Top 10 Global M&A Activity
Pitchbook, 3Q 2020
Our global M&A and Private Equity team helps our clients answer these questions in the context of a wide range of strategic combinations and investments. Our clients include the most exciting high-growth companies and the largest global players, as well as funds and financial advisors. We bring particularly deep knowledge of the global Technology & Innovation and Energy & Infrastructure sectors.
We’ve worked on the largest private company sales in the tech market, and have a growing strong, strategic buy-side M&A practice. To support our clients’ global growth, we have an experienced team working from the United States, Europe and Asia.
We know that true success is realized post-closing, as you go about your day-to-day operations. This is why we offer a holistic approach to our company practice based upon the ongoing needs of a functioning business. When our clients keep calling us for advice long after the transaction is completed, whether to coordinate on an integration matter or pursue the next opportunity, we know we are adding value.
Our team has been there before, and we bring that experience to play in helping you meet your goals. Over the past five years, we have executed over 600 M&A transactions in markets worldwide, with a combined value of more than $100 billion.
Tech
We act for some of the largest tech companies in M&A and corporate venture investments. In the IoT market, we guided Cruise Automation, a pioneer in the “Driverless Revolution,” in its sale to General Motors, and Nest in its sale to Google. In the social networking space, we advised Instagram on its sale to Facebook and Yammer on its sale to Microsoft. In the digital marketing arena, we represented France’s Neolane on its sale to Adobe and helped Pinterest acquire Kosei. On the buy side, we act for some of the largest public companies on their investments and acquisitions in the tech sphere, such as Microsoft on its acquisition of Havok and French aerospace multinational Thales on its purchase of cybersecurity firm Vormetric; and we tackle transactions that have long-ranging influence, such as the purchase of Siri. We scale from complex going-private tender offers that leverage our team’s SEC staff experience to tuck-in deals where intellectual property issues are central. In one of the first major corporate transactions in China’s online industry, our team represented retail giant JD.com on its $1.55 billion investment in Bitauto with Tencent. We have long assisted multinational telecoms provider Telenor on its worldwide investment activity, including with its announced acquisition TapAd – one of the largest deals in the New York tech market. We advised France’s Canal+ Group on the sale of the Polish television network TVN to a U.S. media group, and on its strategic investment in iROKO, Africa’s largest Internet TV operator and the world’s largest online platform for African content, dubbed the “Netflix of Africa.”
Energy & Infrastructure
We are advising companies in the largest energy and infrastructure deals across the globe. We assisted IFM Investors with its $5.72 billion acquisition of ITR Concession Company, operator of the 157-mile Indiana Toll Road. We represented the board of Alstom SA, the French engineering giant, in the $13.5 billion sale of its energy division to GE – (M&A deal of the year in IFLR’s European Awards). In Europe, we helped NextEnergy Solar with its acquisition of solar projects in the U.K., and EOS Holding, a Swiss player in the renewables sector, with its acquisition of wind farms and solar power plants in France and Portugal. We assisted SNAM, leader in Europe’s gas market, in the acquisition of an interest in the Trans Adriatic Pipeline AG, which enabledgas produced from Azerbaijan to flow to the European markets. We have also advised on some of the most innovative M&A and private equity transactions involving energy assets across Africa.
Cross-Border Prowess
As a fully integrated global team, we provide our clients with seamless service in the most complex multi-jurisdictional deals. We’ve advised on some of the largest cross-border deals in France of recent years, including France’s Peugeot SA on a $4.1 billion capital investment by and in collaboration with China’s Dongfeng Motor Group. We’ve helped other Chinese clients expand globally. Our German team advised global triathlon leader IRONMAN in its acquisition of Lagardère Sports’ endurance division, involving assets in eight countries across three continents. We’ve also been involved in the most significant Japanese outbound cross-border transactions, including assisting Toyota Industries Corporation and its subsidiary in their $2.3 billion acquisition of assets relating to Toyota Motor Credit Corporation's commercial finance business, and advising U.S.-based Johnson Controls in its global HVAC joint venture with Hitachi.
Private Equity
Our private equity team represents private equity funds, LP investors and portfolio companies across the U.S., Europe and Asia. We act for several leading private equity and venture funds such as Energy Investors Fund and BlackRock. We’ve advised Warburg Pincus, Goldman Sachs, Sequoia Capital and Domain Elite in executing their China strategies. In Africa, members of our team have represented the leading private equity investors, including Actis, Helios Investment Partners, LeapFrog Investments and Adlevo Capital. We regularly work with the private equity arms of banks like Morgan Stanley, Barclays and Citigroup.
Understanding all aspects of a business is key to providing the best legal advice to the world’s most innovative companies. In staffing our teams, we draw on Orrick’s practitioners in each of the areas your business requires: securities regulation, compensation & benefits, IP, cybersecurity and data protection, FCPA, employment, antitrust and competition, tax, international trade and energy regulation. To help you manage these functions on a day-to-day basis, we also offer efficient and cost-effective services like our Global Employment & Equity Compensation Service. And Orrick Analytics, our in-house document review service, supports all types of due diligence.