Ben Forgiel-Jenkins

Telecoms

• Ooredoo on the proposed creation of an independent Tower company operating across MENA (in conjunction with Zain and TASC) to which Ooredoo would contribute c.20,000 towers from across 5 markets.
• VEON on various transactions, including:
  • its cash tender offer to purchase 42.31% of Global Telecom Holding (GTH) for USD 607 m; and VEON’s subsequent offer to GTH to acquire substantially all of GTH’s operating assets in Algeria, Bangladesh and Pakistan for USD2.9 bn;
  • the acquisition from ADG of its 15% stake in Jazz for USD273 million;
  • the acquisition of a majority stake in Russian ad-tech business OTM; and
  • the acquisition of Datafort.
• NEQSOL Holdings on the acquisition of Vodafone Ukraine from MTS Group for USD734 million.
• Safaricom in relation to its c.USD1 billion investment in Ethiopia, by way of a joint venture with Vodafone, Vodacom, CDC and Sumitomo.
• A consortium of the four main UK mobile operators (Vodafone, O2, EE and 3/Hutchison) on the formation of a joint venture to deliver the GBP 1 billion "Single Rural Network" project in the UK.
• A joint venture between Vodacom and Safaricom on its acquisition of the M-PESA money transfer business from Vodafone.
• Vodafone on:
  • the formation of its joint venture with AST SpaceMobile to provide D2D satellite services to European MNOs
  • the EUR7.2 billion acquisition of Spanish cable company Ono, S.A.
  • the proposed EUR 506 million merger of Vodafone Malta and Melita (owned by funds managed by Apax Partners) to create joint venture offering "quad play" services in Malta
  • the disposal of its remaining interests in its Vodafone Qatar JV to the Qatar Foundation for EUR 301 million
  • the proposed formation of a EUR 1.6 bn JV in Greece with Wind Hellas.
  • the USD11.1 billion acquisition of a controlling interest in Hutchison Essar Limited from HTIL
  • the creation of a JV with Essar to hold Vodafone Essar Limited’s 42% interest in Indus Towers
  • the acquisition of Central Communications Group.
• •nLighten (the I Squared Capital data centre platform) on the acquisition of a portfolio of 12 data centres from Proximity Data Centres.

Technology

• Advising Blue Yonder, the US headquartered supply chain management business, on its acquisition of Doddle Parcel Services and on its acquisition of the climate data business Pledge Earth Technologies.
• Advising Ernst & Young on the acquisition of Pythagoras Communications, a leading UK tech company and Microsoft Gold Partner.
• Advising Mavenir Systems Inc. on its acquisition of IP Access.
• Advising Discovery Communications on the disposal of pan-Nordic radio broadcaster, SBS Discovery Radio, to Bauer Media.
• Advising Discovery Communications on the disposal of its Raw and Betty production businesses to All 3 Media.
• Advising the Financial Times Group on the acquisition of the product and consulting assets of Wavteq.
• Advising Invus on its $47m investment in enterprise software provider Bizagi.
• Advising Euronext on its investment in fixed income technology provider Algomi.
• Advising ViaSat on its acquisition of Horsebridge Defence.
• Advising AVEVA in respect of the sale of Wonderware Scandinavia AB to 8L Software Solutions B.V.
• Advising technology solution provider Kainos Group plc on its £164 million IPO on the main market of the London Stock Exchange

Real Estate

• Advising a private equity sponsor on the acquisition and disposal of various income generating property assets (on both an individual and a portfolio basis).
• Advising Landmark (the largest student housing developer in the US) on its joint venture with Centurion Corporation to acquire and develop a 225 bed PBSA asset in London’s zone 1.
• Advising Far East Consortium on the sale of the Dorsett City London Hotel to a consortium comprised of Cerberus and Highgate Hotels.
• Advising Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), part of ADQ and owner of the London ExCel centre, on the acquisition of the DoubleTree By Hilton London ExCel.
• Advising Excel London, a 100% owned subsidiary of ADNEC, on the acquisition of BDCG Holdings Company, the owner of the Business Design Centre, a leading trade exhibition venues located in London, UK.
• Advising Mace on the £157m disposal of a portfolio of Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) properties to Ares.
• Advising Prologis on the disposal of a number of a number of UK property portfolios to, amongst others, Henderson UK Property and the London Pension Fund.
• Advising Prologis on the formation of its €2.4 billion pan-European joint venture with Norges Bank, which was initially seeded with an initial portfolio of 200 stabilised logistics properties.
• Advising Intu Properties plc on its £1.6 billion acquisition of the Trafford Centre from Peel and its associated £220 million cashbox placing.
• Advising Lend Lease on the disposal of its 30% interest (and associated management rights) in the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent to Land Securities for £696m.

Industrials

• Advising General Electric on all aspects of the global separation and tax-free spin-offs of each of GE Healthcare and GE Vernova.
• Advising GE Vernova on the $600m carveout and sale of its industrial software business (Proficy) to funds managed by TPG.
• Advising Airbus on the re-negotiation of the joint venture arrangements in relation to AirTanker Holdings (the JV originally between Airbus, Thales, Babcock and Rolls-Royce and providing a fleet of fourteen A330 Voyager aircraft to support the UK MoD) following the disposal by Rolls-Royce and Babcock of their respective shareholdings to Equitix.
• Advising Edison Chouest Offshore, the US based marine solutions leader, on the acquisition of Aberdeen-based ROVOP from Bluewater.
• Leading a global cross-practice team advising General Electric on a series of international corporate reorganisations, in total involving 90+ jurisdictions, including reorganisations that preceded the disposal of part of GE's overseas Lighting business, GE's $11.1bn merger of its Transport business with WABTEC Corporation and the $21bn disposal by GE of its biopharma division to Danaher Corporation.
• Advising Rheem Manufacturing Inc., the largest supplier of water heating systems in the US and Canada, in relation to its $450m acquisition of Intergas B.V.
• Advising Purmo Group (a global leader in indoor climate solutions) in connection with its merger into Virala Acquisition Company (the first company listed on the SPAC segment of NASDAQ Helsinki).
• Advising General Electric on its purchase of LM Wind Power from funds managed by Doughty Hanson for US$1.65 billion
• Advising General Electric on the disposal of its European railcar leasing business to Touax.
• Advising Babcock International Group on the £140 million acquisition of Defence Support Group from the UK Ministry of Defence.
• Advising Babcock International Group on its acquisition of S. MacNeillie & Sons and on its acquisition of WRN Broadcast Limited.
• Advising John Menzies plc on the Class 1 disposal of its print media distribution business, Menzies Distribution Limited, to Endless.
• Advising John Menzies plc on the acquisition of Aircraft Service International Group (ASIG) for US$202 million from BBA Aviation, a Class 1 acquisition for John Menzies plc and which was part funded by way of rights issue.
• Advising Anglo American on the formation of Lafarge Tarmac, a £1.8 billion UK-based construction materials joint venture with Lafarge S.A. to which Anglo American contributed its Tarmac business unit.
• Advising BP on the US$1.8 billion disposal of its upstream businesses in Venezuela and Vietnam to TNK-BP (BP’s 50:50 joint venture in Russia).
• Advising Arcapita Bank on the £1.2 billion disposal of Northern Ireland Electricity plc to ESB (Ireland's state owned electricity transmission and distribution company) by the Viridian Group (an Arcapita portfolio company).*
• Advising Arcapita Bank on the c.£400m the disposal of South Staffordshire Plc (an Arcapita portfolio company) to Alinda Infrastructure Fund.*