Christopher Drewry, a corporate partner in the Chicago office and Global Co-Chair of the firm’s Shareholder Activism & Takeover Defense Practice, regularly represents multinational corporations across industries and jurisdictions in their highest-stakes M&A transactions and shareholder activism defense matters.

Mr. Drewry has built a leading cross-border practice that spans the full spectrum of M&A and shareholder activism defense matters, with a focus on complex transactions and board-level advice for leading global companies. His extensive experience includes:

  • Transformational “merger of equal” and other strategic M&A transactions
  • Multijurisdictional global business separations
  • Cutting-edge shareholder activism and takeover defense counseling
  • Specialized special committee and board governance advice

Mr. Drewry regularly speaks and writes on new developments in the field, including editing the M&A chapters in the updated third edition of Investment Banking: Valuation, LBOs, M&A and IPOs and on evolving shareholder rights plan (poison pill) technologies.

He is recognized by The Legal 500 nationally as one of three next generation partners in providing advice to boards of directors on shareholder activism defense matters.

Mr. Drewry is a member of the firm's Finance Committee and the Women Enriching Business Committee. He is a former member of Latham’s Pro Bono Committee.

Mr. Drewry’s representative experience includes:

Transformational Strategic M&A

  • SLB, a global technology company driving energy innovation, in its pending US$8 billion all stock acquisition of ChampionX Corporation
  • Webhelp, a Paris-based global customer experience leader, in its US$4.8 billion combination with US-listed Concentrix Corporation
  • Silicon Motion, a global leader in supplying NAND flash controllers for solid state storage devices, in its $3.8 billion take-private sale to Max Linear (terminated)
  • Cerner Corporation, a leading provider of digital information services used within hospitals and health systems, in its US$28 billion take-private sale to Oracle
  • FMC Technologies, a US-listed company, in its US$13 billion merger of equals transaction with Technip S.A., a Euronex Paris-listed designer and developer of offshore oil and gas process facilities via the EU cross-border merger regime
  • Tencent on the stock-for-stock merger of Huya and DouYu, both leading game-centric live streaming platforms (terminated)
  • Sinovac Biotech in a subsidiary equity sale to Advantech Capital and Vivo Capital to accelerate COVID-19 vaccine development
  • Orbitz Worldwide, a leading global online travel company, in its US$1.6 billion take-private sale to Expedia
  • Koch Industries, Inc. in its US$7.2 billion take-private acquisition of Molex Incorporated, a leading supplier of connectors
  • Georgia-Pacific in its US$1.5 billion take-private tender offer acquisition of Buckeye Technologies, a leading manufacturer of specialty fibers and nonwoven materials

Multijurisdictional Global Business Separations

  • TechnipFMC, a global oilfield services company, in the carve-out sale of its measurement solutions business to One Equity Partners
  • Worthington Industries in its spin-off of its steel processing business into two differentiated, independent, and publicly-traded companies
  • Colfax in its tax-free spinoff transaction to separate its fabrication technology and specialty medical technology businesses into two independent publicly-traded companies
  • TechnipFMC, a global oilfield services company, in its spin-off of its engineering and construction segment, forming Technip Energies
  • Delphi Automotive in its US$727 million sale of its global thermal systems business to Germanbased MAHLE GmbH
  • Aptiv (formerly Delphi Automotive) in connection with the US$4.5 billion spin-off and listing of its powertrain systems segment, forming Delphi Technologies
  • Actuant in the sale of its engineered components & systems segment to One Rock Capital Partners

Shareholder Activism and Takeover Defense

  • Kohl's in a multi-year defense including a successful proxy contest leading to the re-election of all directors against a control slate proposed by Macellum Advisors
  • New Relic in defense of a campaign by Engaged Capital seeking board representation and governance changes
  • Berry Global in defense of a campaign by Ancora Advisors and Eminence Capital
  • Sinovac Biotech in the triggering of a shareholder rights plan against 1Globe Capital (pending)
  • Cars.com in its defense of a public campaign by Starboard Value seeking board seats
  • Zagg in defense of campaigns by Roumell Asset Management and Arex Capital Management seeking board representation
  • Spok Holdings in defense of an unsolicited offers from Acacia Research and B. Riley Financial
  • Spok Holdings in defense of a campaign by White Hat Capital seeking board representation
  • HollySys Automation in its defense of an unsolicited offer from its former CEO and CPE Fund Management Limited
  • Allison Transmission in its defense of a public campaign by Ashe Capital seeking board seats and proxy access

Special Committee and Conflict of Interest Transactions

  • The Special Committee of the Board of Directors of CNA Surety Corporation in the US$450 million take-private sale of CNA Surety to CNA Insurance
  • The Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Universal Truckload Services, Inc. (UTSI) in the US$335 million acquisition of LINC Logistics Company by UTSI

Bar Qualification

  • Illinois

Education

  • JD, Notre Dame Law School
    cum laude
  • BA, Georgetown University
    cum laude