Dr. Michael Ilter

New York, NY, February 29, 2024 -- Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP today announced that private equity attorney Dr. Nils Röver will join the Firm on March 1 as a partner in Germany. His addition continues Willkie’s steady growth strategy in Germany over the past four years. The Firm has nearly tripled its size in the market during this time to approximately 85 lawyers based there today. Previous additions to the transactional practice in Germany include private equity attorney Dr. Kamyar Abrar and the internal promotions of Miriam Steets, Michael Ilter, Matthias Schudlo and Ludger Kempf to partners. The Firm has also expanded its legal advisory services in the market by introducing a number of new practices, each headed by leading figures in their fields, including capital markets, real estate, litigation, restructuring, employment, financial regulation and compliance. “Having worked with Nils on various transactions, I have found him to be an exceptional lawyer and a brilliant strategic mind,” commented Georg Linde, Managing Partner of Germany. Dr. Kamyar Abrar, Co-Managing Partner of Germany, added: “Our clients will gain from his vast experience, deep market insights, and the additional depth he will bring to our transactional bench. We are all very much looking forward to welcoming Nils and working with him.” Nils Röver will join the Firm from Latham & Watkins LLP. He advises private equity funds and their portfolio companies on complex and cross-border M&A transactions, including distressed M&A and growth investments. Among the clients he has advised are leading private equity firms, including BC Partners, IK Partners, L-Catterton, Lindsay Goldberg, One Rock, Platinum Equity, Trilantic Europe, and KSCS (a joint venture undertaking between German conglomerate Körber and KKR). Nils Röver commented: “Willkie has an established private equity practice with an excellent reputation in Germany, and has evolved as the most dynamic platform in recent years. I am thrilled to join this market-leading practice and the team of excellent lawyers. Together, we aim to grow even further.” Willkie Germany handles complex corporate and commercial transactions that demand multifaceted legal experience. Our attorneys are known for providing solution-driven advice innovatively tailored to meet the unique needs of each client. Clients especially value our practical business approach to helping them reach their goals, as well as our cost-effective and streamlined style of transaction management. In the past year, Willkie advised on some of the most significant Private Equity transactions in the German market, including Wendel on the sale of Constantia Flexibles to One Rock, CVC on the acquisition of Sunday Natural, Blackstone and Clarion Events on the establishment of a joint venture for running the international trade show IFA, as well as EQT, among others, on investing in Integrity Next. ***************************************************** Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP provides leading-edge legal solutions on complex, business critical issues spanning markets and industries. Our approximately 1,200 attorneys across 14 offices worldwide deliver innovative, pragmatic and sophisticated legal services across approximately 45 practice areas. Learn more at www.willkie.com.

Feb 29

2 min

Willkie advised Platinum Equity on the acquisition of Sunrise Medical, a world leader in advanced assistive mobility solutions, from Nordic Capital. The firm also advised Platinum on financing for the transaction. Sunrise Medical develops, designs, manufactures, and distributes manual and power wheelchairs, power assist products, pediatric and geriatric therapeutic devices, mobility scooters, seating and positioning systems as well as daily living aids and other home medical equipment. Headquartered in Malsch, Germany, with North American headquarters in Fresno, California, Sunrise Medical has manufacturing facilities in the United States, Mexico, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain and China. Platinum Equity is a global investment firm with more than $48 billion of assets under management and a portfolio of approximately 50 operating companies. The Willkie deal team was led by partner Nils Röver with partners Gavin Gordon and Michael Ilter, counsel Jacob Ahme and associate William Buchanan. The team also included counsel Sebastian Brenner and associates Nils Bock, Denise Kammerer and Jasper Wentz. The financing was led by partners Cristopher Greer, Daniel Gendron and Jennifer Tait, and included partner David Griffiths, counsel Timothy Sawyer, associate Alec Young and trainee solicitor Theodora Oancea.

Jun 11

1 min

On March 23, Willkie client EQT Growth announced its EUR 100 million investment in Integrity Next GmbH, a sustainability software platform for supply chain transparency and regulatory compliance. As Integrity Next’s first institutional investor, EQT Growth will support the company’s growth, leveraging its experience investing throughout the tech value-chain, its global network of sustainability and technology advisors, and its in-house teams of digitization and sustainability experts. Integrity Next’s cloud-based platform enables corporates to assess risk and monitor a large portion of their supply chain for ESG metrics and compliance, allowing them to meet stakeholder demands and regulatory requirements. EQT Growth, an investment strategy of global investment organization EQT, supports leading growth-stage technology companies as they take the next step to scale. The Willkie team was led by partner Dr. Kamyar Abrar and included partners Dr. Michael Ilter and Dr. Bettina Bokeloh and associate Dr. Tobias Gerigk.

Apr 4

1 min

Willkie advised AlixPartners on the acquisition of the majority of the operations of leading automotive consulting firm Berylls, including Berylls Strategy Advisors and Berylls Mad Media. On May 6, AlixPartners announced that it entered into an agreement to acquire the Berylls businesses, bolstering its global automotive service offerings. The Berylls Group is a consulting group specializing in the automotive industry. With experts in Germany, China, the UK, South Korea, North America, Austria and Switzerland, Berylls provides strategy, growth, and digital consulting to leading automotive OEMs and suppliers. AlixPartners, founded in 1981, is a global consulting firm headquartered in New York. The Willkie team was led by partners Dr. Kamyar Abrar and Adam Turteltaub and included partner Dr. Michael Ilter and associate Andrej Popp.

May 13

1 min

Willkie advised SGT Capital LLC on the acquisition of ELATEC GmbH, a leading international developer and supplier of secure access management solutions, from Summit Partners. The transaction, announced on May 30, is valued at approximately €400 million. ELATEC, headquartered in Germany, is a leading international developer and supplier of a range of secure physical and digital access control solutions. The company provides contactless (RFID/BLE/NFC) reader hardware for user identification and a cloud-based IoT platform with SaaS device management solutions globally. SGT Capital is a global private equity firm that invests in mid-sized, market-leading companies and supports existing management teams in accelerating international expansion. The Willkie team was led by partners Georg Linde and Dr. Kamyar Abrar and included partner Dr. Michael Ilter and counsel Ludger Kempf.

May 31

1 min