Kate
McKenna
Partner
Kate is a partner in the Competition and Regulation Group.
Prior to joining Matheson, Kate worked at a Magic Circle law firm in London.
Kate has a broad competition and sector regulation law practice, and is standing advisor to many market-leading companies facing sustained regulatory scrutiny in Ireland.
Kate has a broad competition and sector regulation law practice, and is standing advisor to many market-leading companies facing sustained regulatory scrutiny in Ireland.
Kate’s competition practice involves advising clients on merger control, behavioural competition issues (including investigations of alleged collusion and abuse of dominance), State aid, the Foreign Subsidies Regulation, Foreign Investment Screening regimes & public procurement competition issues.
Kate’s regulatory practice involves advising clients on compliance with telecommunications, broadcasting, digital markets, Life Sciences, aviation and postal regulation. Kate frequently advises clients on challenging decisions by sector regulators.
Kate has advised on numerous notable regulatory processes and court cases and so clients turn to Kate for expert advice on defending their interests and for practical solutions which achieve their commercial objectives.
Kate contributes articles to leading international legal publications and speaks regularly on competition and regulatory law issues.
Experience and Education
Recent matters on which Kate has led and advised include:
Telecoms, Media & Digital Regulation
- Obtaining regulatory approvals for Irish telecoms M&A deals, including multiple transactions involving Three, Sky, BT, Speed Fibre Group, NBI, and eir;
- Mediahuis’ adviser on M&A deals, including the only ever Phase 2 media merger review;
- Daily Mail’s adviser on M&A deals and on general competition law issues;
- Advising on High Court challenges of telecoms regulatory decisions by the Irish regulator, ComReg, including acting for Three, Sky and Vodafone;
- Advising on High Court challenges of decisions by Dublin Airport’s regulator, the Irish Aviation Authority; and
- Advising on issues related to the EU Digital Markets Act and other EU rules for the Digital Sector.
Competition Approval / Merger Control
- Smurfit Kappa Group’ adviser on obtaining approvals across the globe, including from the EU Commission, for its merger into Smurfit WestRock.
- Macquarie Asset Management’s adviser on obtaining; competition approval for its acquisition of the Beacon Hospital in Dublin;
- Bank of Ireland’s adviser on obtaining competition approval for its acquisition of the assets of KBC Ireland, subject to remedies, following a Phase 2 process before the Irish Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC);
- AIB’s adviser on obtaining competition approval for the formation, in cooperation with its competitors, of the Yippay payments joint venture, subject to remedies following a Phase 2 CCPC process.
Competition Investigations
- Advising on on-going CCPC investigations of alleged abuse of dominance and other anti-competitive conduct.
- Advising on inspections by the EU Commission and the CCPC in Ireland, including a 2024 EU inspection of a data centre construction business and a 2017 EU inspection of an insurance business and Irish inspection of a private home;
- Brokers Ireland’s adviser on the CCPC investigation into the private motor insurance sector, which lasted from 2016 to 2021 and involved witness summonses and extensive information requests.
Competition Litigation
- Acting in defence of a follow-on action for damages arising from the European Commission’s decision in the ‘Trucks’ case.
State Aid
- Advising the Irish Government on the obtaining State aid approval for its Renewable energy subsidy schemes; and
- Advising on making State aid complaints and defending numerous high-profile State aid investigations by the EU Commission.
- Trinity College Dublin (LLB, First Class Honours)
- BPP Law School London (Legal Practice Course, Distinction)
