Martin Scott joined the London practice upon qualification in 1983. He became a partner in 1991, Global Head of Corporate, M&A and Securities in 2013 and from 2015 to March 2020 he was managing partner, Europe, Middle East and Asia. He spent over six years practising in Hong Kong, where he is also a qualified solicitor.

Martin has been involved in a wide variety of corporate transactions ranging from private company sales and acquisitions and public company takeovers to IPOs and secondary issues. He also has experience of schemes of arrangement (and Part VII FSMA transfers), capital reductions, corporate governance and stock exchange issues generally. He has acted on international transactions, including securities issues, cross-border mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures. He has acted for listed and private companies based in the UK, Europe and Asia but with a strong focus on financial institutions.

Career highlights include, acting for long standing client, HSBC, on its redomicile from Hong Kong to the UK, its takeover of Midland Bank and its £12.5 billion rights issue, then the UK’s largest ever rights issue, as well as acting for AXA on its acquisition of Guardian Royal Exchange and on the sale of the majority of its UK Life business to Resolution for £2.7 billion. Martin also advised China Development Bank on its acquisition of a 3% stake in Barclays for £1.5 billion, Bank of Ireland on the sale of the Bristol & West retail branch network and associated deposit book of £4.5 billion to Britannia Building Society by way of a Part VII FSMA banking business transfer scheme and the nominated policyholder advocate on the proposed reattribution of the inherited estate of Prudential Assurance.

Martin worked closely with Global CEO, Peter Martyr, on the negotiations surrounding the successful expansion of the practice into Australia, Canada, Latin America and South Africa and the United States.