John Sier
BEc, LLB

Email:	john.sier@mst.com.au
Direct Line:	+61 3 8540 0270
Mobile:	0417 439 978
Vcard:	Download vcard
Assistant:	Gaye Willcocks

John is a founding Principal of Mason Sier Turnbull.  In addition to his law degree, John completed an economics degree, majoring in accounting.  After graduation, he became a taxation accountant with KPMG.  He subsequently joined MST in 1983.

John's practice focuses on distribution and licensing, mergers and acquisitions and corporate advisory on a domestic and international basis.

His experience includes:

• mergers and acquisitions
• corporate structures
• corporate advisory
• joint ventures
• corporate governance
• financial services
• fund raising and capital markets
• franchising
• shareholder agreements and business succession planning
• procurement and supply agreements

John has played a lead role in developing MST's legal alliances internationally.  He has considerable experience in domestic and international distribution and licensing law.  He has been involved in the establishment of distribution networks of large American and Asian corporations.  He has assisted with advice on corporate structuring and growth strategies for Hong Kong, China, the USA, Canada, the Middle East, the UK and New Zealand, and has strong associations and networks in these countries particularly with law firms specialising in franchising.  These international links are becoming increasingly important as more of MST's corporate and franchise clients are now transacting business abroad.

John has represented public companies and large private companies in relation to due diligence and mergers and acquisitions.  He is pro active in adding value to his clients' businesses through his extensive network of contacts.

Major transactions include:

• $240 million sale by our UK client of its worldwide business including its Australian operations
• refinance of securities held by the Australian, Singaporean and New Zealand subsidiaries of a US holding
  company to secure a US$180 million refinance
• corporate advisory and trade practices compliance strategy for one of the largest private companies in America in relation to restructuring its distribution network in Australia and implementing the strategy
• numerous multi million dollar private equity financing deals
• $30 million acquisition of a division of a New Zealand public company

John has advised in all aspects of franchising start-ups, franchise corporate restructures, sales of franchised businesses and providing strategic advice to franchisors nationally and internationally. He has helped clients take both traditional and franchise businesses into Japan and South Korea, has advised others on expanding into Hong Kong, China, Indonesia and the Middle East.

He has attended International Franchising Association Conferences annually since 1995 and regularly presents at those conferences - his latest topic was “Franchising in Australia and the Asia Pacific Rim”.  He has also presented in Washington on franchising trends in Australia and New Zealand.

John is a Fellow of the Taxation Institute of Australia; a member of the Law Council of Australia’s Business Law Section and, since 1997, has been regularly nominated by his peers for inclusion in the annual UK publications "International Who's Who of Business Lawyers" and "International Who’s Who of Franchise Lawyers”.

John is the author of many articles on distribution and licensing including the Australian Chapter in the 2008 edition of "Getting the Deal Through" and has contributed articles on franchising in other Australian and international publications.

John's key areas are:

Mergers & Acquisitions
Corporate Advisory
Company Secretarial
Distribution & Licensing
Financial Services
Franchising
Fundraising & Capital Markets
International
Banking & Finance
Business Structuring & Joint Ventures
Customs & Trade
Manufacturing