Robert E. Holo

Rob Holo is the Head of Simpson Thacher’s Chambers’ “Band One”recognized Tax Department. Rob focuses on federal income taxation, with an emphasis on corporate mergers and acquisitions (including tax-free reorganizations and spin-offs), cross-border tax matters, joint ventures, and capital markets and financing transactions.

Rob has a broad international tax practice and spends much of his time advising on cross-border mergers and acquisitions and capital markets transactions. As part of his international tax practice, Rob has represented many clients on migration, redomiciliation and expatriation transactions.

Recent transactions include representation of:

* KKR in connection with multiple transactions, including Walgreens’ strategic transaction with Alliance Boots, its acquisition of Epicor Software and its investment in Focus Financial Partners
* Ahold in its merger with Delhaize
* PPL in connection with the Reverse Morris Trust transaction with Riverstone Holdings, to form Talen Energy
* Ingersoll Rand in its spin-off of Allegion
* Mosaic in its acquisition of Vale Fertilizantes
* Carlyle in its acquisition of a 75% stake in Gastronomía y Negocios
* Alibaba Group in connection with its IPO
* Primavera and Ant Financial in connection with their investment in Yum China
* HNA acquisition of an ownership stake in OM Asset Management
* Johnson Controls to its sale of the Scott Safety Business
* Tourico Holidays in its acquisition by Hotelbeds

Rob has advised numerous banks, domestic and foreign corporations, private equity funds and investors in connection with the structuring of acquisitions and dispositions, with an emphasis on cross-border tax issues, as well on U.S. and cross-border financing transactions. Additionally, Rob advises on many of the capital markets and joint venture transactions handled by the Firm in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Representative clients have included KKR, Carlyle, Johnson Controls, PPL, Mosaic, Barrick Gold, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, Barclays and Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Rob joined the Firm in 1997 and became a Partner in 2001. He received his B.A. in 1987 from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his J.D. in 1991 from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was elected Order of the Coif and was an editor of the Law Review. He was a law clerk to the Hon. Pamela Ann Rymer (Ninth Circuit) from 1991 to 1992. He is admitted to practice in New York and California.