Mr Badenhorst was recruited to the international agricultural services and processing company five years ago and tasked with building a first class in-house legal department from scratch. 'An in-house legal culture was fostered across the group and the AFGRI legal team soon became the preferred legal partner for the business. The successes were immediate and measurable', praised Mr Venter, CEO.
Key role in M&A transactions
Mr Badenhorst played a key role in helping AFGRI secure a series of M&A transactions as part of a strategy of focusing on its main assets. This included the ZAR1.2 billion (£60 million) sale of AFGRI Poultry and AFGRI's Kinross Animal Feed Mill to AFPO Consortium Pty Ltd earlier this year. The deal was particularly significant because it was the largest of its type in the sector, thereby presenting specific legal challenges.
Other in-house winners
The South African Reserve Bank was also among the night's biggest winners for in-house awards, claiming the title of Legal Department of the Year in the large team category and Legal Counsel of the Year for deputy general counsel Jonathan Maphosa. The in-house team at Life Healthcare Group was recognised as Legal Department of the Year in the small team category. Sources: Legal Week; African Legal Awards; AFGRI
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