John Given is a highly experienced lawyer, entrepreneur and business leader with over 25 years’ experience in the Irish and international business worlds.
John is Managing Partner and Head of Corporate and M&A with KPMG Law LLP. John is also a member of the KPMG Law International Global and EMEA Steering Committees.
KPMG Law International has nearly 4,000 legal personnel in 83 jurisdictions.
In a professional advisory capacity, John has acted on over €100bn of M&A transactions advising many leading Irish, European, US and Asian entities, as well as on many boardroom issues and strategic matters for both private and state bodies.
As a Senior Partner of Irish law firm A&L Goodbody, John advised many leading Irish and global companies and state and semi state agencies. During his decade as Head of M&A, A&L Goodbody was ranked for 10 consecutive years as number 1 Irish M&A law. He also served on the firm’s Management and Policy Committees over many years.
Sectors and markets John has advised on include Financial Services, Life Sciences, Tech, Media and Telecoms, Intellectual Property, Renewable Energy, Retail, Aviation, Mining and Natural Resources, Real Estate, Food & Agri and Education.
John has advised a number of Irish government Ministers, including Ministers for Finance and Arts and Culture, as well as various state and semi-state agencies, on a broad range of strategic assignments including the regulation of the Irish financial services sector, the sale and purchase of various state assets, and a number of arts and cultural matters.
John worked closely with senior members of the Irish government over a number of years on matters relating to Chinese-Irish business and cultural relations including a business and cultural initiative chaired by John involving many of China’s leading law firms, SOEs and universities which was described by then Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny as having “the potential to take the business relationship between China and Ireland to a new plane in its development of a professional network that will benefit both countries”.
In an entrepreneurial and executive capacity, John’s roles have included:
In addition, John has served in various other leadership, executive and shareholder capacities for many companies across a range of sectors which were successfully floated or sold to financial or strategic buyers.
In addition to his corporate activities, John has served on various public sector and not-for- profit bodies and boards including Culture Ireland (an agency of the Irish government mandated to bring Irish arts and culture to international audiences), the Dublin Film Festival and various other bodies.
John studied law in the National University of Ireland (University College Cork) and was awarded a Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) degree in 1991. He trained as a solicitor with A&L Goodbody and the Law Society of Ireland (qualifying in 1995), and has conducted other courses of study at various institutions including Harvard University (Law Firm Leadership) and, most recently, John received an MSc in Management from UCD’s Smurfit Business School (June, 2024).
Mergers and Acquisitions, Corporate Advising, Public Takeovers, Corporate Governance, Board Advising
