Dr. Farid Sigari-Majd

Freshfields has advised Sberbank of Russia (Sber), as parent company for Sberbank Europe AG, a Vienna-based banking group, in connection with the sale of certain subsidiary banks in CEE to AIK Banka a.d. Beograd, Gorenjska Banka d.d., Kranj and Agri Europe Cyprus Limited. The subsidiary banks in the following jurisdictions are involved: Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sberbank BH d.d. Sarajevo and Sberbank a.d. Banja Luka), Croatia (Sberbank d.d.), Hungary (Sberbank Magyarország Zrt.), Serbia (Sberbank Srbija a.d. Beograd) and Slovenia (Sberbank banka d.d.), with total assets of EUR 7.329 bn, 162 branches and around 600,000 clients (as of YE 2020). The closing of the transaction is subject to approvals by national and international regulators as well as by national competition authorities and is expected to take place in 2022. Sberbank Europe AG has decided to reduce its geographic presence in CEE in order to focus on key markets and explore new business models. The Freshfields team was led by partners Mikhail Loktionov in Moscow, Farid Sigari-Majd and Florian Klimscha in Vienna, and included associate Roman Prudentov in Moscow, principal associates Daniel Lungenschmid, Katharina Kubik, Eric Leikin, and associates Maria Tumpel and Maximilian Hohenauer in Vienna. More information on the deal can be found in the press release issued by Sberbank.

Dec 22

1 min

Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’) has advised the US technology group 3M on the spin-off of its healthcare division. The business is now listed on the NYSE under the name Solventum. The transaction involved the legal separation and reorganisation of the healthcare business with a turnover of US$8.2bn in over 90 jurisdictions. A large international Freshfields team as well as numerous law firms from our Stronger Together network, helped by the Freshfields Hub and the Freshfields Lab who provided tailored legal tech solutions were at play to achieve this tremendous result on time. The core team included: Partners: Barbara Keil, Elizabeth Oberholzer (both Global Lead, Corporate Law, Munich), Thomas Granetzny (Employment Law), Theresa Ehlen (IP/M&A, both Düsseldorf), Michael Ramb (Regulatory, Berlin), Christian Sistermann (Tax, Munich), Peter Niggemann (Antitrust, Düsseldorf), Gerrit Beckhaus (Real Estate, Hamburg/Berlin), Takeshi Nakao (Tokyo), Dirk-Jan Smit (Amsterdam), Miriam Pérez-Schafer (Madrid), Luigi Verga (Milan), Dr Farid Sigari-Majd (Vienna), Fares Al-Hejljalan (Riyadh), Vincent Macq (Brussels), Stephen Hewes (London; all Corporate Law) Counsels: Christine Laciak (Antitrust/Foreign Investments, Washington), Philipp Lehmann, Stefan Bajohr (Düsseldorf, both IP/M&A), Dr Martin Rehberg (Tax, Munich) Principal Associates: Katharina Reinhardt (Dispute Resolution, Berlin), Elisabeth Wulf (Corporate Law), Nina Gissinger (Real Estate Law, both Hamburg), Julian Siller (Tax, Munich), Sarah Rohmann (Employment Law, Düsseldorf) Associates: Julius Röck, Jan Postweiler, Philipp Schneider, Stefan Aust, Julius Raddatz (all Munich), William Björklund (Berlin; all Corporate Law), Benjamin Blum (Dispute Resolution, Frankfurt), Ilko Trenn (Tax), Julia Kilp (Employment Law, both Munich) Freshfields Lab: Gerrit Beckhaus (Co-Head Lab, Hamburg/Berlin), Lucas Treichl (Co-Head Lab, Vienna/Berlin), Blagoy Penchev (Lead Legal Solutions Engineer, Berlin), Marvin Hartmann (Legal Solutions Engineer, Düsseldorf) Transaction Lawyers/Paralegals: Lisa-Marie Woschniak (Munich), Chelsia Tai (Frankfurt), Vielka Hernandez Ceballos, Maria Konstantinou, Vitalii Ushakov (both Frankfurt), Ekaterina Chepurnaya (Munich)

Apr 8

1 min

Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’) has advised US conglomerate Emerson on the acquisition of Flexim Flexible Industriemeßtechnik GmbH (‘Flexim’). The transaction is expected to close by the end of Emerson’s fiscal 2023, subject to customary closing conditions. Afterwards, Flexim’s Berlin headquarter is planned to become Emerson’s Ultrasonic Flow Measurement Center of Excellence. Flexim is the world's only supplier of clamp-on ultrasonic systems for non-intrusive flow measurement of liquids and gases with SIL certification. Flexim's clamp-on ultrasonic systems measure virtually anything that flows, liquids as well as gases. The sensors are simply clamped onto the outside of the pipe with no interruption of service or risk of leakage. The transaction will expand Emerson’s automation portfolio and measurement capabilities, complementing its existing flow measurement positions in Coriolis, differential pressure, magmeter and vortex flow measurement. Underpinned by favorable end market growth and technology leadership, the global ultrasonic clamp-on flowmeter market is expected to grow in the high single digits annually longer-term. Emerson reported revenue of $19.63 billion for the fiscal year ended 2022. The Freshfields team was led by Partner Barbara Keil (Corporate/M&A, München) and Counsel Marcus Wolter (Corporate/M&A, Milan). The team further comprised: Corporate/M&A: Associate Jan Postweiler (Munich), Partner Farid Sigari-Majd (Vienna), Guillemette Burgala (Paris), Dirk-Jan Smit (Amsterdam), Counsel Olaf Ehlers, Associates Athanasios Tasopoulos, Jules Troubat (all New York), Martin Zankl, Patrick Wageneder, Carolina Gerstacker (all Vienna), Anqi Yu (Beijing), Fabienne Tichelman, Hannah Erdman (both Amsterdam), Stephanie Austera (London), Legal Consultants Zhe Wang, Vivian Wang (both Beijing), Senior Transaction Lawyer Franz Dahl (Hamburg) and Transaction Lawyer Stéphanie Adriaens (Berlin) IP: Partner Nina Bayerl and Associate Diana Baum (both Munich) Employment Law: Partner Thomas Granetzky (Düsseldorf), Karin Buzanich-Sommeregger (Vienna), David Mendel (London), Sarah Ghulambussain (Silicon Valley), Principal Associates Benedikt Sprinzl (Vienna), Sarah Rohmann (Düsseldorf), Associates Vera Münsch (Munich), Fan Li (Beijing), Veere Everard, Babette Koning (both Amsterdam), Gino Murugesan (London), Kristen Stidham (Silicon Valley) Regulatory: Partner Juliane Hilf (Düsseldorf), Counsel Sascha Arnold (Hamburg), Associate Felicitas Weber (Berlin) Finance: Counsel Nina Heym, Associate Benedikt Schwarz (both Frankfurt) Tax: Counsel Martin Rehberg, Associate Julian Siller (both Munich) Real Estate: Partner Gerrit Beckhaus (Hamburg), Pervez Akhtar (Dubai), Counsel Jeremiah Nelson (Silicon Valley), Associates Florian Nicolas Schröder (Hamburg), Michael Holzmannhofer (Vienna), Johan Nijmeijer (Amsterdam), Legal Consultant Tariq Saeed (Dubai) Commercial: Partner Lutz Riede, Associate Iris Amschl (both Vienna)

Aug 24

2 min

Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’) is advising plastics manufacturer Borealis on a binding offer from AGROFERT. The fertiliser producer intends to acquire Borealis' nitrogen business, which includes plant nutrients, melamine and technical nitrogen products and is valued at €810 million under the terms of the offer. Borealis will initiate the mandatory information and consultation procedures with employee representatives imminently. The transaction is also subject to certain closing conditions and regulatory approvals, with Closing is expected for the second half of 2022. Borealis is one of the world's leading providers of advanced and circular polyolefin solutions and a European market leader in base chemicals, fertilisers and the mechanical recycling of plastics. AGROFERT is one of the leading European manufacturers of plant nutrients with production facilities in Germany, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Freshfields is advising Borealis' group legal department, led by (interim) General Counsel Sandra Müller. The team comprises Partners: Farid Sigari-Majd (Vienna), Barbara Keil (Munich, both lead, both Corporate), Karin Buzanich-Sommeregger (Vienna), Gwen Senlanne (Paris, both Employment), Thomas Wessely (Antitrust, Brussels), Stephan Denk (Public Law) and Katharina Kubik (Tax, both Vienna) Counsel: Gernot Fritz (TMT, Vienna), Sascha Arnold (Hamburg), Tanguy Bardet (Paris, both Public Law) Principal Associates: Daniel Lungenschmid, Noel Zamani (both Corporate), Leonhard Prasser (Employment), Kathrin Wildmoser-Zeller (Public Law), Anna Binder-Gutwinski, (Tax, all Vienna), Jan Jeram (Antitrust, Brussels) Associates: Maria Tumpel (Vienna), Thomas Hornberger, Jan Postweiler (both Munich, all Corporate), Estella Dannhausen (TMT), Luca Mischensky (Public Law), Can-Michael Nural (Real Estate, all Vienna)

Jun 3

1 min

Freshfields is representing Western Union, the global leader in cross-border, cross-currency money movement and payments, on all aspects of the sale of Western Union Business Solutions for $910 million in cash to a private equity consortium of Goldfinch Partners and Baupost Group. Western Union Business Solutions facilitates cross-border, cross-currency payments and foreign exchange solutions for businesses globally. The complex transaction is described here. The Freshfields corporate/M&A team is led by counsel Zheng (Jonathan) Zhou, associates Vinita Sithapathy, Sally Wu and Craig Langhamer, and partner Ethan Klingsberg, all from the New York office, and associate David Chen from Silicon Valley. The bank regulatory team is led by partner Brian Rance and associate Francesca Loreto in New York, partner Florian Klimscha and associates Eva Schneider and Christian Oberkersch in Vienna, and partner Emma Rachmaninov and associates Charlotte Witherington and Fionn O’Toole in London. Employee benefits and labor law matters are being handled by partner Maj Vaseghi in Silicon Valley and associate Jordan Salzman in New York, as well as partner Karin Buzanich-Sommeregger and associates Leonhard Prasser and Agnieszka Branding in Vienna. Tax matters are being led by partner Robert Scarborough and associate David Mitchell in New York, with support from associates Katharina Kubik and Lukas Allram in Vienna. Data privacy and IP matters are being led by partner Mena Kaplan and associate Laurie Morgan in New York, counsel Peter Jaffe in DC and Gernot Fritz in Vienna. Partner Meghan Rissmiller and associate Ilana Kattan are handling antitrust matters out of DC, while foreign investment regulatory matters are being handled by partner Aimen Mir and counsel Christine Laciak in DC and associate Lukas Pomaroli in Vienna. Compliance advice is being provided by counsel Stephanie Brown Cripps in New York and associate Andrew Bulovsky in DC. Financing advice is being provided by partner Kyle Lakin in New York and corporate support on UK matters is being provided by associate Carl Hotton in London. Corporate support on Austrian matters is being provided by partner Farid Sigari-Majd and associates Dora Rendessy, Stephan Roedler and Maria Tumpel. ENDS

Aug 4

2 min