marine in its acquisition by NYSE listed multinational technology group Garmin International. Vesper...

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Tompkins Wake advises on $854m strategic infrastructure sale

Tompkins Wake is pleased to have advised the WEL Energy Trust and Waipa Networks on the sale of Ultrafast Fibre Holdings (UFFH) to First State Investm...

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