Stéphanie Corbière

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer ('Freshfields') advised EKINOPS on the implementation of several financing facilities for an aggregate amount of €100m to support its external growth strategy. Ekinops, leading provider of telecommunications solutions for telecom operators and enterprises, has secured this financing which is intended to provide the company with financial resources to support its development and in particular its external growth strategy. This new financing, secured by a banking pool comprising several credit institutions, consists of: An external growth facility, intended to finance one or more external growth transactions and related costs, for a confirmed amount of €50m (which can be increased to €90m under certain conditions) with a 7-year maturity; and A revolving credit facility, intended to finance the Group's general needs, for a maximum amount of €10m. This new financing diversifies Ekinops' sources of financing, extends its debt maturity, and reinforces its balance sheet in an extremely competitive market environment. The trust placed in Ekinops attests to the Group's excellent financial health, and to the support of its banking partners. Freshfields advised EKINOPS with a finance team in Paris led by partner Stéphanie Corbière with associates Samvel Der Arsenian and Gabrielle Chino. Partner Sami Jebbour with associate Octavian David advised on corporate aspects and, partner Vincent Daniel-Mayeur with associate Edouard Laperriere advised on tax aspects.

Jul 27

1 min

Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (Freshfields) is advising FDJ on the filing of a tender offer to acquire the entire share capital of Kindred to create a European gaming champion. Kindred is one of Europe’s leading online betting and gaming companies, operating the Unibet brand. SEK 130 per share in Kindred, which is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, and will create a European gaming champion with an enhanced financial profile. This transaction, unanimously recommended by Kindred’s Board of Directors, will create value for FDJ shareholders. The Freshfields team is being led by a cross-border, cross-practice team comprising Paris-based partner Hervé Pisani, counsel Arnaud Mouton, and partner Sebastian Fain in New York, on US corporate aspects. Partner Stéphanie Corbière and associates Samvel Der Arsenian and Maha Alami, advised on financing aspects, together with partner James Duncan, in London, and counsel Greg Kahn, in New York. Partner Vincent Daniel-Mayeur, and counsel Thomas Métayer, advised on tax aspects.

Jan 22

1 min

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (Freshfields) conseille FDJ dans le cadre de l’offre publique d’achat sur l’ensemble du capital de Kindred pour créer un champion européen des jeux d’argent et de hasard. Kindred est un des leaders européens des paris et jeux en ligne, exploitant notamment la marque Unibet. Cette offre est faite au prix de 130 SEK par action de Kindred, coté au Nasdaq Stockholm et donnera naissance à un champion européen au profil financier renforcé. Cette opération, unanimement recommandée par le conseil d’administration de Kindred, sera créatrice de valeur pour les actionnaires de FDJ. L’équipe Freshfields est animée par Hervé Pisani, Associé avec Arnaud Mouton, counsel, pour les aspects Corporate et Sebastian Fain, Associé à New York, sur les aspects de droit américian. Stéphanie Corbière, Associée, Samvel Der Arsenian, collaborateur et Maha Alami, collaboratrice, sont intervenus sur les aspects de financement, avec James Duncan, Associé à Londres et Greg Kahn, counsel à New York. Vincent Daniel-Mayeur, Associé, et Thomas Métayer, counsel, ont conseillé sur les aspects fiscaux.

Jan 22

1 min

Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’) is advising Cinven, an international private equity firm, on its exclusive negotiations for the acquisition of the Finaxy group, a leading French multi-specialist insurance broker, from Ardian, one of the world’s leading private investment houses. Established in 2009 and headquartered in Paris, Finaxy is a leading player in the French insurance brokerage market with over 330 employees, having delivered strong organic growth and executed a successful buy-and-build strategy, including more than 30 acquisitions in France. Cinven would be investing out of its Strategic Financials Fund that specialises in the financial services industry and brings substantial experience of investing in and growing insurance brokers. Cinven will look to work closely with the Finaxy management team and contribute significant resources and capital to further accelerate strategic value-enhancing M&A across the fragmented French market, and to drive further growth by attracting new team hires, while upholding Finaxy’s commitment to long-term client-focused delivery. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. The Freshfields team was led by Julien Rebibo and Yann Gozal (Corporate/M&A, Paris) and included: Partners: Aled Batey (Finance, London), Christopher Davis (Finance, London), Stéphanie Corbière (Finance, Paris), Marc Perrone (Financial Regulatory, Paris), Charlotte Colin-Dubuisson (Competition, Paris), Gwen Senlanne (People and Reward, Paris), Miriam Perez (Corporate/M&A, Madrid) Counsel: Radu Valeanu (Corporate/M&A, Paris), Thomas Jeannin (Finance, Paris), Sara Gil Garcia (Competition, Paris) Senior Associates: Octavian David and Kamil Zizi (Corporate/M&A, Paris), Eloi Roche (Financial Regulatory, Paris), Célia Kirren (People and Reward, Paris), Alice Cabourdin (Competition, Paris), Asís Martín de Cabiedes (Corporate/M&A and Financial Regulatory, Madrid) Associates: Côme Le Brun and Sarah Emile (Corporate/M&A, Paris), Emeric Tidafi (Financial Regulatory, Paris), Jalil El Khanchoufi (Competition, Paris)

Sep 3

1 min

Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’) has advised a consortium of lenders of LEONI AG, a listed cable and wire harness manufacturer headquartered in Germany with operations around the world, in connection with the restructuring of approximately EUR 1.6 billion of debt. The restructuring includes, inter alia, a de-leveraging of more than EUR 700 million and a capital reduction to zero in combination with a subsequent capital increase in favour of a strategic investor. The restructuring, including the capital measures, was successfully implemented through a restructuring plan in accordance with the German Act on the Stabilisation and Restructuring of Enterprises (Unternehmensstabilisierungs- und restrukturierungsgesetz - StaRUG). The project is the first major restructuring of a listed company under a StaRUG procedure in Germany. After the appeals filed against the StaRUG restructuring plan were dismissed, it is now legally binding. The Freshfields team is led by partner Lars Westpfahl (Restructuring, Hamburg), Counsel Nina Heym (Finance, Frankfurt) and Principal Associate Tom Dittmar (Restructuring, Hamburg) and also included partners Martin Schiessl (Tax, Frankfurt), Simon Schwarz (Capital Markets, Frankfurt), Stéphanie Corbière (Finance, Paris), Kyle Lakin (Finance, New York), Dawn Heath (Employment, London) and Counsel Thomas Jeannin (Finance, Paris), Sebastian Röger (Tax, Frankfurt) and Principal Associates Andreas Thümmler (Finance, Vienna), Simon Fitzpatrick (Finance, Vienna) and Gareth Davies (Labour Law, London) as well as the Associates Benedict Kebekus (Restructuring, Hamburg), Laura Korndörfer (Finance, Frankfurt), Alexander Bräuer (Finance, Frankfurt), Andy Esmond (Finance, New York) and Christian Schmidt (Tax, Frankfurt).

Jul 25

1 min