MariaYiasemides

Partner

Sydney + 61.2.8272.0770

Maria Yiasemides has extensive experience in complex commercial litigation and proceedings involving insolvency and restructuring issues. She is a highly accomplished litigator with a successful track record in noteworthy and hotly contested disputes involving well-known global corporate collapses and reorganizations.

Maria also advises on cross-border restructuring matters, including recognition proceedings and multijurisdictional schemes of arrangement. She is a Fellow of INSOL International (turnaround and insolvency federation) and sits on various insolvency and restructuring committees, including the INSOL International Young Members Committee and the Insolvency and Restructuring Committee of the Business Law Section of the Law Council of Australia.

Maria is also focused on privacy and cybersecurity-related litigation and regularly advises companies on privacy and data breach issues.

Her significant experience includes advising a bidder in the restructure of Virgin Australia Airlines; acting for the Insurance Commission of Western Australia in relation to its interests in the Bell Group liquidation; acting for external administrators in significant retail and business collapses, including Topshop/Topman, American Apparel, Payless Shoes, NewSat, and Maritimo; and acting in complex disputes for Transurban, Peabody, Hancock Prospecting, IBM, Sanofi, and Woolworths. Prior to joining Jones Day in 2014, she acted for Fuji Xerox in several disputes.

Maria is a Councillor of the Friends of the Australian Ballet and prior to that served on the board of Australia's largest not-for-profit running organization, Sydney Striders Running Club.

Experience

  • Hornblower Group acquires Journey BeyondJones Day advised Hornblower Group, Inc. in its acquisition of Australia's leading experiential travel group, Journey Beyond.
  • SAP forms strategic partnership with Dediq for financial services industriesJones Day advised SAP in the formation of SAP Fioneer, a joint venture with the Munich based investor DEDIQ GmbH whereby SAP contributed its Financial Services and Insurance Services business and DEDIQ will invest more than €500 million.
  • ICWA and JN Taylor Finance (in liquidation) challenge liquidator's decision to review or re-adjudicate a proof of claim admitted over 20 years agoJones Day is acting for the Insurance Commission of Western Australia ("ICWA") in proceedings commenced by JN Taylor Finance Pty Ltd (in liquidation) and ICWA in the Supreme Court of Western Australia seeking to reverse a liquidator's decision to review or re-adjudicate a proof of claim that was admitted in the liquidation of The Bell Group Limited in the amount of approximately $291 million over 20 years ago.
  • ICWA protects its interests as creditor and funder in Bell Group liquidationsJones Day is acting for the Insurance Commission of Western Australia ("ICWA"), a Western Australian government entity, in proceedings commenced in the Supreme Court of Western Australia concerning the distribution to creditors of over $1.8 billion in the liquidations of the Bell Group.
  • Maritimo Offshore enters into Deed of Company Arrangement and files for Chapter 15 reliefJones Day acted for the administrators and subsequent deed administrators appointed to Maritimo Offshore Pty Ltd, an Australian yacht manufacturer, with global operations and dealerships.
  • NewSat Limited sues its CEO and Chairman for breaches of directors' dutiesJones Day is acting for NewSat Limited, a formerly publicly listed Australian satellite company, on the instruction of its receivers from McGrathNicol in relation to a claim against NewSat's CEO and Chairman for breaches of directors' duties. 
  • Senior officers of ICWA and State Solicitors Office of Western Australia obtain orders setting aside liquidator examination summonses and production ordersJones Day acted for the CEO and General Counsel of the Insurance Commission of Western Australia ("ICWA"), and the State Solicitor and a senior lawyer of the State Solicitors Office of Western Australia, in a successful Federal Court of Australia application to set aside examination summonses and production orders obtained by the liquidator of Bell Group NV (in liquidation).
  • Payless Shoes appoints voluntary administrators and enters into Deed of Company ArrangementJones Day acted for and advised the voluntary administrators appointed to Payless Shoes Pty Ltd, including in relation to a sale of business campaign, the wind-down of the company's operations including with respect to employee affairs and claims, the entry into a deed of company arrangement, investigations into potential claims, and associated court applications.
  • Owners Corporation of Beau Monde North Sydney apartments obtain settlement from insolvent developer for defective worksJones Day successfully acted for the Owners Corporation of the Beau Monde North Sydney apartments in relation to its recovery of debts and claims against its insolvent developer.