Image of Rachel Hetherington

Rachel Hetherington

Antitrust & Foreign Investment Partner, London

“For the past fifteen years, I have advised clients from around the world on EU and UK competition law. I have worked from our London and Brussels offices, and in-house with clients, developing a well-rounded competition law practice with in-depth sector expertise and a commercial focus, underpinned by broad technical experience.”

Overview

Professional experience

Education and qualifications

Overview

Rachel is a partner in our Global Antitrust & Foreign Investment Group based in London.

 

Rachel advises clients from around the world on EU and UK merger control investigations and their global merger control strategy. Alongside her busy merger control practice, Rachel regularly counsels clients on behavioural antitrust issues and regulatory investigations, as well as state aid law, regulatory investigations and public procurement law. She has particular expertise in the energy, commodities and natural resources sectors as well as broader experience in healthcare and financial services.

 

Rachel regularly works with lawyers across the firm’s offices. Notably she has spent three years in our Brussels office as well as working in-house with a leading energy client.

 

Rachel was ranked as the 3rd top female M&A lawyer by MergerLinks in October 2019.


Work highlights

Highlights of matters on which Rachel has acted include advising:

  • Glencore on various merger control and competition law compliance matters, including its US$29bn acquisition of Xstrata and the sale of a stake in its bulk petroleum storage business to HNA
  • Centrica in relation to the CMA’s investigation into the UK energy markets, Ofgem’s Retail Market Review and various other competition and regulatory matters 
  • RBS in connection with its state aid commitments to divest Williams & Glynn and their replacement with an alternative remedies package to promote competition in SME banking
  • Thames Water Utilities Limited on the public procurement law aspects of the £4.7bn Thames Tideway Tunnel infrastructure project
  • The UK Post Office on its facilities management and security services procurements

 

Professional experience

Rachel regularly speaks to corporate audiences on global, EU and UK competition law issues including manging global merger control strategy, competition law compliance and handling regulatory investigations. 

Education and qualifications

Rachel completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Cambridge in Spanish and French and completed her legal studies (PGDL and LPC) at the College of Law, Nottingham.   

 

She speaks English, Spanish and French.