Dr. Ulrike Schwarz-Runer

A team from Freshfields has advised AstraZeneca PLC on its plans to harmonise its share listing structure to deliver a global listing for global investors. The structure involves an upgrade of AstraZeneca's existing US equity listing with a direct listing of ordinary shares. The proposed harmonised listing structure across the London Stock Exchange, Nasdaq Stockholm and the NYSE will not change AstraZeneca’s current status as a UK incorporated, headquartered and tax resident company. The Freshfields team in London and New York included partners Jennifer Bethlehem, Alice Greenwell, Michael Levitt, Julian Long, May Smith and Joseph Soltis. https://okt.to/VLIQ7N

187

A White & Case finance partner has left the firm in London to join DLA Piper. Sudhir Nair, who joins DLA's international finance practice, leaves White & Case after six years. Matt Christmas, co-head international of DLA Piper's finance group, added: "Sudhir's strategic appointment will enhance our firm's finance offering across multiple borders. His focus on real estate and infrastructure investment will support our growth in these arenas as clients are increasingly looking to further their investments in these sectors." Full story from Molly Smith: https://lnkd.in/e2NBKcAG

185

Dentons has advised UK development finance institution and impact investor British International Investment, FMO - Dutch entrepreneurial development bank and the Norwegian Investment Fund for developing countries, Norfund, acting as mezzanine loan noteholders, on Sun King's US$156 million solar securitisation. The securitisation, the first of its kind to be majority-funded by commercial banks, enables Sun King to raise long-term local currency debt by converting future customer repayments for financed solar products into investable assets, while also helping 1.4 million low-income homes and businesses transition away from using fossil fuels to supply electricity. Find out more here: https://lnkd.in/eUCeXp5Q #Dentons #Securities #Renewables #SolarEnergy #Investment #Banking

110

2 Comments

RBB is pleased to announce that Sergey Khodjamirian has joined the firm as a Partner, based in Copenhagen. With over 16 years of experience in competition economics, Sergey specialises in advising clients on high-stakes merger control and behavioural matters before the European Commission and national competition authorities. His appointment strengthens RBB’s senior team and enhances the firm’s capacity to deliver high-quality economic analysis in global matters. He has worked on numerous complex transactions before the European Commission and the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority, including landmark cases such as Vodafone/Three, Deutsche Börse/London Stock Exchange, Bayer/Monsanto, and GSK/Novartis. In behavioural matters, he has advised on multiple high-profile cases, such as the European Commission’s information exchange investigation in the salmon industry and the Amazon Marketplace investigation. Sergey has also worked on several matters with a Nordic focus, including merger cases such as the Finn/Nettbil appeals before the Norwegian courts, PMI/Swedish Match, Lantmännen/Sponmill, Valmet/Neles, Widex/Sivantos, and Compass Group/Fazer Food Services, as well as behavioural matters including the Totalkredit exclusivity case and the Nokas v Loomis case. Adrian Majumdar, RBB’s Managing Partner, said, "We are delighted to welcome Sergey to our team. His impressive track record across both mergers and behavioural matters, combined with deep sector expertise and longstanding client relationships, makes him a valuable addition to RBB. His arrival further strengthens our ability to support clients with complex competition issues in the EU, Nordic regions, and beyond." Regarding his decision to join RBB Economics, Sergey Khodjamirian shared, “I am thrilled to be joining the superb RBB team. RBB’s clients entrust it with some of their most complex and high-stakes mandates. This is due to RBB’s top-notch economists, high level of credibility before the agencies and the courts, and user-friendly approach. I look forward to contributing to the firm’s continued success with my experience, expertise and dedication to client service.” #RBBEconomics #CompetitionEconomics

125

26 Comments

🍾 Freshfields has landed the lead role for US pharma giant Merck on its $10 billion acquisition of UK-headquartered biopharma company Verona Pharma. The deal is reportedly among Merck's largest in decades and underscores how far Freshfields has come in its bid to break into the top tier of the US legal market. The firm's US growth has been stronger than any other Magic Circle firm over the past five years, thanks to a smart and highly strategic lateral hiring spree. The deal team was led by ex-Cravath stars Damien Zoubek and Jenny Hochenberg, alongside London corporate partners Kate Cooper and Rhys Evans. https://lnkd.in/evN2ZUi9

217

Adam Gallagher, Head of Restructuring in London and Partner Marc Hecht authored an article titled “European Restructuring in 2025: A Calm Surface Belies a Growing Undercurrent,” which explored the significant shift in European stress and distress, focusing on the rise of liability management and distressed exchanges. It also discussed the crucial role of U.K. and European restructuring processes as vital backstops in negotiations. To read the full article, please click here: https://lnkd.in/eJYYtWTk

85

Every month I look forward to our team's insights in 𝑨𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒍, and the September edition doesn't disappoint! 1️⃣ The three key trends emerging in public M&A in 2025 - Neil Pathak, Tony Damian, Lisa d'Oliveyra, James Shirbin and Joseph Nguyen 2️⃣ Oil’s Well That Ends in Court: Panel Lets Twinza’s Creditors’ Scheme Flow - Carl Della-Bosca 3️⃣ Behind closed doors – the Takeovers Panel's approach to claims of association - Andrew Kim and Adelaide Holm 4️⃣ Before the ink dries – lessons from 'pre-contractual' pitfalls and earnout entanglements - James Shirbin Plenty to think about! Stay ahead of the curve, get 𝑨𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒍. https://lnkd.in/gxim2--g #auslaw #mergersandacquisitions #privateequity

112

Corporate governance, at its core, establishes how an organisation is directed and controlled, precisely defining the distribution of rights and responsibilities among participants of an organisation. In this 'Mind the Board Series', co-authored by Associates, Abasiemediong Etuk MCArb, Jessica Chukwufumnaya Obodo- Elue and Chiamaka Anakua, we focus on the dynamics inside the boardroom, delving into the roles played by key actors in corporate governance. These include the Chairman, CEO, MD, EDs, NEDs, INEDs and the Company Secretary. While each of these players have distinct roles and responsibilities; from the Chairman's strategic leadership and board oversight to the CEO/MD's operational execution and the objective judgment of NEDs and INEDs - their interactions (or lack thereof) are critical. Click on the link below to access the full paper: https://lnkd.in/dy-5hn4D #corporategovernance #compliance #rolesandregulations #directors #board

51

Saraf and Partners acted as legal counsel for, 22 prominent investors, companies and funds advised by Trust Investment Advisors, as well as, funds managed by WhiteOak Capital Management, Gaja Capital and Neo Asset Management (Clients) in a partial secondary acquisition of securities in Fractal Analytics Limited, a global provider of enterprise artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to Fortune® 500 companies (Fractal), from Quinag Bidco Ltd., a fund managed by Apax Partners (Apax) (the Transaction).   Pursuant to the Transaction, the Clients acquired equity shares in Fractal representing approximately 6% of its fully diluted share capital for an aggregate consideration of USD 150 million, valuing Fractal at approximately USD 2.44 billion.   Fractal, together with its subsidiaries, provides end-to-end artificial intelligence (AI) and analytics solutions to Fortune® 500 companies across sectors including consumer-packaged goods, retail, technology, media, telecom, healthcare, and financial services. Its offerings encompass decision support, data engineering, predictive analytics, and machine learning, enabling clients to integrate AI at scale. Fractal’s portfolio includes Asper.ai (interconnected decision-making for revenue growth) and Analytics Vidhya (a leading global data science community).   Saraf and Partners advised the Clients across the entire transaction lifecycle, including conducting legal due diligence and competition law analysis, negotiating and reviewing complex multi-party documentation, and providing pre-closing and closing assistance.   The transaction was led by Founder & Managing Partner, Mohit Saraf, and Partner, Dhruv Chatterjee, while inputs on competition law aspects were provided by Partner, Akshayy S Nanda.   Read more about the deal on:   Bar and Bench: https://lnkd.in/geufkBxn NDTV Profit: https://lnkd.in/dBasCTP8 BW Legal World: https://lnkd.in/gAjr74fp LatestLaws.com: https://lnkd.in/ga3tec7d #DealAnnouncement #Transaction #Fractal #ArtificialIntelligence #AISolutions #SarafandPartners

43

Sidley advised Proalpha on its acquisition of Insiders Technologies GmbH, a specialist in AI-based document processing and cognitive process automation. The Sidley team was led by Munich-based Private Equity and M&A partner Nicole Janssen with support from Dr. Ufuk Erdal Genc, Dr. Tobias Bachmeier, Dr. Sarah Braun, Alissia Opitz, Jörg Fischer, and Corinna Linhardt. Read more here: https://bit.ly/46jDudS.

67

2 Comments