ProfessionalsChristopher Sullivan
Tel: +44-20-7601-8650
Fax: +44-20-7691-9505
csullivan@paulweiss.com
csullivan@paulweiss.com
A partner in the Mergers & Acquisitions practice in the London office, Christopher Sullivan is a leading private equity M&A partner in Europe. A cross-border specialist, Christopher advises on a wide range of transformational transactions, including leveraged buyouts, acquisitions and sales, takeovers, mergers, joint ventures, IPOs, restructurings and refinancings. Christopher has particular experience in the financial services, consumer goods, tech and health care sectors, as well as on private equity real estate assets and infrastructure investments. He is trusted by a number of major international and domestic private equity firms, financial sponsors, sovereign wealth investors and public companies, and also frequently acts for portfolio companies on bolt-on acquisitions and other transactions.
Christopher previously led the UK private equity practice at another major global law firm. He has been recognized as a leading private equity lawyer by many legal publications and directories, including Chambers UK, The Legal 500 UK, Law.com International, IFLR1000, The Lawyer and Private Equity International, with Chambers highlighting Christopher’s “strong legal acumen, balanced with a commercially sound mindset,” and calling him “versatile” and “very solutions-oriented.”
EXPERIENCE
Christopher’s representative experience has included:
- Blackstone in a variety of transactions, including:
- in its €1.64 billion acquisition of CRH's European Distribution Business
- in its £800 million acquisition of NEC Group
- in its £600 million acquisition of Clarion Events
- in its $640 million acquisition of a majority stake in The Office Group
- Blackstone and Kirkbi in the £1.1 billion sale of Armacell, a Luxembourg/Germany-based global business manufacturing and distributing insulation and fibre products
- Cinven in a variety of transactions, including:
- in its £2.3 billion sale of Amdipharm Mercury Company Limited to Concordia Healthcare Corporation
- in its £2 billion acquisition of wealth manager True Potential
- in its €1.3 billion acquisition of Labco
- in its €1.7 billion acquisition of Synlab from BC Partners and its combination with Labco and subsequent €5.9 billion IPO
- in its £1.6 billion sale of UK reinsurer, Guardian Financial Services to the Admin Re division of Swiss Life
- in its acquisition of specialty insurance broker Miller, with GIC
- in its $875 million acquisition of Amara NZero
- in its $1.17 billion acquisition of Envirotainer
- Cinven and Novo Holdings in its EUR€2.8 billion sale of Envirotainer to EQT and Mubadala
- Coor Service Management and Cinven in Coor’s SEK3.6 billion IPO
- CVC in a variety of transactions, including:
- in its £1.1 billion acquisition of leading consumer finance and tech business, NewDay, with Cinven
- in its £750 million acquisition of warranty services provider Domestic & General from Advent
- in its £500 million acquisition of online payment provider Skrill from Investcorp
- in its $145 million acquisition of a minority interest in Moove from Cosan
- in its acquisition of a significant stake in the RAC from Carlyle
- Alter Domus in numerous acquisitions in Europe and the US, including the £600 million minority investment in Alter Domus by Permira
- BlackRock, Inc. in its acquisition of private debt manager Kreos Capital
- BlackRock LTPC and Javier Ferran in the original acquisition of luxury fragrance house CREED from Olivier Creed, and subsequent €3.5 billion sale to Kering SA
- BlackRock LTPC in its £350 million acquisition of pension software provider and administrator, Aquila Heywood
- DWS Group in the sale of its Private Equity Solutions business to Brookfield Asset Management
- The founders of DRC Capital in its sale to Savills IM
- IFM in its acquisition of a 50% interest in Impala Terminals together with Trafigura
- Mastercard International Incorporated in its $3.19 billion acquisition of Nets’ account-to-account payments business from Nets A/S
- Permira in its $1.42 billion acquisition of Acuity Knowledge from Equistone
- THG PLC in its £4.5 billion IPO on the London Stock Exchange and subsequent $1.6 billion option and collaboration agreement with SoftBank Group Corp and THG’s contemporaneous $1 billion capital raising
- The shareholders of WSH in its £780 million partnership with Clayton, Dubilier & Rice
- WSH in various acquisitions, including coffee chain Notes, Meyers in Denmark, Musiam in France, various UK businesses and a joint venture with Tom Kerridge’s events and hospitality business