Vivien Chaplin
Vivien Chaplin is a Director in our Corporate & Commercial practice and Head of the Mining & Minerals sector. She brings over 25 years of experience advising on local and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, company law and corporate governance issues, and the drafting of specialised commercial contracts.
About Vivien
About Vivien
Vivien is an accomplished corporate and commercial lawyer with over 25 years of experience, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and all aspects of corporate law. She has extensive expertise advising on both local and cross-border M&A transactions, corporate governance, and company law matters, as well as drafting and negotiating specialised commercial contracts.
Before joining Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, Vivien was the head of the Corporate Commercial Team at Hogan Lovells in Johannesburg. Before that, she served as a Corporate Partner at ENSafrica, further cementing her reputation as a trusted advisor in the field.
Vivien is a recognised thought leader in the mining industry and its intersection with the logistics which support mining in South Africa.
Credentials
Credentials
Education
- BA/LLB, University of Cape Town
- Registered with the Legal Practice Council
Memberships
- Registered member of the Commission of Experts for the Supervisory Authority of the Luxembourg Protocol to The Convention.
Languages
Languages
- English
About Vivien
Vivien is an accomplished corporate and commercial lawyer with over 25 years of experience, focusing on mergers and acquisitions and all aspects of corporate law. She has extensive expertise advising on both local and cross-border M&A transactions, corporate governance, and company law matters, as well as drafting and negotiating specialised commercial contracts.
Before joining Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr, Vivien was the head of the Corporate Commercial Team at Hogan Lovells in Johannesburg. Before that, she served as a Corporate Partner at ENSafrica, further cementing her reputation as a trusted advisor in the field.
Vivien is a recognised thought leader in the mining industry and its intersection with the logistics which support mining in South Africa.
Credentials
Education
- BA/LLB, University of Cape Town
- Registered with the Legal Practice Council
Memberships
- Registered member of the Commission of Experts for the Supervisory Authority of the Luxembourg Protocol to The Convention.
Languages
- English
Experience
Vivien has extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions across a range of industries with a particular focus on the mining and logistics sectors. Her expertise includes deal structuring, conducting due diligence, and preparing all required transaction documentation. She is also well‑versed in Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) transactions and provides advice in this area.
In addition, Vivien provides comprehensive and ongoing corporate and commercial support to her clients. Her services include contract drafting, corporate governance, Companies Act compliance, BEE advisory services, and specialised regulatory guidance across the mining, aviation, information technology, film, industrial, and logistics sectors.
News
Outlook for Uranium Mining Developments in Namibia: 2026
Patrick Kauta, Managing Partner in Namibia, and Vivien Chaplin, Sector Head: Mining & Minerals, were recently featured in the African Mining Indaba Special Edition of the Namibian...
Public-private collaboration in mining: Global models and lessons learned
The 2026 Mining Indaba, to be held in Cape Town in February 2026, convenes at a moment when the global mining industry is being redefined by issues of governance, collaboration and...
South Africa’s rail reform: En route to implementation
Vivien Chaplin, Director, and Haafizah Khota, Senior Associate in the Corporate & Commercial practice, were recently featured in Business Day Move Magazine, where they discussed “...
Rail privatisation – Industry updates and developments
Recent months have seen significant movement in South Africa’s rail sector, with parallel developments around the early stages of rail privatisation and the domestication of the Luxembourg Rail...
The rise of the African unicorn: M&A as a consolidator of billion-dollar valuations
Over the past decade, Africa’s technology and innovation ecosystem has produced a number of “ unicorns ” – privately held companies valued at USD 1 billion or more. While such valuations...
JMC Webinar Recording - Raising finance for mining activities
A panel of CDH experts hosted a webinar where they discussed financing options for companies in the mining industry.
Companies Act Developments Seminar
On Tuesday, 30 January 2024, our Corporate & Commercial practice hosted a seminar on Companies Act Developments.
Market recognition
- Chambers Global 2024 - 2025 ranked Vivien in Band 5 for corporate/M&A.
- Chambers Global 2025 ranked Vivien in Band 4 for energy & natural resources: mining.
- The Legal 500 EMEA 2021–2025 recommended her for commercial, corporate/M&A.
- The Legal 500 EMEA 2021–2025 also recommended her for mining.
- IFLR1000 2021–2025 ranked Vivien as highly regarded in M&A.
- Winner of Lexology ILO Client Service Award for Corporate Law: South Africa (2019)
- Finalist: Businesswoman of the Year (Legal): 2010
Market recognition
- Chambers Global 2024 - 2025 ranked Vivien in Band 5 for corporate/M&A.
- Chambers Global 2025 ranked Vivien in Band 4 for energy & natural resources: mining.
- The Legal 500 EMEA 2021–2025 recommended her for commercial, corporate/M&A.
- The Legal 500 EMEA 2021–2025 also recommended her for mining.
- IFLR1000 2021–2025 ranked Vivien as highly regarded in M&A.
- Winner of Lexology ILO Client Service Award for Corporate Law: South Africa (2019)
- Finalist: Businesswoman of the Year (Legal): 2010