Charlie Wilson

CHARLIE WILSON is head of the firm’s M&A and Private Equity group in Asia and formerly served as co-managing partner of Sidley’s office in Singapore. With over 25 years of experience advising on investments across Southeast Asia, Charlie has built a particularly strong track record in digital infrastructure (including data centers, fiber networks, and telecommunications), real estate, insurance, mining and energy transactions. His work spans complex cross-border deals for private equity funds and corporations, from initial investment through to disposals.  

Charlie’s deep understanding of these sectors, combined with his technical excellence and commercial pragmatism, has earned consistent recognition from leading legal directories and clients alike. Charlie has been ranked in the Singapore and Indonesia chapters of Chambers Global 2019–2024 and Chambers Asia-Pacific 2014–2025 for Corporate/M&A (International Firms).

“Charlie Wilson, himself together with Sidley’s M&A team, is the perfect team a client would want on their side. Their excellent knowledge, extensive experience and business perspective is the right combination which makes them stand out amongst others.”
Legal 500 2024

Clients have noted that Charlie “is commercial and always has the big picture in mind. He is able to cut through the fog and get to the nub of any issue, and provide concise and considered advice,” and that he “leads the team well, marshalling appropriate resources and ensuring delivery of challenging transactions” (Legal 500 2025). Clients have also described Charlie as “a very knowledgeable person who is also very responsive and helpful” (Chambers Asia-Pacific 2025), and commended him for his strategic approach: “Charlie provides us with a level-headed and sensible approach on many high-pressured occasions. Charlie always has an eye for detail and appears to be one step ahead at all times” (Chambers Global 2023).

Charlie is also recognized as a leading Corporate M&A lawyer by IFLR1000 2015–2024. He was named a “Best Lawyer” in the Singapore chapter of The Best Lawyers 2014–2022, both a “Global Leader” and “Southeast Asia Leader” for M&A by Who’s Who Legal 2023, and “M&A Lawyer of the Year” at The Asian Lawyer’s Emerging Markets Awards 2016.

Examples of Charlie’s experience include advising on the following matters as international counsel: 

Digital Infrastructure

• Stonepeak on its strategic, preferred share investment into AGP Sustainable Real Assets, a Singapore-based global infrastructure and real assets developer and operator. “Highly Commended” for “Best Infrastructure Deal – Singapore/APAC”, FinanceAsia Achievement Awards 2024.
• GDS Holdings Ltd, a leading developer and operator of high-performance data centers in Asia, on its joint venture with the Indonesia Investment Authority (INA), Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund, to develop and expand the data center landscape in Indonesia.
• Xenith IG, a dark fiber network infrastructure platform jointly established by DigitalBridge Group, a global digital infrastructure investment firm, and Columbia Capital, a leading venture capital firm in the digital infrastructure space, on its acquisitions in Indonesia and Malaysia.
• EdgePoint Infrastructure, a leading ASEAN-based independent telecommunications infrastructure company backed by DigitalBridge Group, Inc. (NYSE:DBRG), on its landmark acquisition and leaseback of 2,934 telecom towers in the Philippines from Smart Communications Inc. and Digitel Mobile Philippines, Inc.
• Data Center First, a platform backed by Gaw Capital, on:
  • a joint venture with PT Masindo Artha Securities and working with Indonesia counsel on the establishment of a company that will develop a data center on leased land contributed by the seller.
  • the acquisition and development of a number of data centers in the Asia-Pacific region.
• edotco Group, a Malaysia-based telecommunications infrastructure services company, on its sale of a 30% stake in edotco Bangladesh Co. Ltd. to GETCO Group, a Bangladesh-based conglomerate.
• PT Indosat Tbk in the procurement of a satellite from Orbital Sciences Corporation and the related shareholder arrangements with an international satellite operator.

Real Estate

• Gaw Capital Partners, a leading real estate focused private equity firm, on its joint venture with KKR to acquire the Hyatt Regency Tokyo from Odakyu Electric Railway Company. The investment represents a rare opportunity to acquire an iconic full-service hotel in one of the busiest business and retail districts in the world. Awarded “Best Property Deal: North Asia” at the FinanceAsia Achievement Awards 2023.
• Ivanhoé Cambridge on the formation a US$400 million Japanese logistics platform with PAG.
• BlackRock on:
  • the sale of Asia Square Tower 2 to CapitaLand Commercial Trust for an agreed property value of US$2.09 billion.
  • the sale of Asia Square Tower 1 to Qatar Investment Authority. Awarded “Deal of the Year (Asia), 2016” by Private Equity Real Estate.
  • the disposal of 63-storey tower block Vista Tower to Kenedix Asia Pte. Ltd. Vista Tower is part of an integrated development including an office tower, hotel and retail podium known as The Intermark in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • the US$468 million sale of The Westin Singapore, Marina Bay, a five-star hotel in central Singapore.
  • the disposal of the entire share capital of ADM Prize SG (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., which owns the property known as Admirax in Singapore, to VIA IV (BVI) Holdco 2 Ltd, a special purpose vehicle of AEW Asia Limited.

Mining and Energy

• Sembcorp Industries on the sale of Sembcorp Energy India, one of the largest power producers in India, for approximately US$1.5 billion.
• Stonepeak on the establishment of Peak Energy, a Singapore-based platform dedicated to the development, ownership, and operation of renewable assets in Asia.
• PT J Resources Nusantara, a subsidiary of PT J Resources Asia Pasifik Tbk. (IDX: PSAB): 
  • on a series of interconnected disposals of natural resource mining businesses. The transactions consisted of the US$150 million sale of PT Gorontalo Sejahtera Mining, an Indonesian gold mining company, and the sale of two Indonesian nickel mining companies. The acquirers were vehicles controlled by PT Provident Capital Indonesia, one of the controlling shareholders of PT Merdeka Copper Gold Tbk, one of the largest mining companies in Indonesia. 
  • on the US$540 million sale of PT Arafura Surya Alam, an Indonesian gold mining company, to PT Danusa Tambang Nusantara, a subsidiary of PT United Tractor Tbk. and member of the Astra group.
• PT Medco Energi Internasional Tbk, a leading Indonesia power company listed on the IDX:
  • on the takeover offer by a wholly-owned subsidiary for Ophir Energy plc. Awarded “M&A Deal of the Year: South & Southeast Asia, 2020” at the Asia Legal Awards.
  • on its acquisition of a controlling stake in PT Amman Mineral Internasional, which is acquiring 82.2% of PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara for US$2.6 billion – one of the largest transactions in the natural resources sector in Asia.
• Indika Energy, a leading Indonesian integrated energy company, on:
  • its joint venture and associated investments with Foxconn, a Taiwanese multinational electronics contract manufacturer. The JV will conduct manufacturing for commercial electric vehicles (EV) and electric batteries, as well as providing management consultation services, and aims to strengthen the development of the EV ecosystem in Indonesia.
  • its joint venture with Fourth Partner Energy Singapore Pte. Ltd. in relation to potential investments in solar power businesses.
  • its investment to acquire up to a 40% equity stake in PT Masmindo Dwi Area (Masmindo) which holds and operates the Awak Mas Gold Project.
  • its investment in Nusantara Resources Limited, an Australian Stock Exchange listed company which owns the Mas Mindo gold concession in Indonesia and the subsequent take-private by way of a scheme of arrangement.
• United Energy Group (UEG), a leading independent exploration and production company listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, in its acquisition of Pakistan oil and gas assets from OMV Aktiengesellschaft, an international, integrated oil and gas company based in Vienna, Austria, by acquiring the entire issued share capital of two wholly-owned subsidiaries of OMV Aktiengesellschaft for an approximate consideration of €80.6 million and €77.2 million, respectively.

Insurance

• Arthur J. Gallagher in its US$3.57 billion acquisition of certain Willis Towers Watson reinsurance, specialty, and retail brokerage operations across the globe including Asia Pacific, Europe, North and South American business units.
• RenaissanceRe in its US$2.985 billion acquisition of Validus Re from AIG.
• Global Atlantic in an asset-intensive flow reinsurance transaction with a leading Singapore-based insurance company, its second ever reinsurance transaction in Asia.
• The Prudential Insurance Company of America in its pending sale of its 70% interest in the Malaysian life insurer Gibraltar BSN Life Bhd to FWD Group Holdings Ltd. and other investors.

Other Asia M&A Highlights

• KKR on its investment in EQuest Education Group, a fast-growing education group in Vietnam.
• CBOE Global Markets, Inc. in its acquisition of Chi-X Asia Pacific, a Hong Kong-headquartered alternative market operator and provider of innovative market solutions with operations in Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and Hong Kong.
• Boon Rawd Brewery on its US$1.1 billion acquisition of a 25% interest in Vietnamese food company Masan Consumer Holdings and acquisition of a 33% interest in Vietnamese brewery Masan Brewery. This is one of the biggest foreign investments into Vietnam outside of the energy sector.
• Cargill in its joint venture with Jollibee Foods Corporation, the largest Asian food service company.
• Integrated Healthcare Holdings Sdn Bhd, a joint venture between Khazanah Nasional Berhad and Mitsui & Co., Ltd, and its affiliates with respect to the acquisition of 75% of Acibadem Healthcare Group, the largest hospital chain in Turkey, in a cash and stock deal valued at over US$1.5 billion.
• The majority shareholders of PT HM Sampoerna Tbk., Indonesia’s largest tobacco company, in the sale of 40 percent of that company to Philip Morris for US$2 billion. This sale triggered a public offer for the remainder of the company leading to a total transaction value of approximately US$5 billion. This was the largest takeover of an Indonesian public company. 

Some of the above matters were handled prior to joining Sidley.