Maurice Blackburn Commercial

Key practice areas: MB Commercial
Qualifications: BSc, LLB
Location: Melbourne (VIC)

Chris Ketsakidis is a Principal at Maurice Blackburn Commercial and head of the Superannuation and Financial Services, and Corporate Law practices. Chris advises a range of participants in the superannuation and financial services industry, including public offer superannuation funds, industry funds, corporate funds and pooled superannuation trusts, responsible entities and administrators.

In addition to compliance and regulatory matters, including Financial Services Regime (FSR), Chris acts for trustees and fund administrators in matters concerning fund transfers and mergers, member communications, taxation, governing rules and preparing fund documentation. He also advises unions, employers and trustees on the prudential, commercial and taxation issues affecting worker entitlement funds, such as redundancy funds and portable annual leave funds.

Chris advises clients on:

• requirements of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993, including the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) licensing requirements and safety in superannuation legislation
• requirements of tax legislation and the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992
• financial services reform aspects of the Corporations Act 2001
• fund transfers and mergers
• structuring the acquisition or disposal of fund investment assets and negotiating and documenting the subsequent transactions
• matters of trusteeship and corporate governance
• governing rules of funds
• fund documentation including drafting and reviewing deeds of amendment, management, custody and administration agreements and other outsourcing agreements
• member communication materials including reviewing and drafting product disclosure statements, benefit statements and member newsletters and
• superannuation aspects of corporate mergers and acquisitions.

Chris was admitted to practice in 1993 and before joining Maurice Blackburn Commercial in 2006, he was a partner at a mid-sized city tax and commercial law firm, heading the superannuation and financial services practice group.

Chris is a regular speaker at seminars and a contributing author on superannuation to the Thomson ATP Australian Tax Handbook. He is the author of numerous articles published by professional journals on tax-related issues affecting superannuation.

Chris is a member of the Law Institute of Victoria and a Fellow of the Taxation Institute of Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Law and a Bachelor of Science from Monash University.