Associate Director

CORPORATE AND FINANCE

About Benjamin

Benjamin graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2002 and is an Associate Director with Drew & Napier LLC. He is a member of the Corporate & Finance Department as well as the Biomedical Life Sciences Practice Group.

Benjamin is the author of an article in the Singapore Law Review titled “Legislating the Fruits of Biotechnology: Suggestions for Regulating Bio-engineered Food”. See (2001 – 2) 22 Sing LR. He is also a co-contributor to the Atkin’s Court Forms – Singapore, Insolvency (Chapter XLIV), Lexis Nexis, 2007 Ed, to an article in the Singapore Biotech Guide 2007/2008 titled “Employment Contracts – Safeguard Your Intellectual Property Rights”, and to the Singapore chapter of “Global Pharmacovigilance Laws & Regulations: The Essential Reference” published by the Food & Drug Law Institute.

Areas of Practice

Benjamin’s areas of practice range from corporate and finance to insolvency and restructuring work, involving both private and public listed entities. He also regularly advises numerous companies in the biotechnology, health and pharmaceutical industries on a range of corporate, regulatory, and employment issues in Singapore, including advising on advertisement laws and regulations, clinical trial agreements, research and development agreements, employee secondment arrangements, and termination of employees, and carrying out legal due diligence on a foreign hospital and medical centre.

Experience

Benjamin has assisted in a number of matters. Some of the matters of note include:

• Acting for OCBC Bank, as lead and coordinating counsel in connection with its acquisition of the Asian private banking business of ING for US$1.463 billion (Asian-Counsel October 2009 Deal of the Month)
• Acting for the independent directors of SSH Corporation Limited to privatize SSH Corporation Limited in relation to the proposed inter-conditional schemes of arrangement (involving two other Singapore-listed companies)
• Acting for the judicial managers of Zhongguo Jilong Limited in respect of a scheme of arrangement with its shareholders, creditors and Changjiang Fertilizer Holdings Limited, resulting in the simultaneous de-listing of Zhongguo Jilong Limited and listing of Changjiang Fertilizer H0oldings Limited
• Acting as lead counsel to a purchaser in relation to loan facilities amounting to US$88 million for the construction of a landmark undersea submarine fibre optic cable system between, inter alia, Singapore and Indonesia.
• Acting as Singapore law counsel to DBS Bank, the mandated lead arranger, underwriter and financial adviser, to the Marina Bay District Cooling project financed at S$140 million (US$95 million). District cooling is an innovative urban utility service that draws chilled water from a central source, piped to multiple buildings, for air-conditioning purposes
• Advising Eu Yan Sang International in a research collaboration project with Nanyang Polytechnic on the research and development of red yeast rice products
• Acting for the receivers and managers of Bintan Lagoon Resort Limited in relation to its receivership, including the sale of its main asset, the Bintan Lagoon Resort overseas hotel and golf resort in Bintan

Appointments / Memberships