About Rod Carlton

With more than 20 years’ experience of enforcement agencies, regulatory authorities and courts in the UK and at EU level, Rod draws on industry knowledge, evidential rigour and a keen strategic awareness to help clients develop arguments that play well with the decision makers.

Dividing his time between Brussels and London (and a full member of both the English and Brussels bars), Rod acts as strategic adviser to multinational corporates, financial institutions, financial sponsors and governmental bodies. Rod’s practice spans the competition and foreign direct investment aspects of M&A, antitrust, subsidy control and sector-specific economic regulation.  He has a particular focus on the life sciences, financial services, telecoms, media, technology and consumer products sectors. Rod is listed in Band 1 of Chambers and has equivalent rankings in Legal 500 and Who’s Who Legal. His work has been recognised in the Financial Times’ Innovative Lawyers report and Global Competition Review.

Recent work

Rod’s recent work has included advising variously on the competition and foreign investment regulation aspects of the following matters:

• Novartis on a number of confidential projects and M&A transactions, including its acquisition of GSK’s multi-national anti-infectives business;
• Silver Lake Partners and its portfolio company RVU (uSwitch) on the acquisition of a portfolio of rival price comparison businesses including Confused.com;
• A bank on the disposal of its French retail banking business to Cerberus;
• Openreach and another broadband company on its full-fibre (FTTP) roll out in the UK;
• Siemens on its acquisition of Supplyframe Inc.;
• Viagogo on its acquisition of StubHub and associated ex-US platform business carve-out;
• Cazoo on a string of commercial projects and M&A deals around Europe.