Investment Banking
Mergers and Acquisitions
Our bankers provide mergers and acquisitions advice and services to our clients on some of their most complex strategic decisions and transactions.
Our firm is a longstanding market leader in M&A advice, including sell-side advice, raid and activism defenses, cross-border M&A, special committee assignments and complicated merger transactions. We also have been rated the number one merger advisor globally every year since 19971.
Our clients are located across the globe and include businesses, private investors, government agencies, private individuals and families. We provide advice on a full range of transactions, including mergers, sales, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, joint ventures, raid defenses, spin-offs, divestitures and other restructurings.
Products and Expertise
Acquisitions
Some of our recent “buy side” clients include:
Johnson & Johnson, on its planned acquisition of Synthes ($20.8bn), 2011
Schlumberger, on its acquisition of Smith International ($12bn), 2010
Pfizer, on its acquisition of Wyeth ($65bn), 2009
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking, on its acquisition of Nikko Cordial Securities ($6bn), 2009
Sales
We are a longstanding leader in advising on the “sell side” of M&A transactions. Recent clients include:
GDF Suez Energy, on its sale to International Power ($25bn), 2010
E.ON, on the sale of its U.S. business to PPL ($8bn), 2010
Schering-Plough, on its sale to Merck & Co. ($46bn), 2009
Burlington Northern Santa Fe, on its sale to Berkshire Hathaway ($36bn), 2009
Spin-offs and Restructurings
We have advised on a number of restructurings and spin-offs of subsidiary businesses. Recent advisory work includes:
Fiat, on the spin-off of its capital goods activities into Fiat Industrial ($18bn), 2011
Motorola, on its split into two companies and the spin-off of Motorola Mobility ($10bn), 2010
Brookfield Properties, on the restructuring of General Growth Properties ($7bn), 2010
General Electric, on the joint venture between NBC Universal and Comcast ($32bn), 2010
Global Markets
We provide strategic advice to clients in markets around the world, with bankers in offices across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. We have recently advised on a number of M&A deals in growth areas, including:
Weather Investments, on its sale of WindTel and OrascomTel to VimpleCom ($22bn), 2010
Bharti Airtel, on its acquisition of MTN Group ($11bn), 2009
GVT, on its sale to Telecommunicacoes de Sao Paulo and Vivendi ($7bn), 2009
Saudi Telecommunications, on its acquisition of Oger Telecom ($3bn), 2009
Cross-Border Transactions
Our experts have extensive experience in cross-border transactions, including in-depth knowledge of capital markets and regulatory environments. We have advised on a number of landmark deals, including:
Pride International, on its sale to Ensco ($9bn), 2011
Genzyme, on its sale to Sanofi-aventis ($21bn), 2010
APP Pharmaceuticals, on its sale to Fresenius ($6bn), 2009
Liberty Media, on its acquisition of Unity Media ($5bn), 2009
Raid Defenses
We have extensive experience helping clients prepare for potential unsolicited acquisition attempts. Our clients include:
Airgas, on an unsolicited bid from Air Products, 2010
Casey’s General Stores, on an unsolicited bid from Alimentation Couche-Tard, 2010
Potash Corp of Saskatchewan, on an unsolicited bid from BHP Billiton, 2010
Cadbury, on an unsolicited bid from and subsequent sale to Kraft Foods, 2009
Anglo American, on an unsolicited bid from Xstrata, 2009
Mid-Sized Businesses
Our group provides advisory services to clients of all sizes. More than half of our assignments since 2005 have included companies smaller than $1 billion in size. In that same period, we have advised on more than 700 assignments between $500 million and $2 billion in size, more than any of our competitors.2
Private Equity Advisory
For private investment groups, we provide advisory services, along with equity and debt financing solutions. Recent transactions include:
KKR, on Seven Media Group’s acquisition by West Australia Newspapers ($4bn), 2011
Emergency Medical Services, on its sale to Clayton Dubilier & Rice ($3bn), 2011
Burger King Holdings, on its sale to 3G ($4bn), 2010
TPG Capital and Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board, on the acquisition of IMS Health ($5.1bn), 2009
Blackstone, on its acquisition of Busch Entertainment ($3bn), 2009
1 Source: Thomson Reuters and Dealogic
2 Source: Thomson Reuters