Kyoko Takahashi Lin
Advises boards, companies and executives on compensation, including in connection with M&A, IPOs, joint ventures, leadership transitions and succession planning.
Kyoko advises boards, compensation committees, companies and individual executives on executive, director and employee compensation, including executive employment agreements, deferred compensation, severance plans and other compensatory arrangements. Her practice includes a particular emphasis on issues arising in mergers and acquisitions transactions, initial public offerings, and new and joint ventures, as well as for financial institutions.
Kyoko also advises on the sensitive aspects of senior executive transitions and succession planning, building upon her extensive experience with corporate governance, public company disclosure and tax laws. She is a thought leader in executive compensation and related topics, and is a member of the Thomson Reuters Practical Law’s Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Advisory Board.
Law360 named Kyoko a “Benefits MVP of the Year” in 2021.
Experience
M&A
- Gilead Sciences’ $4.3 billion acquisition of CymaBay Therapeutics
- KOITO Manufacturing’s take-private acquisition of Cepton
- JPMorgan’s acquisition of assets and assumption of certain liabilities of First Republic Bank and subsequent sale of First Republic Trust Company
- Summit Materials’ combination with Argos USA
- Allegro MicroSystems’ $420 million acquisition of Crocus Technology
- Livent’s $10.6 billion merger of equals with Allkem
- Comcast’s acquisitions of Sky, DreamWorks Animation and Buzzfeed
- Morgan Stanley’s $7 billion acquisition of Eaton Vance, $13 billion acquisition of E*Trade and $900 million acquisition of Solium Capital
- Clarivate’s $6.8 billion combination with CPA Global and $5.3 billion acquisition of ProQuest
- IHS Markit’s $44 billion acquisition by S&P Global, $1.855 billion acquisition of Ipreo and $470 million sale of Jane’s Information Group
- The Williams Companies’ $1.125 billion sale of its Four Corners Area business, $950 million acquisition of Haynesville assets, $423 million acquisition of NorTex Midstream Holdings, acquisition of MountainWest’s natural gas transmission and storage business, and sale 50% interest in Jackalope Gas Gathering Services
- Masco’s sale of Masco Cabinetry, Milgard Manufacturing and Kichler Lighting
- SLM (Sallie Mae)’s spin-off of Navient
- Republic Services’ $2.2 billion acquisition of US Ecology
Capital Markets
- FMC’s IPO of its lithium business (Livent) and its subsequent spin-off of Livent
- Fogo de Chão’s IPO and subsequent $560 million acquisition by Rhône Capital
- Gyroscope Therapeutics’ $148.0 million Series C equity financing
- Other IPOs: ADC Therapeutics, BRP Group, Freeline Therapeutics, Goosehead Insurance, Pactiv Evergreen, Privia Health, Prosensa, REV Group, Reynolds Consumer Products, SOPHiA GENETICS and Snail Games
Other Matters
- Davis Polk comment letters to the SEC on various issues, including the clawback rule, pay versus performance rule, pay ratio rule and Rule 701/Form S-8
- Advised SIFMA on its comment letter regarding Dodd-Frank Act Section 956 (regarding incentive compensation) and its submission to Treasury
- Other clients advised include AIG, Charles River Laboratories, General Dynamics, Huntington Bank, Marsh & McLennan Companies, ORIX, Recruit Holdings, Remitly, StoneX and Ventas
Insights
News
Recognition
Chambers USA – Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation, New York, Band 1
Law360 – “Benefits MVP of the Year,” 2021
Education
- magna cum laude
Qualifications and admissions
- State of New York