Sheila Tormey

Sheila’s practice has particular focus on EU and Irish merger control, including the Irish media merger regime. She has worked on a wide range of deals, including for private equity and trade buyers. Sheila also has extensive experience in cartel investigations, distribution agreements, conduct by dominant firms and competition law damages actions. In addition, she advises on State aid and telecoms regulation. Sheila has experience across many industries, including asset management, wealth management, insurance, pharmaceuticals, waste management, media and retail. Sheila provides responsive, pragmatic and commercial advice, and runs her matters with efficiency and diligence.

Significant matters include advising:

• Carlyle Cardinal on the Irish merger control aspects of its sale of The City Bin Co. to Thorntons Recycling. Both are major providers of waste management services, in particular household waste collection. We advised on the notification of the transaction to the CCPC in August 2022; on responses to extensive CCPC RFIs; and on divestment remedies negotiations with the CCPC, leading to Phase 2 clearance in July 2023.
• Thorntons Recycling on the implementation of merger control divestment remedies agreed with the CCPC following its acquisition of The City Bin Co., completing in November 2024.
• one of Ireland’s largest private motor insurers on the CCPC’s long running competition law investigation (2016 – 2021) into alleged anti-competitive practices in private motor insurance by AIG, Allianz, AXA, Aviva, FBD, Brokers Ireland and AA Ireland. This included managing extensive CCPC RFIs and witness summons hearings; analysing and challenging the evidentiary basis of the CCPC’s allegations; and negotiating remedies with the CCPC. The CCPC closed the case on the basis of commitments to operate competition law compliance programmes and made no finding of competition law breach.
• J&E Davy on the Irish merger control notification of the sale of its wealth management and capital markets businesses to Bank of Ireland. The CCPC cleared the transaction unconditionally at Phase 1 in 2021.
• Uniphar (a full line pharmaceutical wholesaler) on numerous matters including the proposed acquisition of Navi (prohibited at Phase 2 in 2022) and the acquisition of the Sam McCauley Pharmacy Group (cleared with divestment remedies at Phase 1 in 2023).
• Carlyle on the EU merger control filing relating to its sale of Payzone to AIB / First Data. The European Commission cleared the transaction unconditionally at Phase 1 in October 2019.
• A range of tech, pharma and medtech clients on EU and Irish sanctions, AML and export control law, including authorisations under Article 5n EU Regulation 833/2014.
• Phoenix Group on its acquisitions of Standard Life Assurance and ReAssure Group and its sale of Ark Life.
• A major truck manufacturer on the defence of Irish High Court competition law damages proceedings brought by Irish hauliers on the back of the European Commission finding of competition law breach by DAF, Daimler, IVECO, MAN and Scania in 2016. These proceedings are ongoing.
• FMCG, life sciences and other clients on a range of distribution, pricing and regulatory issues.