Willem de Villiers is a director in the Business Law team at Norton Rose Fulbright, Johannesburg. He specialises in mergers and acquisitions, financing transactions (secured or otherwise and including preference share funding transactions) and restructurings. He acts for financial institutions in addition to listed and unlisted corporate clients.

Willem recently advised long-standing client Sanlam Limited (the largest non-banking financial institution in South Africa) on the merger of its third party asset management business with that of Absa Group Limited, thereby creating one of three largest asset managers by assets under management in South Africa.

Willem advised the majority foreign creditors in relation to the largest debt restructuring in the country to date. He has advised on some of the most significant takeovers in the listed real estate sector and financial services sector.

Willem is dual qualified to practice as an attorney in South Africa and a solicitor in England and Wales.