K&L GATES ADVISES ENVISION DIGITAL ON ACQUISITION OF QOS ENERGY

September 2nd, 2022 | Posted by Claude-Etienne Armingaud in Communication | Deal - (0 Comments)

Global law firm K&L Gates has advised Envision Digital, one of the world’s largest managers of renewable energy, on its acquisition of the Nantes-based software publisher QOS Energy. 

Envision Digital, which operates the EnOSTM net zero platform, manages more than 400 GW of renewable energy globally. The Singapore-headquartered company has more than 1,000 employees and 12 international offices, spanning the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Malaysia, China, Japan, and the United States.

Founded in Nantes in 2010, QOS Energy is a leading provider of energy management software. It has developed a web-based platform called “Qantum,” dedicated to monitoring and managing the performance of solar and wind energy production and storage facilities.

The Paris-based deal team advising Envision Digital was led by Raphaël Bloch (partner) with the assistance of Samuel Boccara (senior associate). Employment law advice was provided by Christine Artus (partner) and Natacha Meyer (associate), while Claude-Etienne Armingaud (partner) and Camille Scarparo (associate) advised on intellectual property and IT matters. Additional support was provided by Brussels-based partners Melanie Bruneau and Philip Torbøl and counsels Miguel Angel Caramello Alvarez and Antoine de Rohan Chabot, who advised on foreign investment-related issues, and Singapore-based client relationship lawyers Lai Foong Chan and Lucas Nicolet-Serra.

K&L Gates Advises VTG on EUR780 Million Purchase of Nacco Group

July 3rd, 2017 | Posted by Claude-Etienne Armingaud in Deal - (0 Comments)

Global law firm K&L Gates LLP advised VTG Aktiengesellschaft, one of Europe’s leading rail freight and logistics companies, on the purchase of all shares of CIT Rail Holdings (Europe) SAS and its related Nacco Group from CIT Group Inc. The Nacco Group has a fleet of around 14,000 rail freight cars with major markets in France, Germany, Austria, and Eastern Europe.

The purchase price amounts to approximately €780 million plus additional investments into further freight cars made by the Nacco Group between January 1, 2017, and the completion of the transaction. VTG plans to finance the acquisition through a senior loan and a privately placed hybrid bond. The transaction is subject to the approval of antitrust authorities.

Berlin-based corporate partner Dr. Thomas Lappe led the transaction in close collaboration with corporate partners Howard Kleiman in London and Jean-Patrice Labautière in Paris. They were supported by partners Nicolas Roggel (Berlin, labor law), Christine Artus (Paris, labor law), Tom Wallace (London, M&A), Giles Bavister (London, tax), Claude-Etienne Armingaud (Paris, IT/data privacy), Dr. Bastian Bongertz (Frankfurt, Finance), Bertrand Dussert (Paris, tax), and Mounir Letayf (Paris, finance), counsel Adeline Roboam (Paris, finance), and as well as senior associates Andreas Menge (Berlin), Caroline Urban (London), and Arthur Anton (Paris).

Source: K&L Gates Website

K&L Gates conseille FactSet dans le cadre de l’acquisition de BISAM Technologies

March 27th, 2017 | Posted by Claude-Etienne Armingaud in Deal - (0 Comments)

K&L Gates LLP Paris a conseillé FactSet, un des leaders mondiaux en matière de gestion de données financières et d’édition de logiciels d’analyse, dans le cadre de l’acquisition auprès de Aquiline Capital Partners et du management de BISAM Technologies S.A. (“BISAM”), un des principaux éditeurs de logiciels de mesure et d’attribution de performance et de mesure du risque. L’opération s’élève à 205 millions de dollars.

De nombreux grands gestionnaires d’actifs mondiaux utilisent les logiciels de BISAM pour évaluer et améliorer leurs stratégies d’investissement et mieux servir leurs clients. Ces produits vont élargir l’offre existante de FactSet.

L’avis de l’associé en charge du dossier, Jean-Patrice Labautière sur l’opération: “Nous sommes très heureux d’accompagner à nouveau FactSet dans le cadre de son expansion internationale. Cette opération transatlantique sophistiquée est au cœur de notre savoir-faire.”

L’équipe multidisciplinaire qui a conseillé FactSet était constituée de : Jean-Patrice Labautière, Arthur Anton, Julie Dahan (M&A) ; Claude-Etienne Armingaud, Olivia Roche, Clémence Marolla (IP/IT/Data Privacy) ; Christine Artus, Julie Bouchard, Charlotte Dubois (Social) ; Bertrand Dussert, Alban Michou Tognelli (Fiscal).

Première publication : Le Monde du Droit

Prima Biomed Ltd. completed the acquisition of Immutep, S.A. for $25 million.

December 17th, 2014 | Posted by Claude-Etienne Armingaud in Communication | Deal | eHealth - (0 Comments)

Prima Biomed Ltd. (ASX:PRR) entered into an agreement to acquire Immutep, S.A. for $28 million in cash, shares and warrants on October 2, 2014. Acquisition funding of the total consideration of up to approximately $28 million will be funded with up to $18 million in cash, partly based on the achievement of key milestones, the issue of Prima ordinary shares totaling approximately $3 million and based on a VWAP calculation and the issue of 200 million warrants equating to a consideration value of approximately $7 million. In order to fund the acquisition and provide ongoing working capital, Prima Biomed has secured an investment agreement with Bergen Global Opportunity Fund, LP managed by Bergen Asset Management for up to $37.4 million. Immutep’s founder and Scientific and Medical Director, Frederic Triebel will join Prima as its Chief Scientific Officer, along with his scientific team, to oversee the LAG-3 development program and to advise on the ongoing development of CVac. The deal is subject to approval of Prima Biomed Ltd. shareholders. As of November 14, 2014, the transaction was approved by shareholders of Prima Biomed Ltd.

Adam Holdsworth from ProActive Capital, Matthew Gregorowski from Citadel Communications and Axel Muhlhaus from edicto GmbH acted as the public relation advisors in this transaction. Jean-Patrice Labautière, François Lan, Alexandre Brossier, Claude-Etienne Armingaud, Ariane Samson-Divisia, Julie Bouchard, Bertrand Dussert and Glenn Hughes of K&L Gates acted as legal advisors to Prima Biomed Ltd. Pascale Gallien and Vincent Maufront of Heenan Paris acted as legal advisors for shareholders of Immutep.

Prima Biomed Ltd. (ASX:PRR) completed the acquisition of Immutep, S.A. for $25 million in cash, shares and warrants on December 17, 2014. Prima made upfront cash payment of $10.8 million with the remaining cash component of $7.2 million partly payable on the achievement of a predetermined milestone and partly payable after 12 months subject to the satisfaction of warranty retention arrangements. The total consideration paid by Prima for the acquisition is estimated to be approximately $25 million as opposed to the previously $28 million. The difference is attributable to the reduction in value of the warrants based on the Black Scholes option pricing model using updated market data.