Evgeny Zborovsky

Kirkland & Ellis advised Banijay Group (AMS: BNJ) and Betclic, the leading online sports betting and gaming operator in France, in connection with its offering of €1 billion in aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes as part of the €3.1 billion financing for its combination with Tipico, a sports betting and online gaming operator in Germany and Austria. Pending consummation of the acquisition, the proceeds from the offering of the notes will be held in a segregated bank account controlled by the bond issuer. Betclic signed a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake in Tipico, and the acquisition is expected to close in mid-2026, subject to customary closing conditions and gambling regulatory approvals. The transaction is expected to position Betclic as one of Europe’s leading sports betting and gaming players, with Banijay Group’s revenue exceeding €6.4 billion and adjusted EBITDA of approximately €1.4 billion as a result thereof. The Kirkland team included capital markets lawyers Cedric Van den Borren, Will Taylor, Luca Meneghini and Louis Noirault; debt finance lawyers Evgeny Zborovsky, Kalish Mullen and Matias Versavel; tax lawyers Nadine Gelli and Louise Chappey; and investment funds lawyer Josh Westerholm.

Feb 3

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis is advising CapVest Partners on entering into exclusive negotiations regarding its proposed acquisition of a stake in TSG, a European leader in technical services for critical energy infrastructure, from HLD. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team includes corporate lawyers Vincent Ponsonnaille, Carlos Gil Rivas, Guillaume Nivault, Chris Connolly, Nikhil Mohindra, Ben Seymour, Emma Luo and Gabin Beaudor; debt finance lawyers Evgeny Zborovsky, Karen Ford, Michael McNamee, Anastasis Voskos and Jin Ahn; and tax lawyers Nadine Gelli, Alan Walker and Maxime Billaut.

Feb 10

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis advised Atlas Luxco S.à r.l., a company controlled by Xavier Niel, in connection with the debt financing of the concurrent public offers in the U.S. and Sweden to the shareholders in Millicom International Cellular S.A. (NASDAQ U.S.: TIGO, Nasdaq Stockholm: TIGO_SDB) (Millicom) to tender all their common shares and Swedish depositary receipt in Millicom. Millicom is a leading provider of fixed and mobile telecommunications services in Latin America. The financing of the take private offer consists of $8 billion of debt via an interim facilities agreement. The intention is to replace or refinance all or a substantial part of the interim facilities with long-term financing consisting of a $2.6 billion term loan facility, a $100 million debt service revolving facility, a $3.8 million backstop bridge facility, a $600 million revolving credit facility to be entered into by Atlas Luxco S.à r.l. and a $500 million bridge facility to be entered into by Iliad Holding S.A.S. The offers expire on August 16, 2024. This transaction, one of the largest take-private deals of the year to date, involved a multidisciplinary Kirkland team and a complex cross-border process with committed financing arrangements entered into under multiple instruments in various jurisdictions. The Kirkland team was led by debt finance partners Evgeny Zborovsky and James Collins; and capital markets partners Cedric Van den Borren and Antoine Lebienvenu. The team also included debt finance partner Kalish Mullen and associates Philipp Engel, Anastasis Voskos and Benjamin Lewis; capital markets associate Alejandro García; and tax partners Nadine Gelli, Anthony Antioch and Sonia Bouaffassa.

Jul 4

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis is advising CapVest’s portfolio company Inspired Pet Nutrition, a UK pet food company, on its acquisition of Butcher's Pet Care, a manufacturer of high-quality wet pet food. Read the transaction press release The Kirkland team is led by corporate partners Carlos Gil Rivas and Jack Donelan and associates Marcus Dashper, Joseph O’Brien and Oliver Weighill; debt finance partners Evgeny Zborovsky and Karen Ford and associates Michelle Park, Brent Tan and Anastasis Voskos; and tax partner Alan Walker and associate Amena Charles.

Aug 23

1 min

Kirkland & Ellis is advising Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL) on signing definitive agreements to acquire a 45% co-control stake in Rayner, a leading manufacturer of intraocular lenses and related products. GBL will invest ~€0.5 billion of equity alongside incumbent shareholders CVC and the Rayner management team. Read GBL’s press release The Kirkland team includes corporate lawyers Vincent Bergin, Adrian Maguire and Carmella Crinnion; debt finance lawyer Evgeny Zborovsky; and tax lawyer Peter Abbott.

Feb 9

1 min