About
Ninette is a strategic leader in global antitrust and regulatory matters, helping clients meet regulatory demands across in China, Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region. As leader of our antitrust, competition and trade practice in China, she provides the insights clients need to maintain competitive advantage in APAC’s dynamic markets.
Ninette specializes in antirust-related work, foreign investment review and subsidy control. Her international experience and on-the-ground local knowledge allow her to devise operational antitrust risk strategies and effective solutions for clients in global transactions. Her deep knowledge and strategic thinking help clients navigate the challenges of regulatory scrutiny with confidence.
Ninette guides clients through the full spectrum of antitrust and competition law challenges, including the antitrust aspects of M&A, joint ventures, strategic alliances, distribution and intellectual property-related arrangements. She also advises on investigations (including cartels and abuse of market dominance issues) and foreign investment and subsidy control matters, helping clients go beyond the immediate issue to stay ahead of regulatory risks and to build opportunities for the future.
Ninette’s work spans sectors, including technology, healthcare & life sciences, consumer goods, automobile, aviation, shipping, and energy. She combines industry insights with deep technical expertise to help multinational companies, state-owned enterprises, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and private equity firms achieve their strategic and commercial objectives efficiently.
Drawing on over a decade of experience in Brussels before relocating to Asia in 2009,...
TMT
- Keysight Technologies, Inc. on its acquisition of Spirent Communications Plc for £1.158bn, which was cleared conditionally in China. The case is notable for being approved with an upfront buyer, which is very rare in China and one of the fastest review timelines for conditional clearance case involving multinationals in the past five years.
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) on its $14bn acquisition of Juniper Networks, Inc.
- China Mobile Hong Kong on its HK$6.86bn takeover offer for Hong-Kong based broadband operator HKBN, a rare merger in Hong Kong.
- LG Corp. and LG Electronics on their €1.1bn acquisition of leading automotive lighting and headlight systems provider ZKW Group.
Private capital
- CPP Investments on various transactions, including its investments in infrastructure, real estate, energy and hospitality assets in Europe, United States and Latin America.
- BCI in relation to several transactions, including in the real estate and energy sectors.
- EQT on various transactions, including in the education sector.
- Hellman & Friedman in connection with its improved joint takeover offer with EQT for Zooplus AG, an online pet food and pet supplies retailer.
Industrial, energy and resources
- Viterra and its shareholders Glencore, CPP Investments and British Columbia Investment Management Corp. on Viterra’s US$8.2 billion merger with Bunge, creating a US$34 billion agri-trading conglomerate.
- Teck Resources Limited on its merger of equals with Anglo American plc to form Anglo Teck, a global critical minerals champion.
- Saint-Gobain on the acquisition of Fosroc, a leading global construction chemicals player for $1.025m.
- Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, on the global merger control aspects of its proposed EUR14.7 billion acquisition of the German chemical manufacturer Covestro AG.
- Volkswagen on various strategic matters including its $2.6bn co-investment with Ford Motor Co. in autonomous vehicle technology company Argo AI; and its major investments in Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group, China’s then largest M&A deal in the electric vehicle sector and an important project under China's ‘mixed ownership’ reform of Chinese state-owned enterprises.
- Messer Group and CVC Capital Partners on the US$3.5bn acquisition of Linde's North and South America industrial gases businesses, part of the divestments arising from the Linde/Praxair merger.
- Defending leading multinational automobile manufacturers in connection with SAMR’s ongoing investigations of suspected anticompetitive conduct in the auto sector.
Life sciences
- AstraZeneca on its US$1.2bn acquisition of Gracell, a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing innovative cell therapies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases.
- Novartis on its complex interconditional strategic transactions with GSK including the establishment of a consumer healthcare joint venture.
- Boehringer Ingelheim on its acquisition of Sanofi’s animal health business, part of a wider €22.8bn asset swap between the two companies.
- Representing clients in connection with licensing and distribution arrangements, and conducting internal antitrust audits.
Transport/Logistics
- Korean Air on its $1.3bn acquisition of rival full service carrier Asiana Airlines in several APAC jurisdictions including China, resulting in a complex set of structural and behavioural remedies - Winner of Merger Control Matter of the Year - Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa at GCR Awards 2023 and 2025.
- Etihad and SF Airlines on their air cargo joint business operation.
- Maersk Line on its €3.7bn acquisition of rival container shipping line Hamburg Sud, resulting in novel behavioural remedies in China - Winner of Merger Control Matter of the Year - Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa at GCR Awards 2018.
- Hapag-Lloyd on its merger with the container liner shipping activities of Chile’s Compañía Sud Americana de Vapores, creating a company with pro-forma annual sales of $12bn in 2014, and on its acquisition of United Arab Shipping Company
- A leading container shipping line on the landmark settlement of an investigation by China’s National Development and Reform Commission.
- Defending clients in recent and on-going investigations including in China of suspected anticompetitive conduct.
Ninette Dodoo
55th Floor, One Island East
Taikoo Place, Quarry Bay