Ian Hayes is National Head of Cliffe Dekker’s Corporate and Commercial practice. Ian has assisted numerous international and domestic corporations in merger and acquisition transactions, take-overs, formation and initial structuring of new business entities and general health care law. Ian's areas of expertise are mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, general corporate finance, take-overs, formation and initial structuring of new business entities and general health care law.

Ian began his career as a Candidate Attorney at Cliffe Dekker & Todd in 1991. In 1993, he was promoted to Associate. In 1994, Ian became a Senior Associate and was promoted to the position of Director in 1995.

BA LLB, University of the Witwatersrand
Date of Admission: 1993

• Advised three of South Africa's largest pathology groups on the merger of their practices and service and property entities, resulting in the creation of South Africa's largest pathology service company

• Advised Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited on its capital raising project involving the issue of shares and warrants at an aggregate issue price of R1,16bn

• Advised Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited on its issue of R1,2bn senior unsecured bonds, being the first issue of bonds by a South African gold mining company

• Advised Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited on its acquisition of:
  • the entire issued share capital of Randfontein Estates Limited
  • the Elandsrand and Deelkraal gold mines from Anglogold
  • Anglogold's Free State gold mining assets
  • the St. Helena gold mine from Goldfields
  • 35% of Anglovaal Mining Limited from Anglo American; and
  • the entire issued share capital of Avgold Limited
  • 29% of the issued share capital of Western Areas Limited

• Advised Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited on its merger with African Rainbow Minerals Gold Limited

• Advised Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited on its attempted unsolicited take-over of Goldfields Limited

• Advised Netpartner Investments Limited on the unwinding of its cross-shareholding with Network Healthcare Holdings Limited, South Africa's largest private hospital group

• Advised Illovo Sugar Limited on the acquisition by ABF Overseas Limited of 51% of the issued share capital of Illovo Sugar Limited

• Chambers Global 2008: Corporate/M&A – rates Ian as Band 2. Chambers says: The “knowledgeable, reliable and charismatic” Ian Hayes, heads up the corporate team and is one of the firm’s mining experts.

• Legal 500 EMEA 2007: Corporate and M&A – mention: "The team, is headed by the well-respected Ian Hayes (who's 'very good at finding practical and workable solutions to legal and regulatory challenges'.)".