Starting at the top-tier firm on 2 May, the mergers and acquisitions specialist told Lawyers Weekly it was Blake Dawson's Asia-Pacific reach and depth of expertise in the energy and resources sector that motivated his departure from Gilbert + Tobin.

"When you've been somewhere for 14 years, it's nice to have a change," Breden explained. "The Asia-Pacific reach of the firm was attractive in servicing a number of my clients. In particular, the firm's expertise in energy and resources is really attractive given how significant that is in the M&A space and how it coincides with a number of clients I work with."

Breden has led a number of significant transactions across energy, resources and industrial sectors.

His experience includes advising Royal Dutch Shell on its $3.3 billion partial sell-down of its interest in Woodside Petroleum, advising AGL on several corporate initiatives including the merger of its infrastructure business with Alinta and acting for Fletcher Building on its $780 million acquisition of Crane Group.