Tim Wilmot

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’) is advising preeminent global private equity firm Hellman & Friedman (“H&F”) on its sale of a minority stake in TeamSystem, a leading provider of business software solutions in Italy and Spain, to Silver Lake Partners (“Silver Lake”). Following completion of the transaction, H&F will remain the majority shareholder of the TeamSystem group. TeamSystem is a leading provider of accounting, payroll, and business management software for accountants and small and medium-sized enterprises in Italy and Spain. The strategic investment from Silver Lake marks a significant milestone for the company as it continues to drive the digital transformation of businesses and their accountants in Italy and Spain. Since the time of H&F’s initial investment in TeamSystem in 2016, the number of customers served by the company has grown from 200,000 to approximately 1.8 million today. Completion of the transaction is expected around the end of the year, subject to customary regulatory approvals. The Freshfields’ team advising H&F is led by Global Transactions partners Tim Wilmot, Mark Brewer and Luigi Verga. Regulatory advice was provided by partner Cyrus Pocha and tax advice by partner Jill Gatehouse. Antitrust advice was provided by partner Ermelinda Spinelli and counsel Enrique Carrera. Freshfields advised H&F on the original acquisition of TeamSystem and this transaction continues Freshfields’ track record of advising H&F in Europe. Further information on the transaction can be found here.

May 24

1 min

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is advising AEA Investors, a private equity firm with over $15bn of capital under management, on its agreement to acquire Polygon, a leading property damage control and restoration company, from Triton Partners. Polygon has more than 5,400 employees across 16 countries, and helps its insurance, property management and industrial clients to prevent, control and mitigate the effects of water, fire and climate damage. Closing is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to take place in Q4 2021. The Freshfields team is being led by partners Tim Wilmot, Alex Mitchell, Jill Gatehouse and Alastair Chapman.

Jul 14

1 min

Global law firm Freshfields has today announced the appointment of Private Funds and Secondaries (PFS) practitioner, Nick Kagan, as a partner from Debevoise & Plimpton in London. Kagan will join the firm’s global private capital group, working closely with global PFS co-heads Mary Lavelle and Tim Clark. Kagan brings a multifaceted practice, advising both institutional and independent sponsors across the spectrum of private capital, with experience on private credit funds and secondaries work but also covering private equity, real estate, infrastructure, venture capital and impact funds. His expertise covers the full fund lifecycle, from formation and marketing to regulatory compliance and operational strategy, as well as co-investments, internal restructurings, and secondary transactions, including innovative end-of-life liquidity solutions. London-based Lavelle commented: “We’re thrilled to welcome Nick and add his experience to our growing PFS practice. His expertise in private funds and secondaries, and his particular strength in private credit, will significantly increase our ability to service private capital clients across the full spectrum of their activities.” Based in New York, Clark added: “Nick joins us at an exciting time as we continue to grow our global platform, and I am confident he will be a tremendous addition to the team.” Tim Wilmot, Freshfields’ London Transactions Head, commented:  “We are delighted to welcome Nick to our London team. His appointment underscores our commitment to supporting clients in areas that are central to the growth of private markets, which is a core part of our own London and global strategy.”

Dec 1

1 min

Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’) is advising Partners Group, a leading global private markets firm, acting on behalf of its clients, on the acquisition of North Star. The company is an operator of specialized vessels that offer emergency response and rescue and essential offshore wind maintenance services. Headquartered in Aberdeen, Scotland, North Star is an established infrastructure company with a fleet of 48 Emergency Response and Rescue Vessels (ERRVs) and Service Operation Vessels (SOVs) and around 1,400 employees. North Star's ERRV fleet is the largest in Europe and provides essential crew rescue, firefighting, and other emergency response services to offshore energy operations in the North Sea. The Company is also the leading UK provider of SOVs which are used to transport technicians to offshore windfarms and accommodate them for extended periods of time. The multi-jurisdictional Freshfields team was led by partners Heiner Braun (Global Transactions; Frankfurt), Tim Wilmot (Global Transactions; London) and principal associate Friedrich von der Heydt (Global Transactions; Hamburg). It included, inter alia, the partners: Michele Davis (Antitrust, Competition and Trade; London), Christopher Davis (Finance; London) and Martin Schiessl (Tax; Frankfurt), as well as George Clarke, Hugh Laundy, Alex Ryan, Till Burmeister, Radu Valeanu and Agnieszka Chambellan (Global Transactions; London, Hamburg, Paris and Frankfurt), Louise Asbridge (Finance; London), Megan Yeates (Antitrust, Competition and Trade; London) and Counsel Tanja Walter-Yadegardjam (Tax; Düsseldorf).

Jan 18

1 min

Global law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (‘Freshfields’) has advised AEA Investors on a majority investment in SCIO Automation. The closing of the transaction is subject to approval by the relevant antitrust authorities. SCIO Automation is an international end-to-end automation platform with the mission to support companies on their journey towards Industry 4.0. As a system integrator, SCIO Automation automates production and logistics processes. As an innovator, SCIO Automation develops value-added and customised automation products for the autonomous mobile robots, software and cleanroom sectors, as well as for food intralogistics and industrial labeling. The SCIO Automation platform currently comprises ten company brands, totalling more than 1,100 employees at 30 locations in eight countries worldwide, all of whom play a part in implementing the smart factory concept for global players in a wide range of industries. The Freshfields team is led by partners Arend von Riegen (Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt) and Tim Wilmot (Corporate/M&A, London) and includes partner Toby Bingley (Finance, London), Senior Associate George Milne (Corporate/M&A, London), Associate Nick Surgey (Corporate/M&A, London), Principal Associate Christoph Becherer (Corporate/M&A, Berlin),  Associates Anna Dominke, Johannes Rogge-Balleer (both Corporate/M&A, Frankfurt), Antonius Gehringhoff (Corporate/M&A, Berlin), Senior Associate Kate Hatcher and Marie Boudard (both Finance, London).

Jul 11

1 min