Brian Jebb
Image of Brian Jebb

Brian Jebb

Partner

Email

brian.jebb@aoshearman.com

Phone

+1 212 610 6354

Offices

New York

V-CARD
Brian is Global Co-Head of Compensation, Employment, Pensions & Governance.

Brian has particular expertise advising global employers on employment laws, compensation and employee benefits issues, and acting on domestic and cross-border transactions.

Brian is valued by clients for his ability to advise clearly on complex matters, and is published regularly on employment and benefit matters. Brian has wide experience of all employment and benefit aspects of corporate transactions, including M&As, LBOs, spin-offs and IPOs. He advises public and private companies and private equity firms on the design and implementation of their annual and long-term incentive compensation plans, hiring and reduction of workforce, employment and separation agreements, restrictive covenants, equity incentive compensation arrangements, severance and retention arrangements, taxation, ERISA, securities and regulatory laws. Brian has also advised senior executives and management teams in relation to their employment arrangements. He advises private equity funds on executive compensation and ERISA issues in transactions. Brian also advises on ERISA issues in credit agreements, transactions and plan asset issues in venture capital arrangements.

Brian was individually ranked by Chambers USA as one of the leading lawyers in Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, and his work with global clients has been noted in Legal 500. Brian is also a member of the A&O Shearman Global Wellbeing Advisory Board.

Expertise

Industries

Experience

Representative matters

  • A private equity firm on its acquisition of Seven Seas Water Group, a leading provider of sustainable water and wastewater solutions, from a global financial institution
  • LPL Financial Holdings on the acquisition of Commonwealth Financial Network
  • Macquarie Asset Management in USD1.8bn sale of investments business to Nomura
  • A global healthcare company on USD2.2bn acquisition of RAPT Therapeutics
  • SABIC on two significant transactions to divest its European Petrochemicals (EP) business to AEQUITA and its Engineering Thermoplastics (ETP) business in the Americas and Europe to Mutares
  • Greif in the USD1.8 billion divestiture of its containerboard business to Packaging Corporation of America
  • Inflexion on the transfer of CNX Therapeutics to Inflexion’s new GBP2.3bn continuation fund, and the implementation of new equity arrangements between the continuation fund and existing CNX management
  • South African private hospital operator Life Healthcare Group Holdings Limited on the sale of Life Molecular Imaging Limited to Lantheus Holdings, inc.
  • RHI Magnesita N.V. on its acquisition of Resco Products, Inc. for an enterprise value of up to USD410m.
  • A multinational media conglomerate agreement on HR issues globally with respect to its agreement to sell a majority stake in its Financial & Risk business to a consortium led by Blackstone for approximately US$17bn.
  • A multinational technology company on a series of employment and benefits projects in 78 countries.
  • DXC, the NYSE-listed global IT services provider, on its Reverse Morris Trust transaction involving Hewlett Packard's global enterprise services segment and Computer Sciences Corporation, which had a transaction value at closing of approximately US$14bn and resulted in the formation of DXC.
  • A U.S.-based major financial on setting up and maintaining a detailed employment law library and conducting offer letter and employment policy reviews in over 60 jurisdictions.
  • Drafting equity and incentive plans, including with a cross-border effect.
  • Hitachi Ltd. on its $1.4 billion acquisition of JR Automation Technologies, LLC, an automated manufacturing and distribution technology solutions company based in Holland, Michigan.
  • Macquarie Investment Management on its acquisition of Foresters’ Investment Management Business, the investment adviser of the First Investors funds, with approximately $12.3 billion in assets under management.
  • Greif, Inc., the NYSE-listed, Ohio-based global industrial packaging company, in connection with its acquisition of Caraustar Industries, a recycled paperboard and packaging solutions company, from H.I.G. Capital, for approximately $1.8 billion.
  • A multinational pharmaceutical corporation on managing the HR issues in a number of jurisdictions relating to the sale of its Emeryville, California-based Diagnostics Unit to Grifols, for US$1.7 billion.
  • A multinational media conglomerate on the sale of its Intellectual Property & Science Business to Onex and Baring for US$3.55 billion.
  • CSC on its approximately US$6 billion spin-off of CSRA and special dividend and the approximately US$2.3 billion merger of CSRA and SRA International.
  • Fresenius Kabi, the global health care company, in connection with its agreement to acquire Akorn, Inc., a Chicago-based manufacturer of prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical products, for approximately US$4.3 billion.
  • Imperial Tobacco on the US$7.1 billion acquisition of the Winston, Salem, Kool and Maverick cigarette brands and the blu e-cigarette brand and related businesses from Reynolds American in connection with the US$27.4 billion Reynolds-Lorillard merger.
  • Coca-Cola Iberian Partners on its approximately US$27 billion three-way merger with Coca-Cola Enterprises and Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetränke, to form Coca-Cola European Partners.
  • The Carlyle Group on the disposal of the Zodiac Pool Group to Rhône Capital.
  • ACH Food Companies, Inc. (a subsidiary of Associated British Foods) in connection with the sale of their spices business to B&G Foods for approximately US$365 million in cash.
  • Deutsche Börse AG in connection with the US$100 million purchase of Gain Capital’s GTX ECN business, a platform for institutional trading of foreign exchange.
  • A global investment organization on the sale of Fenix Marine Services, operator of one of the busiest port complexes in North America, to CMA CGM, for an enterprise value of USD2.3bn, located the Los Angeles, California.

 

Published Work

  • The Banker: Reshaping bank compensation strategies, Aug 2022
  • Tax Management International Journal: Implementing Compensation Clawbacks in a Global Economy, Sep 2019
  • Bloomberg BNA: Implementing Compensation Clawbacks In a Global Economy, May 2019
  • Bloomberg BNA: How the Push for Greater Compensation Reporting Requirements Could Put Global Companies at Risk, August 2018
  • Bloomberg BNA: Governments are Increasingly Turning to Pay Disclosure Requirements in an Attempt to Even the Corporate Playing Field, June, 2018
  • Contributions to the A&O Employment Talk blog headed “Rethinking U.S. executive compensation to optimize tax-deductibility”, January 2018; "Salary history questions restricted in USA", July 2017; and "Happy birthday ERISA", October 2014.
  • Publication in HR Director magazine, "How President Trump is impacting US employment law", August 2017.
  • The Big Think 5th Edition, "Cybersecurity - the threat from within", September 2016.
  • The Big Think 4th Edition, "Working 9 to 5, What way will you make a living", focusing on flexible ways of working, December 2015.
  • Client Alert: Proposed Clawback Rules under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protections Act, July 2015.
  • Client Alert: SEC Proposed New Pay-Versus-Performance Disclosure Rules, May 2015.
  • The Big Think 3rd Edition, "Data with Destiny", focusing on data privacy, protection and the promise of high-value HR, February 2015.
  • The Big Think 2nd Edition, "When Two Becomes One", focusing on employment issues in mergers, May 2014.
  • "Spin-offs" co-author, Practical Law Company, 2010.

Recognition

“Brian is a great lawyer. He is very pragmatic and has a strong customer approach. He comes back with practical solution to things and knows how to navigate all of these issues.”
Chambers, USA, 2022, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation

Awards

  • Ranked Band 3, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Chambers USA 2025
  • Ranked Band 3, Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation, Chambers USA 2024
  • Employee Benefits Lawyer of the Year – USA, Finance Monthly Legal Awards, 2019
  • Employee Benefits Law Firm of the Year – USA, Lawyer Monthly Legal Awards, 2018
  • Ranked Band 2, Employment, Chambers & Partners Global-wide, 2018, 2022-2024
  • Pensions and Benefits Firm of the Year Award – Global, Who's Who Legal, 2016   

Qualifications

Admissions

Registered Foreign Lawyer, England and Wales, 2024

Admitted: Bar of the State of New York, 2006

Formerly admitted to practice in New South Wales

Formerly admitted to practice in Western Australia

Academic

LL.M., New York University School of Law, 2005

LL.B., University of Western Australia, 1994

Disclaimer
A&O Shearman was formed on May 1, 2024 by the combination of Shearman & Sterling LLP and Allen & Overy LLP and their respective affiliates (the legacy firms). Any matters referred to above may include matters undertaken by one or more of the legacy firms rather than A&O Shearman.