Wee Hann is Regional Head of the Mergers & Acquisitions Practice at Rajah & Tann Asia and has over 30 years of experience in advising companies on multi-jurisdictional cross-border investments, private mergers and acquisitions, sale and purchase of companies and businesses and other corporate transactions. He is also Co-Head of the Medical, Healthcare & Life Sciences Practice.
Highly regarded for his work in private mergers and acquisitions, Wee Hann has been consistently ranked as a leading lawyer by legal directories such as Chambers Asia-Pacific, The Legal 500 Asia–Pacific, IFLR1000 and asialaw. His expertise also includes advising numerous biotechnology, health and pharmaceutical global leaders on cross-border acquisitions and divestments, and he has been recommended as a Leading Lawyer in Who’s Who Legal for Life Sciences.
Wee Hann was a recipient of the ASEAN Scholarship for his Pre-University studies at Hwa Chong College in Singapore.
EXPERIENCE
Mergers & Acquisitions
- Acted as counsel to the sellers in the sale of 80% of Indoguna Singapore Pte. Ltd. and its affiliates in Dubai and Hong Kong to Thai-listed wholesaler, Siam Makro for S$117.6 million.
- Acted as counsel to the buyer in the acquisition by Kamei Corporation of the Lee Huat Yap Kee Group of Companies, a major distribution group involved in the storage, delivery and supply of marine lubricating oil in Singapore.
- Acted as counsel to the seller in the sale of 85% of Q.B. Food Trading Pte Ltd, one of the leading distributors of frozen meat, chilled meat, cheese and food products to retailers and the hospitality industry in Singapore to Johnsonville Sausage, LLC.
- Acted as counsel to the buyer in the acquisition by JTB Corporation of Dynasty Travel International Pte Ltd. JTB and Dynasty are the leading travel agencies in Japan and Singapore respectively.
- Acted as counsel to the buyer in the aquisition by the Mitsui Group of 19.9% of Medini Iskandar Malaysia Sdn Bhd (“MIM”). MIM is responsible for the urban development of the Medini district in the Iskandar development region located in Johor, Malaysia.
- Acted as counsel to the buyer in the US$40 million acquisition by Phillip Capital Group of HwangDBS Commercial Bank Plc in Cambodia from HwangDBS (Malaysia) Bhd (a Malaysian financial services group.
- Acted as counsel to the buyer in the sale of the enterprise solutions and integration (ESI) business in Singapore and Malaysia by the CSC Group to the Itochu Group.
- Acted as counsel to Itochu Corporation in its US$47.5 million investment in KS Drilling Pte Ltd.
- Acted as counsel to the seller and KPMG in the sale of Lehman Brothers’ franchise in the Asia Pacific region, including Singapore, to Nomura Holdings Inc. for approximately US$225 million. The sale comprised the fixed assets of Lehman Brothers’ franchise and the migration of approximately 3,000 employees in multiple locations across the Asia Pacific region.
- Acted as counsel to the sellers and KPMG in the sale of shares in Lehman Brothers Fixed Income Securities Private Limited by Lehman Brothers Securities Private Limited and Lehman Brothers Advisors Private Limited to Nomura Asia Investment (Fixed Income) Pte Ltd, transfer of Lehman Brothers’ broker/dealer and securities business and assets in India, and part of the liquidation of the assets of Lehman Brothers Investments Pte Ltd by the appointed liquidators, KPMG Advisory Services Pte Ltd.
- Acted as counsel to the sellers and KPMG in the sale of shares in Neuberger Investment Management Asia Limited by Lehman Brothers Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd (In Liquidation) to Neuberger Breman Asia Holdings II LLC. Transfer of Lehman Brothers’ asset management business and assets in Hong Kong. Part of the liquidation of the assets of the seller by the appointed liquidators, KPMG Advisory Services Pte Ltd.
Life Sciences
- Acted as counsel to the seller in the sale of contract service outsourcing (CSO) business in five jurisdictions across the Asia Pacific region (namely Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand) by A. Menarini Group, a leading pharmaceutical company operating in 13 markets in the Asia Pacific region, to an Asian leading healthcare distributor.
- Acted as counsel to the buyer in the sale of shares in the Invida Group by Temasek Holdings, Quintiles and F. E. Zuellig to the Menarini Group, a leading European pharmaceutical conglomerate based in Florence, Italy.
- Acted as counsel to the seller in the sale of shares in Lonza Biologics Singapore Pte Ltd by Lonza Holding Singapore Pte Ltd to Genentech Singapore Pte Ltd (a member of the Roche Group) for approximately US$290 million. Transfer of business and assets relating to a purified isophthalic acid manufacturing facility in Singapore.
- Acted as counsel to the seller in the sale of shares in Lonza Singapore Pte Ltd by Lonza Holding Singapore Pte Ltd to the Perstorp Group for approximately US$138 million. Transfer of business and assets relating to a cell culture biologic manufacturing facility in Singapore.
- Advised clients such as Johnson & Johnson, the Health Promotion Board, Astellas Pharma, Fortis Healthcare, Religare, ISEC Healthcare, and other MNCs on matters relating to distribution, marketing and agency agreements, consultancy contracts, rental agreements, service contracts, manufacturing agreements, supply agreements, management agreements, research and development agreements and other commercial agreements.
- Acted for a variety of pharmaceutical companies in relation to the drafting and negotiation of outsourcing contracts, warehousing and logistics agreements, clinical trial agreements, and software development agreements.
MEMBERSHIPS / DIRECTORSHIPS
- Member, Bar Council of Malaysia
- Independent Director, ISEC Healthcare Ltd
- Independent Director, A. Menarini Asia-Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd
PUBLICATIONS
- Co-Author, Singapore Chapter, Healthcare M&A Global Practice Guide, Chambers and Partners (2024)
- Co-Author, Singapore Chapter: Trends and Developments, Corporate M&A Global Practice Guide, Chambers and Partners (2020 – 2023)
- Contributing Author, Comparative Guide on Data Protection Across Asia-Pacific, Lifesciences Asia-Pacific Network (LAN) (2022 )
- Contributing Author, A Comparative Overview of Distribution and Marketing of Drugs across Asia-Pacific, Lifesciences Asia-Pacific Network (LAN)
- Contributing Author, A comparative overview of Intellectual Property and Lifesciences Regulation across Asia-Pacific, Lifesciences Asia-Pacific Network (LAN) (2017)
- Editor, Singapore chapter of the CCH publication ‘Doing Business in Asia’ (2002 – 2007)
- Author, A Guide to Foreign Investment in Vietnam (1994)
