Strati Sakellariou-Witt
Biography
Overview
Strati is a partner in the White & Case global antitrust practice. Her practice focuses on international competition and antitrust law across a number of sectors such as energy, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, tech and transport.
She has extensive experience in advising clients on antitrust and merger control aspects of complex cross-border M&A transactions and joint ventures. She has represented clients in numerous high profile matters requiring merger control approvals both in Europe and worldwide, including, among others, Saudi Aramco's $69 billion acquisition of SABIC, DIC's acquisition of BASF's colour effects business, Zimmer’s acquisition of medical device manufacturer Biomet, Aegean Airlines’ acquisition of Olympic.
She regularly represents clients in antitrust proceedings before the European Commission and antitrust authorities worldwide as well as the EU Courts. Her litigation experience includes landmark cases such as Toshiba v Commission (gas insulated switchgear); Chalkor v Commission (copper plumbing tubes); Toshiba v Commission (power transformers); and Toshiba v Úřad pro ochranu hospodářské soutěže (ne bis in idem/parallel cartel investigations).
Strati was named "Competition and Antitrust Lawyer of the Year" in Europe in 2021 and 2019 by Euromoney. She is listed as a "Rising Star" in Europe by Law.com in 2021, and was named "Rising Star" for Competition/Antitrust by Law 360 in 2020.
Arthur T. Vanderbilt (NYU) Scholar & Greek State Foundation (IKY) Scholar
summa cum laude
summa cum laude, Valedictorian
Erasmus Scholar
Experience
- Representation of DIC Corporation, a Japanese fine chemicals company, and its US subsidiary Sun Chemical Corporation, in connection with DIC's €1.15 billion acquisition of BASF's global pigments business, known as BASF Colors & Effects.
- Representation of Merck KGaA in the European Commission's investigation related to provision of information in the context of the merger notification of Merck KGaA's $ 17 billion acquisition of Sigma Aldrich.
- Representation of Saudi Aramco on its US$69.1 billion acquisition of a 70% stake in Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC) from the Public Investment Fund (PIF). The transaction was named "M&A Deal of the Year (Over US$50 billion)" by the M&A Advisor (2020).
- Representation of Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) on a long term infrastructure deal with a consortium led by EIG Global Energy Partners (EIG) to optimize its assets through a lease-and-lease-back arrangement involving its stabilized crude oil pipeline network. Saudi Aramco will receive upfront proceeds of around US$12.4 billion.
- Representation of Saudi Aramco in connection with the US$20 billion Sadara chemical, a joint venture with The Dow Chemical Company in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.
- Representation of Tenaris, a leading global manufacturer and supplier of steel pipes, in connection with the establishment of joint venture with Severstal, a vertically integrated steel and steel-related mining company, for the production of welded pipes for the oil & gas industry in Russia.
- Representation of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) in connection with the sale of a 40% stake in ADNOC Oil Pipelines to a consortium comprising KKR and Blackrock (named "M&A Deal of the Year" at the 2019 IFLR Middle East Awards).
- Representation of Hikma Pharmaceuticals in the purchase of a remedy package in the Pfizer/Hospira transaction.
- Representation of MOL Hungarian Oil and Gas Plc.(MOL), an integrated oil and gas company active across the entire crude oil and natural gas value chain, in its acquisition of ENI Hungaria Zrt. (ENI Hungaria) and ENI Slovenija druzba za trzenje z naftnimi derivati, d.o.o. (ENI Slovenija)'s 183 filing stations in Hungary and 17 stations in Slovenia operated under the Eni and Agip brands; as well as the ex-refinery and non-retail operations of these companies in Hungary and Slovenia.
- Advising a major consumer electronics manufacturer in the European Commission's sector inquiry on e-commerce.
- Representing a major Greek mobile telephony company in an abuse of dominance (margin squeeze) proceeding before the Hellenic Telecommunications and Post Commission (EETT).
- Represented Toshiba Corporation in multijurisdictional cartel proceedings concerning Gas Insulated Switchgear. This involved a successful appeal of the original European Commission decision fining Toshiba €90.9 million for participating in a global cartel to the European General Court—where the Court annulled in full the fine on Toshiba—and a further appeal to the Court of Justice of the EU.
- Represented Zimmer Holdings, a world leader in musculoskeletal health solutions, in obtaining merger clearance from the European Commission for its $13.35 billion acquisition of Biomet, Inc. This complex Phase II case was cleared two months prior to the official deadline.
- Represented Wilmar International Inc, Asia's leading agribusiness group, in obtaining merger clearance from the European Commission for its joint venture with Fox Petrolifera Italiana SpA.
- Advised companies active in car rental services in cases involving airports' excessive pricing practices. She successfully represented a major car rental operator in a complaint against an airport before the Cypriot Competition Commission.
- Represented Toshiba Corporation in an appeal to the General Court of the EU against a European Commission decision finding a home market protection agreement in Power Transformers.
- In a first for EU merger control, Strati achieved a significant success for Aegean Airlines before the European Commission, which cleared the Greek carrier's proposed acquisition of its rival Olympic Air. This was the second time the two companies had tried to merge, following Olympic/Aegean I, when the Commission prohibited the transaction.
- Successfully represented Pfizer Inc. in three separate proceedings before the Greek civil courts initiated by pharmaceutical wholesalers requesting large quantities of prescription medicines in order to export them.
- Represented a major company active in the soft drinks and milk markets before the Greek and Cypriot authorities and courts in relation to abuse of dominance proceedings with regard to rebates and refusal to supply.
- Represented Toshiba Corporation in a seminal preliminary ruling to the European Court of Justice, which established the principles governing the scope for parallel proceedings by national competition authorities and the European Commission.
- Represented Halcor S.A. (previously Chalkor Metal Works) in an appeal to the Court of Justice of the EU against a European Commission cartel decision concerning copper plumbing tubes. The case raised fundamental questions of due process and judicial review which shaped the case law of European competition law.
- Successfully represented AbbVie (previously Abbott Laboratories) in two separate proceedings before the Greek civil courts initiated by pharmaceutical wholesalers requesting large quantities of prescription medicines in order to export them.
- Strati has conducted a number of EU competition compliance audits for major companies in the telecommunications, consumer electronics, semiconductor, energy and food and drinks markets.
Autumn dawn raid revival on the cards for European competition authorities, Kluwer Competition Law Blog, September 2021
"Getting the deal Through – Market Intelligence – Merger Control" European Union & Greece, Lexology, January 2021
"European Union: Pharmaceuticals", The European, Middle Eastern and African Antitrust Review 2019, GCR, July 2018 (with J. Jourdan, J. Killick, A. Komninos and A. Schulz)
"Recent Policy and Judicial Developments in EU Competition Law" – Chapter in book “China and World: Studies on the Development of Competition Law” published by AnJie Law Firm, July 2018 (with J.Jourdan)
"Recent Developments in EU Competition Law Enforcement (1)", Kokusai Shoji Homu (International Business Law and Practice), Vol 46, n° 6, 2018 (with A. Schulz and P. Pêcheux)
"Lessons to Keep in Mind for Your Next Complex Global Deal", Transaction Advisors, December 2015 (with M. Powell), awarded Best Cross-Border Business Article, 2016 Antitrust Writing Awards
"Huawei v ZTE—No More Need to Look at the Orange Book in SEP", CPI Antitrust Chronicle, October 2015 (with J. Killick)
"Mobile health apps – are they a regulated medical device?", White & Case, August 2015 (with K. Rübsamen)
"The 'As Efficient Competitor Test' After Post Danmark: Emphasis on Margin Squeeze", Concurrences - Revue Des Droits de la Concurrence, September 2013 (with A. Komninos)
"Due process in competition cases: a step forward by the ECJ", Commercial Dispute Resolution, January 2012 (with J. Killick)
"The ECJ Advocate General Sharpston voices opinion on the standard of judicial review over fines in cartel cases (KME)", Bulletin e-Competitions ECHR, February 2011 (co-author)
Competition and Antitrust Lawyer of the Year, Euromoney LMG Europe Women in Business Law Awards, 2021
European Female Rising Star, Law.com, 2021
Recommended, Legal 500 EMEA, Belgium: EU and competition, 2021
Rising Star, Law 360 Competition/Antitrust, 2020
Who's Who Legal, Competition Future Leader, 2020, 2021
Top competition/antitrust practitioners in Belgium, Women in Business Law Expert Guide, 2020
Best in Competition & Antitrust - Euromoney LMG Europe Women in Business Law Awards, 2019
