HowardLiebman

Senior Advisor

Brussels + 32.2.645.15.55

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Howard Liebman has over 46 years of experience, 44 of them in Europe where he led Jones Day's Tax Practice in Brussels for 21 years. He focuses on international tax and corporate structuring, coordinating both the corporate and tax sides of transnational M&A, joint ventures, and restructurings and has extensive experience in negotiating and implementing pan-European and Latin American transactions.

Most recently, Howard represented Platinum Equity, first in the purchase of MACtac Europe from Bemis Corporation and then in the sale of the European and Asian operations to Avery Dennison. He represented the purchaser of more than 60,000 hectares of farmland in Russia, as well as NextiraOne Europe in its sale of 16 affiliates in 13 separate countries throughout Europe to Dimension Data. Howard also represented Platinum Equity in both its Dutch-Swedish-UK-Romanian acquisition of the Geesink Norba Group from Oshkosh Corporation and its subsequent sale to a German PE fund, as well as the purchase of the 3B-Fibreglass manufacturing business (Belgium/Norway) from Owens Corning and its subsequent sale to the Binani Group of India.

Until 2020, Howard was president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Belgium, which takes the lead on issues of concern to U.S. industry. He is coauthor of the BNA Portfolio (No. 7451) on "Business Operations in the European Union — Regulatory" (2017) and has chaired and/or spoken at many conferences and seminars on international corporate and tax law topics. He has also been accorded the title of "University Professor" at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, where he teaches "International M&A" and "International and Comparative Tax Law," and serves on the board of directors of Transparency International Belgium and on the editorial board of Law360's "Tax Authority International."

Experience

  • Consortium BelGaN Group BV acquires ON Semiconductor Belgium BVJones Day advised the consortium BelGaN Group BV with the acquisition of ON Semiconductor Belgium BV, a subsidiary of Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC, which designs and manufactures semiconductors components.
  • Platinum Equity sells European operations of MACtacJones Day acted as European counsel to Platinum Equity LLC in connection with the €200 million (US$227.7 million) sale of the European and Asian businesses of Morgan Adhesives Company ("MACtac") to Avery Dennison Corporation.
  • Platinum Equity acquires MACtac from Bemis CompanyJones Day represented the Belgian counsel to Platinum Equity LLC in its $170 million acquisition of the global Pressure Sensitive Materials business known as MACtac, a manufacturer and distributor of pressure sensitive labels, from Bemis Company, Inc., a supplier of flexible packaging and pressure sensitive materials used by leading food, consumer products, healthcare, and other companies worldwide.
  • NextiraOne sells 16 European companies to Dimension Data GroupJones Day represented NextiraOne Europe B.V., a pan-European telecommunications services and hardware/software provider (the ex-Alcatel e-Business division), in connection with the divestiture of 16 of its subsidiaries in 13 countries throughout Europe to the Dimension Data Group, an affiliate of NTT.
  • Platinum Equity sells Belgian fibreglass company 3B for $365 millionJones Day advised Platinum Equity LLC in the €275 million ($365 million) sale of its fibreglass business in Belgium, Luxembourg, Norway and Tunisia (known as "3B - The Fibreglass Company") to Binani Industries, an Indian conglomerate which is part of the Braj Binani Group.
  • Pacific Capital acquires majority participation in international fashion modeling agencyJones Day advised Pacific Capital S.a.r.l. in connection with its acquisition of a majority participation in an international fashion model management agency.
  • Platinum Equity obtains post-acquisition financing for 3B-FibreglassJones Day advised Platinum Equity LLC, a well known private equity firm based in California, in connection with the post-acquisition financing of the 3B-Fibreglass Group, a leading fibreglass developer, supplier, and operator of two state-of-the-art glass fibre manufacturing facilities located in Norway and Belgium.
  • France Telecom (Orange) acquires Unanimis HoldingsJones Day advised France Telecom S.A. (Orange, S.A.) in its acquisition of Unanimis Holdings Limited, the U.K.'s largest exclusive digital advertising network.
  • Marlin Equity Partners acquires business units from Requisite TechnologyJones Day represented Marlin Equity Partners, LLC in connection with its acquisition of three software operating units from Requisite Technology, Inc. (f/k/a Click Commerce, Inc.), a subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works, Inc.
  • Platinum Equity acquires Owens Corning fiberglass plantsJones Day advised Platinum Equity LLC in its €155 million ($242 million) acquisition of two fiberglass manufacturing plants (located in Battice, Belgium, and Birkeland, Norway) from Owens Corning.
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    July 2020 Commentary

    EU Court Overturns Commission Decision in Landmark Apple Tax Case

    August 2018 Commentary

    ESMA Fines Five Banks for Negligently Issuing Credit Ratings

    March 2018 Commentary

    EU Targets Tax Avoidance Reporting Obligations for Intermediaries

    March 2018 Commentary

    Restructuring Recommended after CJEU Decision on Intra-EU Bilateral Investment Treaties

    December 2017 Commentary

    State Aid in Disguise?—EC Investigates UK Tax Regime

    September 2017 Commentary

    Protocol Amending the Mexico–Belgium Tax Treaty Published

    February 2017

    Setting the Scene: Steps to a Successful Transaction - Mergers & Acquisitions (Topical Analyses IBFD)

    January 2017 Commentary

    Modernizing the European VAT System for Cross-Border B2C E-Commerce

    December 2016 Commentary

    New Flexible Real Estate Investment Vehicle in Belgium

    February 2016 Commentary

    EU Update: The Anti-Tax Avoidance Package
    View All

    Additional Publications

    • October 1, 2019
      Base Erosion and Profit Shifting: An Overview and a Review, CFE Tax Advisers Europe, 60th Anniversary - Liber Amicorum

    Additional Speaking Engagements

    • May 31, 2017
      4th Annual FEB Seminar on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) - Current Status of U.S. Tax Reform
    • May 30, 2017
      Accountancy Europe Conference on Tax Day: Embracing Change!
    • March 31, 2017
      Oxera Discussion Forum 2017: Hot Topics in European State Aid Law - Renewable Energy, Tax and Ex-Post Evaluation
    • March 21, 2017
      Recyclage de Droit Fiscal 2017 - Business Taxation in the BEPS and Trump World
    • September 21, 2016
      Conducting Business in Europe through the Walloon Region in Belgium
    • July 4-8, 2016
      Summer Course on EU Tax Law, ERA Academy of European Law
    • April 27, 2016
      International Tax Seminar for Detroit Chapter of Tax Executives Institute
    • February 22, 2016
      Taxation and European Union State Aid Law: The European Commission's Investigation Into Whether Certain Tax Rulings Constitute State Aid
    • December 10, 2015
      The OECD/G20 Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Action Plan: Latest developments and implications for the EU
    • September 17-18, 2015
      ERA Annual Conference on European Company Law and Corporate Governance 2015
    • April 23-24, 2015
      ERA Conference on International Business Taxation: Increasing Transparency
    • November 17, 2014
      Transformation or Tinkering?, ICAEW Seminar on Global Tax Reform
    • October 16-17 , 2014
      ERA Annual Conference on European Company Law and Corporate Governance
    • March 27-28, 2014
      ERA Conference on Practising Mergers and Acquisitions in the EU
    • September 26-27, 2013
      Annual ERA Conference on European Company Law and Corporate Governance 2013
    • May 14, 2013
      Pitfalls in Discussions with Potential Business Partners or Investors, Brussels Venture Capital Coaching Day, Belgian Economic Mission to the USA.
    • April 19, 2013
      7th European Jurists' Forum
    • October 25, 2012
      Client Roundtable Luncheon on the Taxation of Mergers & Acquisitions - Recent Developments
    • March 26-27, 2009
      Jones Day Partner Howard Liebman to Chair Seminar on M&A in the Current Economic Climate at an EC-Sponsored Conference
    • October 25, 2007
      The Impact of State Aids (Opportunities and Risks) on Tax Planning and Tax Policy
    • May 24-25, 2007
      Tax Structuring in the wake of opportunities and challenges posed by: (1) EU and US court decisions; (2) Increased tax reporting and compliance requirements; (3) Financial statement disclosures; and (4) Other compliance-oriented constraints and issues, EATI's 30th Annual International Tax Conference
    • November 30, 2006
      Individual Business Perspectives - Analysis of Current and Future Trends, panelist, Wall Street Journal Europe CFO Outlook Summit
    • September 20, 2006
      The Effect of Regional and Global Trade Agreements on Domestic Tax Law and Bilateral Tax Conventions, chair, International Fiscal Association Congress
    • June 4, 2005
      Allocation & Apportionment: Lessons from the U.S. State Tax System, IFA Benelux Annual Conference
    • May 12, 2005
      The Use of U.S. Holding Companies by Foreign Corporations, Sheltons-SITTI Holding Companies Conferences
    • October 18, 2004
      Acquisitions, Dispositions and Restructurings within the European Union, TEI Annual Conference
    • May 7, 2004
      The Use of U.S. Holding Companies by Foreign Corporations, Sheltons-SITTI Holding Companies Conferences
    • March 14, 2003
      U.S. Perspectives on the Concept of Discrimination, IBA/ABA Conference on U.S.-European Tax Strategies for Multinationals
    • February 7, 2003
      Choice of European Holding Companies, panelist, TEI Europe Annual Conference
    • February 7, 2003
      Tax Consolidation in Europe and the U.S., panelist, TEI Europe Annual Conference
    • February 7, 2003
      Recent Developments in the Taxation of Permanent Establishments, panel chair, TEI Europe Annual Conference
    • March 7, 2002
      The EU Code of Conduct vs. the Prohibition against "State Aid", Universidade Nova International Tax Conference
    • December 7, 2001
      The Use of U.S. Holding Companies by Foreign Corporations, Sheltons-SITTI Holding Companies Conferences
    • December 12, 2000
      The Use of U.S. Holding Companies by Foreign Corporations, Sheltons-SITTI Holding Companies Conferences

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