Known for his business-oriented approach to handling complex transactions, Robert lends his sharp instincts and creative solutions to help achieve optimal results.

Robert Hansen is a partner in our Business Law Group in Toronto. Vendors, purchasers, targets, and special committees of boards of directors trust Robert’s experience and strategic advice in connection with the purchase and sale of shares and assets of public and private companies. Issuers, investment dealers, and investors look to his advice on public and private offerings of securities. Additionally, he regularly advises on continuous disclosure and corporate governance matters. Robert’s practice is focused primarily on mergers & acquisitions and capital markets transactions.

Robert represents a broad range of clients who look to his advice and appreciate his responsiveness, efficiency, and ability to look at problems creatively when it comes to crafting solutions. Clients value his sharp focus on key issues and ability to forge collaborative relationships with opposing counsel when working toward a common goal. Recognized as a skilled deal-maker, Robert has acted as lead counsel in a range of complex transactions, providing strategic advice and innovative insight while successfully pursuing clients’ objectives. Some of his recent transactions include:

• Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Q4 on its sale to Sumeru Equity Partners
• Temagami Mining on the introduction of a sunset for the dual class share structure of Teck Resources
• Blue Ant Media on its acquisition of Marblemedia
• Equitable Bank on its acquisition of ACM Advisors
• SkyLine Champion on its strategic investment in ECN Capital
• Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Shopify on governance structure updates to support continued long-term growth
• Score Media and Gaming on its sale to Penn National Gaming
• GE Digital on its acquisition of Opus One Solutions Energy Corporation
• Cascade Investment on its acquisition of a controlling interest in Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
• Loral Space & Communications on its combination with and public listing of Telesat Canada;
• Wells Fargo on the sale of its direct equipment finance business to TD Bank Group;
• Teranet on its sale of Do Process to Dye & Durham;
• Banneker Partners on its acquisition of Versaterm and several follow-on acquisitions
• Cineworld on its proposed acquisition of Cineplex (transaction terminated by Cineworld);
• Score Media and Gaming on the strategic investment by Fengate Asset Management;
• BCE in connection with its acquisitions of Axia NetMedia, AlarmForce Industries and Manitoba Telecom Services;
• The Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Loblaw on the spin-out of the interest in Choice Properties REIT;
• Canadian Western Bank on its acquisitions of iA Investment Counsel (TE Financial and Leon Frazer) and the commercial and vendor finance business of ECN Capital;
• The Special Committee of the Board of Directors of Equity Financial Holdings on the sale to Smoothwater Capital;
• Rhone Capital in its preferred share investment in Hudson’s Bay Company;
• Stelco in connection with its sale to Bedrock Industries and its acquisition of 40% of Hamilton Sports Group (the owner of the TigerCats Football Team and Forge FC)
• Bluesky Hotels and Resorts on its acquisition of InnVest REIT;
• GE Capital on the sales of its commercial distribution finance business to Wells Fargo, transportation finance business to Bank of Montreal and franchise finance business to Canadian Western Bank;

Robert is on the faculty of The Directors College, Canada’s first university accredited corporate director development program, founded by the Conference Board of Canada and the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University. He teaches a seminar for the advanced securities law programs at the University of Windsor and the University of Western Ontario. Robert is a regular contributor to the firm’s Canadian M&A Perspectives and Canadian Securities Regulatory Monitor blogs.

Robert obtained his Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons.) from the School of Business & Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University in 1993, and his LLB from the Osgoode Hall Law School in 1997. He was called to the Ontario bar in 1999.