Kelly Wright

Kelly Wright is a Partner in the Tax Practice at Bowmans in Johannesburg, specialising in tax advisory law, corporate tax, and transaction structuring. She advises on merger and acquisition transactions, debt and group reorganisations, employee incentive schemes, and tax litigation, with a specific focus on the financial products area.

Kelly has acted as South African Tax Counsel to SABMiller PLC on its recommended acquisition by AB InBev, the largest M&A transaction in South Africa's history and the third largest globally at the date of announcement. She has also advised SABMiller on the combination of bottling operations to create Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, forming the biggest bottler of soft drinks in Africa; Alexander Forbes and Dis-Chem Pharmacies on their respective IPOs on the JSE; and numerous corporate and financial institutions on tax litigation and settlement of large tax disputes. Her clients include Alexander Forbes, Investec, SABMiller, Standard Bank, AfriSam, and Virgin Active.

Kelly holds an LL.B (cum laude) from the University of the Witwatersrand, a Higher Diploma in Tax (cum laude) from the University of Johannesburg, and a Certificate in Advanced Company Law. She is a registered tax practitioner.

She has been ranked as a Next Generation Partner for Tax by The Legal 500 for six consecutive years (2021–2026).