Michael is a director of STBB practicing in the Corporate and Commercial Department and is the Hospitality and Leisure Sector Head.
He has practised as an admitted attorney for 36 years.
Michael’s key focus areas are public sector procurement of goods and services, national industrial participation and supplier development programs; and ship building; and property transactions. Property transactions include mergers and acquisitions, property development and operation of green and brown field projects such as residential schemes, convention centres, casinos, hotels, resorts, game and wine farms, lodges and tented camps.
His specialist services include advising on and drafting agreements relating to the corporate structuring of developers and owners, establishment of special purpose vehicles, shareholder relationships and financing, land tenure issues, and structuring relationships with stakeholders during the development (tender and construction) and operational phases. The agreements ordinarily associated with projects of that nature consist of lending and security instruments, property acquisition agreements, development and asset management agreements, shareholders agreements, leases, license agreements, franchise and hotel management agreements. Michael has negotiated for and against many of the international branded hotel management companies and third party operators. He has over many years of practice in this sector built up considerable experience and in depth knowledge of their standard form agreements. These include IHG, Accor, Starwood/Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Radisson and Club Med.
Michael is a non-executive director of Cape Consumers, a buying co-operative and loyalty scheme administrator, a former non-executive director of Winchester Estate Group of Companies incorporating the Winchester Hotel, a former non-executive director of the Heritage Collection formerly listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange, and a former non-executive director of the Lagoon Beach Hotel Group of Companies.
