Thomas De Muynck heads the Brussels M&A practice and has 20 years of experience in venture capital (VC), private equity, and corporate transactions. He has extensive experience with Japan-related transactions and start-ups in the life sciences and technology sectors. Thomas is listed as a leading M&A lawyer in Chambers Global, Chambers Europe, and The Legal 500.
He was lead lawyer on Arsenal Capital's acquisition of Histogenex and its combination with Caprion, on Astellas' €800 million acquisition of biotech company Ogeda, and on Hexagon/Intergraph's acquisition of GIMV portfolio company Luciad and acquisition of Bricsys. His 2018 VC representations include Cowboy SA (Tiger and Index), Cashforce (BNPP), and Dobco and PieSync (Fortino). He also has worked on Silverfin, Anytime, Take Eat Easy, Collibra, Textmaster, Odoo, and other leading Belgian start-ups.
Thomas worked in Japan for several years and focuses on representing Japanese clients in cross-border acquisitions. He worked on joint ventures in Europe and South America for Toyota and on EU acquisitions for Astellas, Bridgestone, and Sumitomo Bakelite. Other Japanese clients include Hino Motors, Konica-Minolta, Pioneer, Tokio Marine, and Zeon Corporation.
He represents U.S. corporations, including Aleris, Calgon, Cardinal Health, Diebold, MasterCard, PolyOne, Riverside, and Wabtec, as well as EU clients, such as BNPP, Hexagon AB, SAP, and Total. Belgian representations include BASE, Colruyt/Korys, Fortino, RHJI, and Van Hool and a series of VC-backed companies.
He is a member of the Legal & Tax Committee of the Belgium-Japan Association and of the International Bar Association. Thomas has lived and worked in Brussels, Tokyo, and New York.
Experience
Speaking Engagements
- June 2012
Brussels Invest & Export Conference :Legal aspect on investing in Belgium - March 2012
Directors' Liability Seminar & Workshop, Belgian Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in Japan - November 2011
日本化学繊維協会セミナー:化学品供給における不可抗力 - November 2011
Force Majeure Clauses in Supply Agreements under U.S and EU Law, Japan Chemical Fibers Association
Clients admire his "very sharp mind and thorough understanding of Japanese clients' expectations" — Chambers
- Columbia University (LL.M. 2002; Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar); University of Leuven, Belgium (J.D. magna cum laude 1998); Göttingen University, Germany (1997)
- Brussels and New York
Clients admire his "very sharp mind and thorough understanding of Japanese clients' expectations" and describe him as "one of the most reliable lawyers ... always gives good advice" and "a real pleasure to deal with" (Chambers)
"Highly competent," "experienced," and "solution-oriented" (The Legal 500)
- Dutch, English, French, Japanese, German