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John Bellew

Head of Private Equity | Johannesburg

John-Bellew
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Contact

T: +27 11 669 9494

E: john.bellew@bowmanslaw.com

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Overview

John Bellew is the head of Bowmans’ Private Equity sector.  He specialises in private equity – fund formation, mergers and acquisitions, management arrangements and acquisition finance. His expertise extends to public market mergers and acquisitions and listings and he has led a number of take private transactions.

John has advised prominent South African and international private equity houses on some of the largest private equity transactions undertaken in the South African and broader African markets. He has represented private equity borrowers and high yield lenders and has formed numerous private equity funds with a focus on South and Sub-Saharan Africa. In recent times he has been involved, on behalf of the South African industry body SAVCA, in various lobbying activities, especially in regard to pension fund participation in private equity funds, taxation and exchange control.

Experience

  • All aspects of private equity and venture capital, including fund formation and transactional advice
  • Mergers and acquisitions, including local and cross border transactions
  • Local and international taxation
  • Exchange control
  • Capital markets
  • Acquisition finance

Awards

  • Chambers and Partners consistently ranked John in Band 1 for Corporate/M&A:  Private Equity in South Africa for eight consecutive years (2016-2024) as well as in Band 3 for his Africa-wide work Investment Funds (2023-2024) and Band 2 (2022).  John was also recognised by Chambers and Partners Global for Corporate/ M&A, prior to joining Bowmans (2015-2016).

  • Legal 500 inducted John into their Hall of Fame for Commercial, Corporate and M&A (2023-2024) as well as Investment Funds (2024).  Prior to that he was recognised as a Leading Individual for Investment Funds for five years (2018-2022) as well as a Leading Lawyer for Commercial, Corporate and M&A for the three consecutive years (2020-2022).

  • IFLR1000’s Financial and Corporate Guide ranked John as Highly Regarded for his work in Private Equity for three consecutive years (2021-2023).

  • Who’s Who Legal recognised John in the categories Private Funds:  Formation; and Corporate: Mergers & Acquisitions (2018).

  • Best Lawyers recognised John for Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Private Equity Law and Private Funds (2017).

‘Private equity specialist John Bellew leads the team and is highly regarded for advising private equity industry stakeholders within multiple African countries.’– Legal 500, 2024

AREA OF EXPERTISE

Private Equity

Qualifications

  • B.Com and LLB (cum laude) degrees from the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
  • Diploma in Tax (cum laude) from the University of South Africa.
  • John was a founder member of the AVCA Legal and Regulatory Committee and is a member of the SAVCA Legal and Regulatory Committee.

     

INSIGHTS

Doing deals in a Covid world – Some thoughts on bridging the pricing gap COVID-19: Valuing private equity portfolios African markets worth watching in the private equity space in 2020 Auction sales grow in popularity as an M&A tool African private equity is growing fast says Bowman Gilfillan Africa Group’s head of Private Equity
Brochures
Private Equity

Overview

John Bellew is the head of Bowmans’ Private Equity sector.  He specialises in private equity – fund formation, mergers and acquisitions, management arrangements and acquisition finance. His expertise extends to public market mergers and acquisitions and listings and he has led a number of take private transactions.

John has advised prominent South African and international private equity houses on some of the largest private equity transactions undertaken in the South African and broader African markets. He has represented private equity borrowers and high yield lenders and has formed numerous private equity funds with a focus on South and Sub-Saharan Africa. In recent times he has been involved, on behalf of the South African industry body SAVCA, in various lobbying activities, especially in regard to pension fund participation in private equity funds, taxation and exchange control.

Experience

  • All aspects of private equity and venture capital, including fund formation and transactional advice
  • Mergers and acquisitions, including local and cross border transactions
  • Local and international taxation
  • Exchange control
  • Capital markets
  • Acquisition finance

Awards

  • Chambers and Partners consistently ranked John in Band 1 for Corporate/M&A:  Private Equity in South Africa for eight consecutive years (2016-2024) as well as in Band 3 for his Africa-wide work Investment Funds (2023-2024) and Band 2 (2022).  John was also recognised by Chambers and Partners Global for Corporate/ M&A, prior to joining Bowmans (2015-2016).

  • Legal 500 inducted John into their Hall of Fame for Commercial, Corporate and M&A (2023-2024) as well as Investment Funds (2024).  Prior to that he was recognised as a Leading Individual for Investment Funds for five years (2018-2022) as well as a Leading Lawyer for Commercial, Corporate and M&A for the three consecutive years (2020-2022).

  • IFLR1000’s Financial and Corporate Guide ranked John as Highly Regarded for his work in Private Equity for three consecutive years (2021-2023).

  • Who’s Who Legal recognised John in the categories Private Funds:  Formation; and Corporate: Mergers & Acquisitions (2018).

  • Best Lawyers recognised John for Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Private Equity Law and Private Funds (2017).

‘Private equity specialist John Bellew leads the team and is highly regarded for advising private equity industry stakeholders within multiple African countries.’– Legal 500, 2024

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