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Tax partner joins Eversheds Sutherland in Johannesburg

Tax partner joins Eversheds Sutherland in Johannesburg Following the recent hire of a mining team, Eversheds Sutherland has recruited a tax lawyer with a mixtur...

Following the recent hire of a mining team, Eversheds Sutherland has recruited a tax lawyer with a mixture of in-house and private practice experience.

International law firm Eversheds Sutherland has hired Carmen Moss-Holdstock as a partner and head of tax in its Johannesburg office, the latest step in development of the firm’s South African operation.

Moss-Holdstock joined the firm from an in-house role as head of tax at financial services company Gateway Capital and her practice at Eversheds Sutherland is focused on advising companies within that sector on the corporate, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), cross-border, value-added and dispute resolution elements of their tax affairs. Her clients have included companies in the finance, banking and mining sectors.

Moss-Holdstock has acted for lenders on the ZAR 35 billion restructuring of clothing company Edcon, and worked on the listing of pharmacy chain Dischem on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, hospital company Life Healthcare’s purchase of radiology company Alliance Medical and the acquisition of insurer Sahem Finances in Morocco by South African financial services operator Sanlam.

She was previously an associate with South African firms Webber Wentzel and Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, before spending a short spell as a tax specialist at PwC and then joining London-headquartered Magic Circle firm Allen & Overy.

Moss-Holdstock said in a statement: “I look forward to bringing additional experience and knowledge to the existing tax and exchange control practice, and providing further in-depth, comprehensive, integrated and specific tax advice within the context of corporate and other legal transactions.” 

It follows the recent establishment of a mining and infrastructure team in Johannesburg, with the poaching of Hogan Lovells’ head of mining Warren Beech, a partner and two senior associates at the start of April.

Fellow international firm Baker McKenzie recently hired a new head of its African indirect tax practice from Bowmans, while two South African litigators recently relocated to Guernsey to work for offshore firm Babbé.

A year ago, Eversheds lost an Africa-focused project finance partner, one of the senior figures in its Africa group, to Dentons in London, although earlier in 2018 it had appointed a new co-head for the group.

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