Mike Turner

Latham & Watkins has advised CVC Capital Partners and the acquisition vehicle formed by it and Haveli Investments on the acquisition of Jagex, a leading developer and publisher of video games, from Carlyle. Jagex is primarily known for its key RuneScape titles, the leading Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (“MMORPG”). Based in Cambridge, UK, Jagex is one of the largest and most successful British video game studios. The Latham team was led by London corporate partners Kem Ihenacho and Suneel Basson-Bhatoa, with support from London corporate partner Mike Turner, entertainment, sports & media counsel Rachael Astin, and associates Edward Coates, Jonathan Lin, and Catherine Fellows. Advice was provided on finance matters by London partners Jay Sadanandan, Hayden Teo, and counsel William Lam, with associates James Fawcett, Chris Devine, and Mohammad Kazmi; on data protection matters by London partner Gail Crawford, Washington, D.C. partners Clayton Northouse and Marissa Boynton, with associate Lorenzo Meusburger; on data and technology matters by London partner Christian McDermott, with associates Calum Docherty, Elva Cullen, Victoria Wan, Nara Yoo, and Priyanka Krishnamurthy; on employment and benefits matters by London partner Sarah Gadd, with associate Charlie Bowden; on real estate matters by London partner Quentin Gwyer and counsel Michael Beanland; on tax matters by London partner Helen Lethaby and New York partner Max Raskin, with associate Aaron Bradley; on litigation matters by London partner Oliver Browne; on regulatory matters by Washington, D.C. partner Damara Chambers, New York partner Katherine Rocco, Washington, D.C. counsels Britton Davis and Catherine Hein with Brussels counsel Jana Dammann de Chapto, and associates Sara Castiglia and Markus Welzenbach; on sanctions matters by London partner Robert Price and Washington, D.C. partner Les Carnegie, with associates Michelle Taylor and Matthew Crawford; and on compliance matters by London partner Nathan Seltzer, with associate Matthew Unsworth.~~

Feb 12

1 min

Latham & Watkins has advised Chimera Abu Dhabi on the sale of its investment in InstaDeep, a leading global technology company in the field of artificial intelligence and machine learning, to BioNTech. BioNTech will acquire 100% of the remaining InstaDeep shares, excluding the shares already owned by BioNTech, for a total upfront consideration of approximately £362 million in cash and BioNTech shares. Latham previously advised Chimera Abu Dhabi on its investment in InstaDeep’s US$100 million Series B funding round in January 2022. The Latham team was led by Dubai partner Eyad Latif and London partner Mike Turner, with Dubai counsel Omar Maayeh and London associates Pierre-Axel Aberg and Irene Brandão.~~

Jan 12

1 min

ZEPLUG, l'un des principaux fournisseurs européens de services de recharge de véhicules électriques dans les copropriétés et immeubles de bureaux, a annoncé avoir levé 240 millions d'euros auprès d'ICG Infra et avoir acquis BORNES SOLUTIONS, une filiale d'OCEA SMART BUILDING, société du portefeuille d'ICG Infra. Cette opération constitue une étape majeure dans l'histoire de ZEPLUG ainsi que dans le secteur de la transition énergétique. L'intégration de BORNES SOLUTIONS apportera de grandes complémentarités pour renforcer sa position sur le marché français. ZEPLUG utilisera les capitaux levés auprès d'ICG Infra pour financer son expansion et accélérer sa croissance en Europe et aux États-Unis. Depuis sa fondation en 2014, ZEPLUG a été un pionnier de la transition énergétique grâce à son modèle intégré qui répond aux défis de la recharge des VE dans les immeubles collectifs et de bureaux. Ce financement permettra de débloquer la prochaine phase de croissance de ZEPLUG par la réplication et le déploiement de sa solution de recharge de VE hautement évolutive. ZePlug était conseillée dans le cadre de cette opération par Latham avec une équipe menée depuis Paris par Pierre-Louis Cléro, associé, avec Xavier Nassoy et Alexandre de Puysegur sur les aspects corporate ; Xavier Renard, associé, assisté de Camille Pons et Jean-Baptiste Bourbier sur les aspects fiscaux ; Michel Houdayer, associé, assisté de Aurélien Lorenzi et Léa Demulder sur les aspects financement ; Jacques-Philippe Gunther, associé, et Wenceslas Chelini sur les aspects antitrust ; Matthias Rubner, associé, et Léo Theillac sur les aspects de droit social ; et Jean-Luc Juhan, associé, sur les aspects de contrats commerciaux. A Londres, Mike Turner, associé, et Terry Charalambous sont intervenus sur les aspects corporate.~~

Sep 26

1 min

Latham & Watkins has advised Climate Innovation Capital as lead investor in the US$18 million Series B funding round of Groundwork BioAg, a leading producer of mycorrhizal inoculants with broad benefits for mainstream agriculture. The fundraising underscores the demand for biologicals that increase yield while providing carbon mitigation, sequestration, and regenerative solutions. The round was led by Climate Innovation Capital, with participation from HSBC Asset Management, BASF Venture Capital, and Edaphon, alongside other investors. The Latham team was led by London corporate partner Mike Turner, with associate Samantha Si.~~

Sep 8

1 min

ZEPLUG, a leading European provider of electric vehicle charging services in multi-occupant and office buildings, has announced that it has raised €240 million from ICG Infra, and acquired BORNES SOLUTIONS, a subsidiary of OCEA SMART BUILDING, a portfolio company of ICG Infra. The transaction represents a major milestone in the history of ZEPLUG as well as the energy transition industry. The integration of BORNES SOLUTIONS will bring great synergies to strengthen its position in the French market. ZEPLUG will use the capital raised from ICG Infra to fund its expansion and further accelerate the growth in Europe and in the US. Since its creation in 2014, ZEPLUG has pioneered the energy transition through its integrated model that addresses the challenges of EV charging in multi-occupant and office buildings. The funding will unlock the next phase of ZEPLUG’s growth through the rollout of its highly scalable EV charging solution. The Latham team was led from Paris by corporate partner Pierre-Louis Cléro, with Xavier Nassoy and Alexandre de Puysegur. Advice was provided on tax aspects by partner Xavier Renard with Camille Pons and Jean-Baptiste Bourbier; on finance aspects by partner Michel Houdayer with Aurélien Lorenzi and Léa Demulder; on antitrust aspects by partner Jacques-Philippe Gunther and Wenceslas Chelini; on employment law aspects by partner Matthias Rubner and Léo Theillac; and on commercial contracts by partner Jean-Luc Juhan. In London, advice was provided by corporate partner Mike Turner and Terry Charalambous.~~

Sep 26

1 min