Ashurst Australia has added a new tax and M&A partner to its Melbourne office with the appointment of Craig Saunders.

Formerly a partner at Ernst & Young, Saunders is a highly experienced tax practitioner with experience in M&A and international tax matters. "His high-level technical advisory skills and extensive experience in advising on major transactions will be of enormous benefit to many of our clients,’ said Ashurst Australia managing partner John Carrington.  "Craig also has particularly deep industry knowledge around the issues facing investors in infrastructure and private equity, and has built strong relationships with key investment banks and private equity houses, predominantly working with them in M&A and refinancing transactions."

Saunders said he was attracted to Ashurst after seeing firsthand how it operates while at Ernst & Young and before that, Deloitte. "With the recent combination of Blake Dawson and Ashurst practices in Asia and the rebranding of Blake Dawson to Ashurst, it is certainly an exciting time to come on board,” he added.

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