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 PROFILE |
Gerhard O.
Rettenbacher is a highly accomplished corporate and tax attorney
with 16 years of experience in advising stock-listed corporations
in front-page multi-jurisdictional M&A and project finance
transactions, in particular in Central and Eastern Europe.
Gerhard is frequently getting mandated by major clients because
of his exceptional transactional and management experience
in that region and his business-oriented and pragmatic advice.
Until late 2004 Gerhard was a corporate and tax partner of
a leading Austrian firm and international network where he
headed the tax department and had substantial managing functions
in the international corporate and tax practice area groups.
Areas of expertise include M&A, project
finance, international tax law, and European law. Clients
also strongly appreciate Gerhard’s wide experience
in financial matters, which he gained while working with
PricewaterhouseCoopers, and his thorough legal and business
education. Gerhard has earned stellar academic credentials
in Austria and the U.S. including an MBA in business taxation.
Gerhard shares his knowledge with clients in frequent international
publications and seminars on current topics. He is admitted
to the Austrian Bar. Representative transactions include:
- $200M export financing of Russian oil group. Experience
with similar deals enabled to close in record time.
- $140M financing of takeover of Hungarian listed chemicals
group. Coordination of 40+ lawyers because deal was politically
sensitive and accordingly complex.
- $280M acquisition of Bulgarian fixed line phone operator.
Realized NPV of $240M in savings for client through streamlining
of corporate and tax structure.
- $340M financing of acquisition of Vienna Millennium City.
Largest real estate deal of the year 2003 in Austria.
- $310M acquisition of wireless phone operator. To date
largest M&A deal in Slovenia.
- $1.4B going private of international paper group. Unprecedented
steps to achieve reorganization.
- $210M start-up of telecommunications company. Introduced
new technique for capitalization.
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LEGAL
EXPERIENCE |
Law Office of Gerhard O.
Rettenbacher
Sole Practitioner
- Advise listed companies in major Central and Eastern
European M&A and project finance transactions.
- Develop corporate and tax structures for investments
in Central and Eastern Europe.
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Vienna,
Austria
2005 – Present |
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CMS Strommer Reich-Rohrwig
Karasek Hainz
(firm split up 2004, now CMS Reich-Rohrwig Hainz)
Partner
- Head of tax department and managing functions
in international corporate and tax practice area
groups.
- Responsible for international business within
CMS network.
- Managed and acquired key client accounts.
- Brought in $1.4M in annual firm revenue.
- Advised listed companies on front-page multi-jurisdictional
M&A and project finance transactions, in particular
in Central and Eastern Europe (Russia, Hungary, Bulgaria,
Serbia).
- Realized NPV of $240M in savings for client through
streamlining of tax structure.
- Represented firm in international client acquisition
activities, tax conferences, U.S. road show.
- Introduced more result-oriented working environment
for associates and thereby increased quality, output,
and job motivation and satisfaction; improved knowledge
management and deal capture systems.
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Vienna,
Austria
2000 – 2004 |
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Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer
Senior Associate
- Advised listed companies in major international
M&A and project finance transactions.
- Completed $1.4B reorganization and going private
of key client.
- Realized NPV of $130M in savings for client through
streamlining of corporate and tax structure.
- Developed knowledge management in corporate practice
area group.
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Vienna,
Austria
1999 – 2000 |
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Shaw & O’Brien,
LLP
(firm merged, now Higgs, Fletcher & Mack LLP)
Intern
- Worked primarily on corporate, securities, and
estate planning matters.
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San
Diego, California
1999 |
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Wolf Theiss
Associate
- Advised in major international M&A and project
finance transactions.
- Advised on corporate and tax structures for corporate
reorganizations and private investments.
- Trained junior associates in corporate and tax
law matters.
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Vienna,
Austria
1997 – 1998 |
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Dorda, Brugger & Jordis
Associate
- Advised in major international M&A transactions.
- Developed corporate and tax structures for acquisitions
by strategic investors or investment banks.
- Served as interim co-manager of pharmaceuticals
company.
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Vienna,
Austria
1995 – 1997 |
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PricewaterhouseCoopers
Assistant CPA
- Audited multinational corporations and reviewed
complex tax structures.
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Vienna,
Austria
1992 – 1994 |
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EDUCATION |
University of San Diego School
of Law
Master of Laws in Taxation, summa
cum laude
- Class rank: Top 1% (1 / 52)
- Recipient, Fulbright Scholarship
- Recipient, Graduate Law Merit Scholarship
- Lecturer, Tax Law Society
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San
Diego, California
1999 |
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University of Vienna
Doctor of Laws, with honors
- Recipient, Outstanding Merit Scholarship
- Doctoral thesis, “International Corporate
Restructuring and the Merger Tax Directive”
- Participant, International Taxation Seminar, International
Bureau of Fiscal Documentation, Amsterdam
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Vienna,
Austria
1997 |
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Vienna University of Economics
and Business Administration
Master of Business Administration, with
honors
- Class rank: Top 1% (3 / 225)
- Thesis, “European Union Non-Discriminatory
Regulations and Limited Tax Liability”
- Majored in business taxation, and accounting and
auditing
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Vienna,
Austria
1995 |
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University of Vienna
Master of Laws
- Class rank: Top 2% (12 / 580)
- Recipient, Outstanding Merit Scholarship
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Vienna,
Austria
1992 |
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PROFESSIONAL
AFFILIATIONS |
- International Fiscal Association
- Tax Reform Commission of Austrian Business Association
- Fulbright Alumni Club
- Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration
Alumni Club
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LANGUAGE
SKILLS |
- Fluent in English and German, basic French
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INTERESTS |
- Passionate mountain climber (Mt. Whitney, 2001; Kilimanjaro,
2002) and skier
- Classic and modern English and German literature
- Road trips (U.S., East Africa, Central and South America, East and Southeast Asia)
- U.S. politics and history (discovery of the West)
- Antique alpine furniture and folk art
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