Gavin Bushell

Gavin Bushell

Partner
Baker McKenzie BV/SRL

Biography

Gavin Bushell is a partner in the European Competition & Regulatory Affairs Practice Group in Brussels, where he advises clients on EU competition and merger control law.

He has more than 25 years of experience practicing law and is a frequent speaker at legal conferences, particularly on merger control matters. In 2020, Gavin was listed as one of a limited number of practitioners in the Who's Who Legal: Thought Leaders – Competition.

He leads high-value merger control mandates that often trigger merger notifications in the EU and across multiple jurisdictions. "He goes the extra mile and finds pragmatic solutions to the problems", says a source. Clients say that Gavin Bushell is "extremely business-oriented, which makes it very easy to talk to him and to explain the practical issues". He is a key figure in the Firm's competition team, regularly advising on EU merger investigations and assisting in the co-ordination of supporting global filings. Clients appreciate his ability to handle international mandates, saying: "He has huge experience in cross-border or multi-jurisdictional filings".

In March 2012, Gavin was named by Global Competition Review as one of the top 40 of the world's leading competition practitioners in its 40 under 40 survey. He is author of a number of articles on EU competition and merger control law and is the author of the three-chapter Introduction to EU Competition Law: Mergers and Acquisitions, published by Edward Elgar Publishing.

Practice Focus

Gavin focuses on EU competition and merger control law, and he has acted for global companies in various sectors including aviation, bacteria, banking, beverages, food ingredients, industrial equipment, manufacturing, mining, parcel delivery services, recorded music, manufacturing, medical devices, packaging, pharmaceuticals and nuclear energy. He has broad experience in all aspects of merger transactions, as well as representing clients in litigation before the General Court of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg to challenge European Commission decisions.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Represents Fedex on its EUR 7.8 billion acquisition of InPost with a consortium before the European Commission and other regulators.

  • Represents Sappi on its European Paper Joint Venture with UPM before the European Commission. 

  • Represents a company in the construction chemicals investigation by the European Commission.

  • Represents Chr. Hansen in its EUR 12 billion merger with Novozymes. 

  • Represented Sika AG in its EUR 5 billion acquisition of MBCC Group.

  • Represented Chr. Hansen in the sale of its NCD division.

  • Represented Lonza AG in the sale of its LSI business.

  • Represented Hitachi Ltd in its GBP 11 million acquisition of the ABB Power Grid business before the European Commission and coordinated the global merger filing strategy.

  • Represented Lonza and Chr. Hansen in their microbiome joint venture before the European Commission.

  • Represented Shanghai Jin Jiang International Hotels Group before the European Commission in its EUR 1.7 billion acquisition of the Radisson Group.


Professional Honors

  • Listed, Who's Who Legal: Thought Leaders - Competition, 2020
  • Best Business Article, Mergers category - Antitrust Writing Awards, Concurrences Review in cooperation with George Washington University, 2018
  • Listed, 40 under 40 of the World's Leading Competition Lawyers, 2012

Admissions

  • Brussels~Belgium (2002)
  • England & Wales~United Kingdom (2002)

Languages

  • English
  • French

Publications

Author, "How Illumina-ting: the EU Merger Regulation and the brutal operation of power under Article 22 EUMR," Kluwer Competition Law Blog, 20 April 2021

Author, "EU Merger Control: Life without the UK - Brexit and Beyond," Kluwer Competition Law Blog, 3 December 2020

Author, "Merger Control: To fee or not to fee, that is the question (and some practical tips)," Kluwer Competition Law Blog, 21 November 2020

Co-author, IBA Merger Working Group submission in response to the European Commission's public consultation on the White Paper on Foreign Subsidies, September 2020

Author, "EU Merger Control and the Implications from the Coronavirus Crisis," Kluwer Competition Law Blog, 20 March 2020

Author, "EU Merger Control: The Innovation Theory of Harm - The Debate Continues," Kluwer Competition Law Blog, 22 March 2018