Profile
Philippe Weber regularly represents Swiss and international clients in some of the largest and most complex corporate/M&A, capital markets and banking transactions in Switzerland and counsels public companies on how to successfully navigate critical governance and compliance matters. Chambers Global and other legal directories distinguish him as a top tier lawyer in these fields.
Philippe Weber regularly receives national and international recognition of his work. Recent awards include Swiss Corporate and M&A Lawyer of the Year 2022 and Swiss Capital Markets Lawyer of the Years 2024 and 2022 by Legalcommunity, Swiss Capital Markets Lawyer of the Year 2021 by WWL and winner of the Lexology Client Choice Award 2021 for Capital Markets Switzerland.
Experience
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Philippe Weber has vast experience in high profile corporate/M&A, capital markets and banking transactions. He also regularly advises companies, boards and other parties on takeover law, governance and compliance and represents clients in such matters before regulators, including the SIX Swiss Exchange, the Swiss Takeover Board, the Swiss Financial Markets Supervisory Authority FINMA and other Swiss and foreign regulators.
In addition, Philippe Weber serves on the board of directors of several publicly listed companies and as company secretary of the parent company of CLS Group, which operates the world’s largest foreign exchange settlement system and is a globally systemically important financial markets infrastructure with an average daily settlement volume of USD 6 trillion.
Highlights of transactional advice include:
- Counsel on the largest Swiss IPO of the year in each of the past ten years, i.e. 2014 (SFS),
2015 (Sunrise), 2016 (VAT), 2017 (Landis+Gyr), 2018 (SIG Combibloc), 2019 (Stadler Rail),
2020 (Ina Invest), 2021 (PolyPeptide), 2022 (EPIC) and 2024 (Galderma) - Counsel to NEC Corporation in the CHF 2.05bn acquisition of Swiss Avaloq Group
- Counsel to NYSE and Mexican Stock Exchange listed FEMSA in the CHF 1.14 billion public takeover of SIX listed Valora Holding
- Counsel to Worldline (Atos) in the CHF 2.75 billion acquisition of SIX Payment Services
- Swiss Counsel to KKR and Alliance Boots GmbH (Swiss ParentCo) in the USD multi billion acquisition of Alliance Boots by Walgreen Co.
- Counsel to the Swiss Confederation in the recapitalization of UBS by way of a CHF 6 billion mandatory convertible bond
- Counsel to Orange (France) in the CHF multi billion sale of Orange Switzerland to Apax
- Swiss Counsel to the underwriters and other financing banks in the bank lending, bond and equity financings of SIX listed Dufry for the CHF multi-billion acquisitions of The NuanceGroup and World Duty Free
- Swiss Counsel to GIC and Qatar Holding in their CHF multi-billion investments in equity linked securities of UBS (GIC) and hybrid securities of Credit Suisse Group (QH), respectively
- Swiss counsel to BSI to reach an NPA with the U.S. DOJ under the “Program for Non-Prosecution Agreements or Non-Target Letters for Swiss Banks”. BSI was the first bank to reach a resolution under the Program
- Panoramic: Initial Public Offerings 2025 – Switzerland in: Initial Public Offerings 2025, Lexology Panoramic, June 2024
- LexGTDT: Swiss M&A: Pricing 2023 in: Swiss M&A 2023, Fourth Edition, Law Business Research, August 2023
- LexGTDT: Initial Public Offerings: Switzerland 2023 in: Lexology Getting The Deal Through – Initial Public Offerings 2024, Law Business Research, June 2023
- LexGTDT: Financial Services M&A: Switzerland, 2022 in: Lexology Getting The Deal Through – Financial Services M&A, Law Business Research, July 2022
- LexGTDT: Private Equity (Transactions) in Switzerland 2022 in: Lexology Getting The Deal Through – Private Equity (Transactions) 2022, Law Business Research, 11 March 2022
- Carve-out Transaktionen, 2022 Europa Institut Zürich, 2023, 25. Konferenz Mergers & Acquisition, September 2022
- ICLG Foreign Direct Investment Regimes 2022: Switzerland in: International Comparative Legal Guide, Third Edition, Chapter 27, November 2022
- Non Compete & Retention Agreements, 2021 Europa Institut Zürich, 2021, 23. Konferenz Mergers & Acquisition, September 2020
- Debt Capital Markets in Switzerland 2021 in: LexGTDT – Debt Capital Markets 2021, Law Business Research, March 2021
- The M&A Law Review – Swiss Chapter, 2021 The M&A Law Review, 2021, Edition 14 (Law Business Research Ltd.)
- IFLR China Outbound Investment Report on Switzerland: Uncertain Futures in: IFLR Magazine, China Outbound Investment Special Focus 2020: Switzerland, Summer 2020
- Foreign Direct Investment Regimes 2020 in: The International Comparative Legal Guide (ICLG) to Foreign Direct Investment Regimes 2020, First Edition, November 2019
- Switzerland: An Introduction to Capital Markets in: Chambers Europe 2020
- COVID-19 Swiss Government Measures Supporting Business, 2020
- § 44 Die Börsenzulassung in der Schweiz in ihrem rechtlichen und steuerlichen Umfeld, 2019 in: Unternehmensfinanzierung am Kapitalmarkt, 4. Auflage 2019
- Revised notices of the SIX disclosure office, 2018 in: Capital Markets Newsletter – Switzerland, International Law Office, 20 November 2018
- Chinese Investments in Switzerland, September 2018
- Dual Track Transaktionen – Europa Institut Zürich (EIZ), 21. Zürcher Konferenz Mergers & Acquisitions, 4. September 2018
- New stock exchange directive on use of alternative performance measures, 2018 in: Capital Markets Newsletter – Switzerland, International Law Office, 26 June 2018
- Kotierung einer Schweizer Gesellschaft im Ausland, 2017 in: Thomas U. Reutter, Thomas Werlen (Hrsg.): Kapitalmarkt – Recht und Transaktionen XI, Europa Institut Zürich, Schulthess Juristische Medien AG, Zürich · Basel · Genf 2017, S. 195-228 (38 Pages; 1208 kb)
- Key aspects of private investments in public equity (PIPE) in Switzerland, 2017 Online publication, http://www.lexology.com, 1 June 2017 (4 Pages; 430 kb)
- Completing M&A Transactions Successfully with Chinese Companies in a Swiss Context, 2016 in: LexisNexis Mergers & Acquisitions Law Guide 2016, 2016, pp. 32-41 (10 Pages; 1166 kb)
- Equity Capital Markets in Switzerland: Regulatory overview in: Practical Law Capital Markets Global Guide 2016/17, Thomson Reuters, 2016 (16 Pages; 5379 kb)
- Completing M&A Transactions Successfully with Chinese Companies in a Swiss Context, 2015 in: LexisNexis Mergers & Acquistions Law Guide 2015, 2015 (9 pages; 412 kb)
- M&A in Switzerland – Law & Practice, 2013 in: Chambers Legal Practice Guide M&A 2013, p. 876 – 895
- M&A in Switzerland – Trends & Developments, 2013 in: Chambers Legal Practice Guide M&A 2013, p. 872 – 875
- New Swiss Rules on Insider Dealing and Market Manipulation entered into force on 1 May 2013 in: CapLaw 2/2013, pp. 2 – 13 (13 pages; 1.6 mb)
- The Swiss response to the Basel III framework and other regulatory initiatives aimed at reinforcing financial sector resilience in: Practical Law Multi-Jurisdictional Guide 2012/13, Capital Markets (8 Pages; 707 kb)
- Making the most of it – the capital markets team at NKF discusses the legal framework for capital raising in Switzerland in: The 2011 Guide to Capital Markets
- Too big to fail and Basel III: Switzerland at the forefront in: PLC Capital Markets Handbook 2011
- Konsortialkredite, 2010 in: Thomas U. Reutter/Thomas Werlen (Hrsg.), Europa Institut Zürich, Kapitalmarkttransaktionen V, Zürich 2010, S. 1-41
- Commission’s Report on New Stock Exchange Offences and Market Abuse Regulation, 2009 in: CapLaw 3/2009, pp. 2-6 (5 Pages; 311 kb)
- Revised Swiss Insider Rules – A Change of Paradigm, 2009 in: CapLaw 1/2009, pp. 2-6 (5 Pages; 315 kb)
- Offering of Foreign Securities in Switzerland, 2008 in: Thomas U. Reutter / Thomas Werlen (Hrsg.): Kapitalmarkttransaktionen III, Europa Institut Zürich 2008, S. 1-38 (39 Pages; 1.60 mb)
- Dual track and competitive IPOs, 2007 in: SECA Yearbook 2007, pp. 77-82 (6 Pages; 534 kb)
- Offenlegung von Managemententschädigungen und Management-Transaktionen, 2007 in: Thomas U. Reutter / Thomas Werlen (Hrsg.): Kapitalmarkttransaktionen II, Europa Institut Zürich 2007, Band 81, S. 99-126 (30 Pages; 1.52 mb
1996
Admitted to the Bar, Rechtsanwalt
1995
University of Zurich, PhD, summa cum laude, distinguished with the Wissenschaftspreis des Deutschen Bundestags 1996 and Walther Hug-Preis 1997
1994
European University Institute, Fiesole / Florence, Italy, LL.M., with distinction
Best Lawyers 2010 – 2025
Chambers Global 2017-2024 – Top Ranked Capital Markets and M&A
Chambers Europe 2017-2024 – Top Ranked Capital Markets and M&A
IFLR1000 2020 – 2024 – Market Leader
The Legal500 EMEA 2019 – 2024 – Hall of Fame
Legalcommunity Switzerland Awards 2022 – Lawyer of the Year: Capital Markets
Legalcommunity Switzerland Awards 2022 – Lawyer of the Year: Corporate / M&A
WHO’S WHO LEGAL: THOUGHT LEADERS GLOBAL ELITE 2020 – 2024
Lexology Client Choice Awards 2021 – Capital Markets Switzerland
Who’s Who Legal Switzerland Awards 2021 – Lawyer of the Year – Capital Markets
- Swiss Bar Association
- Zurich Bar Association
- Europe Institute of Zurich
- IBA International Bar Association
2002
Partner, Niederer Kraft Frey (2015-2021 Managing Partner)
2001
Secondment to a Magic Circle law firm in London
1994
Associate, Niederer Kraft Frey
1993
Clerk with the District Court of Zurich
1992
Legal advisor to the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Swiss National Council and the Swiss Council of States (Swiss Parliament)
1990
Assistant for European and International Public Law at University of Zurich
German
English
French
Italian