Hogan Lovells and Clifford Chance (CC) have secured leading corporate roles on European investment group Investindustrial’s €2bn disposal of aerial service provider Avincis to Babcock International, with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Ashurst also advising on the deal.
The Hogan Lovells team advising Investindustrial was led by private equity partner Ed Harris, with senior associates Leanne Moezi and David Harrison.
For former SJ Berwin partner Harris, who departed the firm prior to the merger with King & Wood Mallesons going live in early November, the deal is the corporate heavyweight’s first major mandate for Hogan Lovells since joining in the New Year.
Meanwhile, CC corporate partners Lee Coney and Caroline Sherrell advised Babcock International.
A team from Simpson Thacher advised Avincis’ stakeholder KKR, led by former CC corporate partner Adam Signy.
Ashurst advised JP Morgan Cazenove, Jefferies, Barclays and HSBC in relation to the £1.1bn rights issue by FTSE 100 engineering group Babcock International. The rights issue will be used to fund the acquisition of Avincis Group, a leading supplier of helicopter and fixed-wing services and helicopter services to the oil and gas industry. Leading the team was corporate partner Nicholas Holmes, who was assisted by senior associate Simon Bullock while corporate partner Jennifer Schneck advised on the US aspects of the transaction, assisted by senior associate Jeffrey Johnson. Australia-based senior associate Alex Eyre and associate Ben Langford also advised.
Holmes said: ‘We were delighted that these key banking clients turned to us for this high profile and significant transaction. Following our success in 2013, when we advised on more than a third of all main market IPOs in London, and the Kennedy Wilson IPO last month, which is one of the largest IPO capital raises of recent times, this deal is further evidence of the strength and profile of our equity capital markets practice.’
Sarah.downey@legalease.co.uk
