Geoffrey Burgess is a corporate partner with a broad international practice in Europe (including Russia), Africa and India, with particular focus in the ...
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Experience
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- StepStone Group in a multi-asset secondary transaction with Gyrus Capital involving Essential Pharma and dss+, both initially acquired by Gyrus Capital in 2019.
- Bain Capital in its investment in Oak Reinsurance, and in its cornerstone investment in the Oak RE’s Lloyd’s Syndicate 2843, which will focus on global reinsurance.
- Taranis Investment Limited in its Series A2 investment in Cool Planet Technologies, a carbon capture company.
- Taranis Investment Limited in its Series E investment in Econic Technologies, a deep tech company focused on sustainable chemistry.
- Perenco in an approximately $250 million investment in Golar LNG by its investment affiliate Naria Inc.
- Ambac in its acquisition of a majority stake in Beat Capital Partners in a transaction valued at approximately $282 million.
- Glendower Capital in CVC’s acquisition of Glendower Capital.
- Perenco in a €10 million investment by its investment and asset management arm, Taranis, in cleantech company Pryme.
- A UK private equity sponsor in a single asset continuation fund to house an existing stake in a leasing business.
- The Evercare Group in equity and debt financing aspects of its sale of a majority shareholding in CARE Hospitals to private equity funds managed by Blackstone.
- The Evercare Group, wholly owned by the Evercare Health Fund, in the sale of its majority interest in Nairobi Women’s Hospital to its founder and Group CEO, Dr. Samuel Maina Thenya.
- LGT Capital Partners as co-lead investor in an £840 million continuation fund sponsored by Pollen Street Capital to acquire existing stakes in insurance and tech assets.
- Pantheon in its indirect investment in Zenobe Energy Limited, a UK green energy infrastructure firm.
- Apera Asset Management, a UK-based pan-European private debt manager in the mid-market space, in Kudu Investment Management’s minority investment in Apera through an Apera affiliate.
- Gedeon Richter, the specialty pharmaceutical company, in its acquisition of OC Distributors, an Ireland-based company holding the marketing and distribution rights of a number of women’s healthcare products.
- A major sovereign wealth fund in the development and implementation of its sustainable investing strategy and governance framework.
- Leapfrog Investments as lead investor in a $70 million equity investment round for Sun King, the largest provider of solar energy products for off-grid homes in Africa and Asia.
- Helios Investment Partners, the leading Africa-focused private investment firm, in its acquisition of a majority stake in Maroc Datacenter, a carrier neutral data center in Morocco.
- The Evercare Group wholly owned by the Evercare Health Fund, in its sale of a majority shareholding in Metropolitan Hospital Holdings Limited to The Metro Group.
- EQT Exeter, a purpose-driven global investment organization, in its acquisition of Redwood Capital Group, an asset manager in the multifamily residential property space.
- Carlyle in its $2 billion acquisition of Abingworth, a life sciences investment firm.
- Leapfrog Investments in its sale of a 30% stake in Goodlife Pharmacies, a healthcare and retail pharmacy chain, to Eurapharma, the healthcare division of the CFAO Group.
- Prudential Financial, in partnership with LeapFrog Investments, in its acquisition of a strategic minority interest in Alexander Forbes Group Holdings Limited, a leading provider of financial advice, retirement, investment, and holistic wealth management services in South Africa, by way of a bilateral acquisition from Mercer Africa Limited and a partial tender offer on the JSE to eligible shareholders.
- First Reserve in its role as a strategic investor in Venterra Group, the offshore wind energy services business, as part of Venterra’s third funding round.
- The Evercare Group, wholly owned by the Evercare Health Fund, in its $72 million sale of a 50% shareholding in Islamabad Diagnostic Centre to leading consumer healthcare company Integrated Diagnostics Holdings.
- The Evercare Group in financing arrangements for the acquisition of CHL Hospitals and CIIGMA Hospitals.
- Helios Investment Partners, the leading Africa-focused private investment firm, in its sale of a 49% stake in GBfoods Africa, one of Africa's largest FMCG groups.
- Glendower Capital in its strategic partnership with CVC, creating a combined group with total assets under management of approximately €113 billion.
- Funds advised by Helios Investment Partners as part of a syndicate, led by Gemcorp Capital, providing a $105 million loan facility to Africell, the fast-growing pan-African mobile network operator.
- A prominent New York family office in a separately managed account arrangement targeting venture investments in technology-oriented companies in Africa.
- LeapFrog Investments in its $500 million partnership with Temasek, including Temasek taking a minority stake in LeapFrog, and a multi-fund investment by Temasek to anchor LeapFrog’s future funds.
- Helios Investment Partners in its launch of Africa Specialty Risk Group, a reinsurance business.
- Helios Investment Partners in its role as financial sponsor of sub-Saharan Africa’s first LNG import terminal comprising a purpose-built floating regasification unit twinned with an existing LNG carrier in the port of Tema, Ghana.
- LeapFrog Investments in its investment in MedGenome, a leading genetic diagnostics, research and data company focused on expanding access for populations in South Asia and other emerging markets, with operations in the U.S., India, Canada and Singapore.
- Pacific Life in its sale of Aviation Capital Group to Tokyo Century Corporation.
- TPG Growth in its takeover of the existing assets of the Abraaj Group’s $1 billion Global Healthcare Fund. The deal saw Debevoise win the Specialist Deal Legal Advisor category at the Private Equity Africa Awards.
- Tata Group in its settlement in relation to telecom tower arrangements in India.
- Helios Investment Partners in its investment in KMR Holding Pédagogique, a Morocco-based leading private higher education group.
- Pacific Life and Aviation Capital Group in the minority investment by Tokyo Century in Aviation Capital Group, a transaction which won the Airline Economics Aviation 100 “2017 Overall Equity Deal of the Year” award.
- CHC Group, one of the largest global commercial helicopter service companies in the world, as aircraft counsel in its Chapter 11 proceedings in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, in which CHC successfully restructured more than $2 billion in indebtedness. Debevoise was named joint winner of “Restructuring Deal of the Year (Over $1B to $5B)” at the 12th Annual M&A Advisor Turnaround Awards for this representation.
- CHC Group on certain aspects of its aircraft sales.
- CHC Group in restructuring its aircraft finance arrangements.
- The Poddar family in the sale of their remaining shareholding in Ashirvad Pipes to Aliaxis.
- Helios Investment Partners in fund arrangement aspects of the IPO on the London Stock Exchange of Vivo Energy, the company that distributes and markets Shell-branded fuels and lubricants to retail and commercial customers in Africa.
- SBM Ventures in its investment in mPharma, an Africa-based company that manages prescription drug inventory for pharmacies and their suppliers in various African jurisdictions.
- A large Swedish pension fund in its co-investment in a UK utility company.
- Prudential Financial, as the primary investor in LeapFrog Strategic African Investments (LSAI), in LSAI’s $180 million investment in Ghanaian financial services market leader Enterprise Group.
- Bregal Freshstream in its investment in TrueNoord, an independent aircraft leasing business that specialises in the regional aircraft market.
- Helios Investment Partners in the formation of a joint-venture with GBfoods targeting the African fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector, creating one of Africa's largest FMCG groups, operating in 30 African countries, including leadership positions in Nigeria and Ghana.
- Helios Investment Partners in its sale of a minority stake in Interswitch to TA Associates. Helios Investment Partners remains the majority shareholder following the transaction.
- A private equity fund in the subscription of subordinated convertible promissory notes in a Cayman Islands incorporated company which operates an energy business in Africa.
- Helios Investment Partners and its investment vehicle Samba Luxco Sarl in the settlement of claims made in an ICC Arbitration regarding Samba's stake in Africatel BV. The settlement involved reducing Samba’s stake in Africatel BV from 25% to 14%, and the transfer from Africatel BV to Samba of a 34% stake in Mobile Telecommunications Limited, the Namibian telecoms operator.
- Opportunity International in its sale of a majority stake in Kinshasa, a microfinance institution operating in the Democratic Republic of Congo, to VisionFund International.
- Prudential Financial in its $350 million partnership with LeapFrog Investments, targeting investments in life insurance companies in Africa.
- Helios Investment Partners in its acquisition of a majority stake in Telkom Kenya from The Orange Group.
- Nereus Capital in its joint venture with Hareon Solar and Treasury Group to invest in solar projects in India.
- CHC Group in its $145 million asset-based loan financing.
- Modex in its acquisition of Gauthier Homes and Gauthiers’ Oilfield Rental.
- AIF Capital as a selling shareholder in the sale of certain female healthcare businesses of Famy Care, the world’s largest producer of oral contraceptive pills, to Mylan.
- Helios Investment Partners in its minority investment in Wananchi Group as part of a $130 million investment from Helios and existing shareholders.
- Helios Investment Partners in its investment in MallforAfrica, a Nigerian e-commerce company.
- American International Group in the $7.6 billion sale of its 100% interest in International Lease Finance Corporation to NYSE-listed AerCap Holdings N.V.
- Tribune Media Company in the acquisition by its technology and innovation arm, Tribune Digital Ventures, of What’s-ON, a leading television search and Electronic Program Guide data provider for India and the Middle East.
- Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan in the formation of a joint venture with Aircastle to invest in leased aircraft.
- American Airlines in its agreements with Bombardier and Embraer to purchase, in aggregate, 90 new 76-seat regional jets with options to purchase up to 130 more.
- International Lease Finance Corporation in its $228 million acquisition of AeroTurbine from AerCap.
- A large India-headquartered pharmaceutical company in its acquisition of a UK pharmaceuticals company.
- Helios Investment Partners in the acquisition of a controlling stake in Interswitch, Nigeria’s largest electronic transaction switching and payment processing service provider, from several Nigerian banks.
- Central European Media Enterprises in its sale of the Studio 1+1 and Kino television channels to Igor Kolomoisky.
- Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in its acquisition of up to a 49% stake in NYSE-listed CHC Group, the world's largest commercial helicopter operator with an enterprise value of $1.9 billion.
- Central European Media Enterprises in a joint venture with Ukrainian businessman Igor Kolomoisky, a CME director and shareholder, to unite operations of CME’s Ukrainian television group "Studio 1+1" with Kolomoisky’s TET TV channel.
- Providence Equity Partners in its $430 million investment in Aditya Birla Telecom, a subsidiary of Idea Cellular.
- Argan Capital and Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity in the sale of N&W Global Vending to Barclays Private Equity and Investcorp.
- Sukhoi Civil Aircraft Company in its joint venture with Alenia Aeronatica (a division of Finmeccanica) for the manufacture of the Sukhoi Superjet 100.
- The shareholders of United Financial Group (UFG), an investment company, in the sale of a 60% shareholding in Deutsche Bank.
- Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity and BA Capital Partners Europe in their acquisition, as a consortium, of N&W Global Vending, an Italian vending machine company, from Compass Partners European Equity Fund.
- Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, Eurazeo and BAML Private Equity in their €3.7 billion leveraged buyout of Rexel.
Education
- Columbia Law School, 1993, J.D.
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1990, B.S.