Ryan Kitcat
Partner | Johannesburg
Contact
T: +27 11 669 9296
Overview
Ryan advises clients across a broad range of sectors, including agribusiness, energy and natural resources, financial institutions, fintech, education, hospitality, tourism, insurance, mining, private security and ICT.
His principal area of practice is public and private M&A. He has advised on complex, high-stakes and high value local and cross-border transactions. His practice also involves advising clients on corporate governance, corporate reorganisations, distressed M&A, local ownership (including BBBEE) transactions, shareholder disputes, and shareholder activism.
Ryan looks to be a strategic partner to his clients. He adopts a commercially pragmatic approach that is sensitive to local context and complexities to, with the appropriate team, advise and support our clients to meet their objectives.
Ryan regularly contributes to the Firm’s pro bono and sustainability initiatives, and is part of the team developing the Firm’s sustainability practice. He developed the language for B Corps in South Africa, and contributed to the PRI, UNEP FI, the Generation Foundation report A Legal Framework for Impact, a report considering “investing for sustainability impact” in 11 jurisdictions.
Experience
Areas of Expertise:
- Mergers & Acquisitions (Public and Private)
- Corporate Governance
- Joint Ventures
- Reorganisations
- Empowerment and Local Content/Ownership Transactions
- Impact Investing
- Shareholder Activism
- Shareholder Disputes
- ESG
Ryan has advised:
- Standard Bank on its ZAR 10.6 billion buyout of the minority shareholders, and subsequent take private, of Liberty Holdings Ltd (Capital Markets Team of the Year at the African Legal Awards 2022).
- Linde plc on its ZAR 2.8 billion buyout of the minority shareholders, and subsequent take private, of African Oxygen Ltd (Afrox).
- ATON GmbH (Germany), on its proposed ZAR 7.6 billion takeover of JSE-listed Murray & Roberts Holdings Ltd.
- SBA Communications and Paradigm Infrastructure Ltd and their JV, Minara Tanzania Ltd, on its acquisition of Airtel Tanzania’s telecom tower portfolio of c. 1400 towers for approximately USD 175 million.
- SBA on multiple acquisitions of telecommunications tower portfolios in South Africa, including from Atlas Towers (approximately R2 billion) and Cell C.
- Chevron Global Energy, Inc. (USA), on the sale of in Chevron South Africa and Chevron Botswana for c. USD 1 billion to a Glencore-backed BEE shareholder in Chevron South Africa, following its pre-emption of Sinopec Corp. (China).
- TUI Global Hospitality Fund on its acquisition of the luxury 5 star resort Mora Zanzibar (formerly the Emerald Zanzibar Resort & Spa) in Matemwe Muyuni, Zanzibar for an undisclosed sum.
- Robinson Club GmbH on its acquisition of assets and strategic investment into the hotel sector in Zanzibar.
- Tate & Lyle Plc on the Tanzanian and Zanzibari aspects of its acquisition of its USD1.8 billion acquisition of CP Kelco ApS from JM Huber Corporation.
- AECI Ltd and AECI Mining Tanzania Ltd on the latter’s local ownership transaction with SF Group Ltd.
- BTE Renewables on its acquisition of a controlling interest in the 75 MW Prieska solar project in the Northern Cape from Sonnedix for an undisclosed sum.
- DAZN Group (UK), and Access Industries on the reorganisation and separation of their Perform Content business involving 30 countries, prior to its disposal to Stats LLC.
- Asea Brown Boveri Ltd (ABB) on Sub-Saharan African aspects of the global carve-out of its power grids business to F.I.M.E.R. S.p.A, including the sale and transfer of ABB South Africa (Pty) Ltd’s solar inverter business to Fimer Solar Solutions South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
- Schneider Electric France on its local ownership transaction in respect of its Tanzanian operating subsidiary, Schneider Electric Projects & Services Tanzania Ltd.
- Prosegur Global Alarmas RoW S.L. (Spain) on its acquisition of Beagle Watch Armed Response, and entry into the South African private security market.
- Beagle Watch Armed Response on its acquisition of the private security business of CSS Tactical.
- HSS Hire plc (UK), on its disposal of UK Platforms to Loxam, a leading European equipment-rental group, a class 1 transaction under the Listings Rules of the London Stock Exchange.
- Marriott International, Inc. (USA), on its ZAR 2.2 billion acquisition of the IP, hotel management and franchising business of the Protea Hotel Group, comprising 116 hotels in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa (M&A Team of the Year at the African Legal Awards in 2014).
- Ericsson South Africa on its BEE transaction.
- CIMC Trailers (China) on its acquisition of Top Trailers’ vehicle manufacturing business out of business rescue.
Awards
- IFLR1000’s Financial and Corporate Guide has rated Ryan as a Rising Star Partner for his work in Corporate and M&A (2024-2025).
AREA OF EXPERTISE
Qualifications
- BA, LLB, University of Cape Town.
- LLM, University of Florida.
- Impact Investing in Africa, UCT Graduate School of Business.
- Business and Sustainability Programme, Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership (CISL), University of Cambridge.
Professional Memberships
- Admitted attorney of the High Court of South Africa.
- International Bar Association.
INSIGHTS
Overview
Ryan advises clients across a broad range of sectors, including agribusiness, energy and natural resources, financial institutions, fintech, education, hospitality, tourism, insurance, mining, private security and ICT.
His principal area of practice is public and private M&A. He has advised on complex, high-stakes and high value local and cross-border transactions. His practice also involves advising clients on corporate governance, corporate reorganisations, distressed M&A, local ownership (including BBBEE) transactions, shareholder disputes, and shareholder activism.
Ryan looks to be a strategic partner to his clients. He adopts a commercially pragmatic approach that is sensitive to local context and complexities to, with the appropriate team, advise and support our clients to meet their objectives.
Ryan regularly contributes to the Firm’s pro bono and sustainability initiatives, and is part of the team developing the Firm’s sustainability practice. He developed the language for B Corps in South Africa, and contributed to the PRI, UNEP FI, the Generation Foundation report A Legal Framework for Impact, a report considering “investing for sustainability impact” in 11 jurisdictions.
Experience
Areas of Expertise:
- Mergers & Acquisitions (Public and Private)
- Corporate Governance
- Joint Ventures
- Reorganisations
- Empowerment and Local Content/Ownership Transactions
- Impact Investing
- Shareholder Activism
- Shareholder Disputes
- ESG
Ryan has advised:
- Standard Bank on its ZAR 10.6 billion buyout of the minority shareholders, and subsequent take private, of Liberty Holdings Ltd (Capital Markets Team of the Year at the African Legal Awards 2022).
- Linde plc on its ZAR 2.8 billion buyout of the minority shareholders, and subsequent take private, of African Oxygen Ltd (Afrox).
- ATON GmbH (Germany), on its proposed ZAR 7.6 billion takeover of JSE-listed Murray & Roberts Holdings Ltd.
- SBA Communications and Paradigm Infrastructure Ltd and their JV, Minara Tanzania Ltd, on its acquisition of Airtel Tanzania’s telecom tower portfolio of c. 1400 towers for approximately USD 175 million.
- SBA on multiple acquisitions of telecommunications tower portfolios in South Africa, including from Atlas Towers (approximately R2 billion) and Cell C.
- Chevron Global Energy, Inc. (USA), on the sale of in Chevron South Africa and Chevron Botswana for c. USD 1 billion to a Glencore-backed BEE shareholder in Chevron South Africa, following its pre-emption of Sinopec Corp. (China).
- TUI Global Hospitality Fund on its acquisition of the luxury 5 star resort Mora Zanzibar (formerly the Emerald Zanzibar Resort & Spa) in Matemwe Muyuni, Zanzibar for an undisclosed sum.
- Robinson Club GmbH on its acquisition of assets and strategic investment into the hotel sector in Zanzibar.
- Tate & Lyle Plc on the Tanzanian and Zanzibari aspects of its acquisition of its USD1.8 billion acquisition of CP Kelco ApS from JM Huber Corporation.
- AECI Ltd and AECI Mining Tanzania Ltd on the latter’s local ownership transaction with SF Group Ltd.
- BTE Renewables on its acquisition of a controlling interest in the 75 MW Prieska solar project in the Northern Cape from Sonnedix for an undisclosed sum.
- DAZN Group (UK), and Access Industries on the reorganisation and separation of their Perform Content business involving 30 countries, prior to its disposal to Stats LLC.
- Asea Brown Boveri Ltd (ABB) on Sub-Saharan African aspects of the global carve-out of its power grids business to F.I.M.E.R. S.p.A, including the sale and transfer of ABB South Africa (Pty) Ltd’s solar inverter business to Fimer Solar Solutions South Africa (Pty) Ltd.
- Schneider Electric France on its local ownership transaction in respect of its Tanzanian operating subsidiary, Schneider Electric Projects & Services Tanzania Ltd.
- Prosegur Global Alarmas RoW S.L. (Spain) on its acquisition of Beagle Watch Armed Response, and entry into the South African private security market.
- Beagle Watch Armed Response on its acquisition of the private security business of CSS Tactical.
- HSS Hire plc (UK), on its disposal of UK Platforms to Loxam, a leading European equipment-rental group, a class 1 transaction under the Listings Rules of the London Stock Exchange.
- Marriott International, Inc. (USA), on its ZAR 2.2 billion acquisition of the IP, hotel management and franchising business of the Protea Hotel Group, comprising 116 hotels in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa (M&A Team of the Year at the African Legal Awards in 2014).
- Ericsson South Africa on its BEE transaction.
- CIMC Trailers (China) on its acquisition of Top Trailers’ vehicle manufacturing business out of business rescue.
Awards
- IFLR1000’s Financial and Corporate Guide has rated Ryan as a Rising Star Partner for his work in Corporate and M&A (2024-2025).
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