About Michelle
Michelle Ainsworth is a senior associate in Arnold Bloch Leibler’s corporate and commercial practice.
She advises on a broad range of complex commercial and corporate matters, with particular expertise in public and private M&A, equity capital markets, corporate governance, privacy, and data security.
Michelle has acted for clients across diverse industries and is recognised for her pragmatic, commercially astute, and outcome-focused approach. She also contributes her expertise to pro bono matters, assisting community organisations and charities with governance and transactional advice.
Before joining Arnold Bloch Leibler in 2018, Michelle worked as a news and politics journalist. She holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) from RMIT University. She was admitted to practice in 2019.
Practice focus
Michelle’s practice focuses on the following areas:
- share and asset sale transactions for private companies
- public and private takeovers, mergers and acquisitions
- public and private capital raisings
- shareholder activism and board disputes
- stakeholder agreements, including shareholder and joint venture agreements
- listed and non-listed corporate governance, compliance and advisory
- privacy and data security, and
- general commercial and corporate advice.
Experience
Michelle has acted in a range of corporate and commercial matters, including:
Corporate and M&A
- Brancourts Dairy: on its sale to the Arla Foods’ joint venture with Australian Mayers Fine Food, Arla Foods Mayer Australia, in a transaction that positions one of Australia’s best-known cottage cheese brands for its next phase of growth
- Teneo: advised global CEO advisory firm, Teneo, on its significant acquisition of PwC Australia’s insolvency and restructuring division
- Accent Group Limited: advised on its acquisition of the Sports Direct retail distribution rights in Australia and New Zealand and strategic transaction with British retail giant Frasers Group
- SEEK Investments: establishment of the $1.7b SEEK Growth Fund, and subsequent acquisitions and divestments
- Macquarie Capital Principal Finance: advised Macquarie Capital Principal Finance, a division of Macquarie Bank, on its investment in Envest, the Australian based insurance investment and distribution business of the Ardonagh Group
- Mozo: in relation to a sale of 100% of shares in Mozo to Future plc
- Oxanda Education: in relation to its milestone sale of childcare centres to Affinity Education
- Kinetic Group: advised on the successful tender to operate Melbourne’s metropolitan bus franchise, including the introduction of electric and hybrid buses
- RYCO Hydraulics: in relation to Milan based Manuli Rubber Industries SpA’s acquisition of a majority shareholding in RYCO, followed by the subsequent acquisition of the remaining shareholding
- Troovo: in relation to a sale of its B2B payment processing technology business to Voxel Media
- View Media Group: advised on the acquisition of proptech firms The Today Business and Apartment Developments Group (ADG)
Capital markets
- Catapult Sports Limited: advised on a $150 million capital raising via an institutional placement and share purchase plan, and acted as Australian legal counsel on the acquisition of IMPECT GmbH
- Accent Group Limited: advised on its private placement to British retail giant Frasers Group
- Retail Food Group Limited: advised on a $47.4 million capital raising via an institutional placement, share purchase plan and debt financing
- Booktopia Limited: advised on a $10.9 million two-tranche capital raising and debt to equity conversion
- LawFinance: advised on $7.85 million capital raising via a partially underwritten, non-renounceable, pro-rata entitlement offer
- Nufarm Limited: assisted on its $303 million equity raising
Awards & recognition
Michelle is recognised as a leading lawyer by Best Lawyers® International for corporate law.
