James Wood

JAMES WOOD has significant public and private cross-border M&A experience across many sectors, working with global clients and adviser teams, leading negotiations and providing advice to senior client stakeholders on significant, complex, and transformative transactions.

James is experienced at delivering successful transactions involving stakeholders located in different countries and requiring the alignment of different cultural backgrounds and priorities. Teams led by James have helped clients successfully complete multi-jurisdictional transactions involving up to 70 countries, and he has advised clients on transactions in Africa, Western and Eastern Europe and, in particular, Asia, having lived and worked for four years in Tokyo.

He has particular experience advising clients on international transactions and other strategic initiatives in the financial services, life sciences, telecoms, and technology sectors.

James is “Recommended” by Legal 500 UK 2026 and 2025 for Life Sciences and Healthcare and in 2025 and 2024 for M&A: Upper Mid-Market and Premium Deals (£750m+). He has been listed in Best Lawyers 2022 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law.

James’ recent experience includes advising:

• Novo Holdings on its £50 million investment in Oxford Nanopore Technologies.
• HeadFirst Global on its recommended offer to acquire AIM-listed Impellam Group for approx. £483.2 million.
• Bank of Cyprus Holdings plc on its response to unsolicited takeover proposals submitted by an affiliate of a fund advised by Lone Star.
• Colliers on the acquisition of a 75% strategic investment in Basalt Infrastructure Partners LLP.
• Membership Collective Group, Inc., a London-based membership and hospitality company (and parent company of Soho House and related businesses), in connection with its initial public offering of US$420 million. MCG sold thirty million shares of its common stock at US$14.00 per share.
• Mavenir in connection with a US$500 million private placement by Koch Strategic Platforms, a subsidiary of Koch Investments Group.
• Travelex on its financial and operational restructuring.
• OrbiMed as lead investor in a US$70 million private placement with Mereo BioPharma Group plc.
• Northwood Investors on its acquisition of Five Acre Square.
• Volkswagen AG in its proposed co-investment with Ford Motor Company in autonomous vehicle technology company, Argo AI.
• PT Medco Energi Internasional Tbk on the takeover offer by a wholly owned subsidiary for Ophir Energy plc.