Cross-border team advises PATRIZIA AG on its acquisition of Whitehelm Capital

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has advised PATRIZIA AG (PATRIZIA) on its acquisition of infrastructure investment manager Whitehelm Capital, significantly increasing PATRIZIA’s global footprint in the Asia-Pacific region.

The acquisition will further strengthen PATRIZIA’s position as a leading global real asset investment manager and increase its Assets Under Management (AUM) to over EUR 50 billion in line with its mid-term growth strategy. The acquisition will triple PATRIZIA’s infrastructure AUM to circa EUR 5 billion and PATRIZIA is aiming to grow the segment in the mid-term to EUR 15 to 20 billion.

The Norton Rose Fulbright team, co-led by corporate M&A partners Adam Edelman and Jasmine Sprange in Australia and Alan Bainbridge in London, comprised partners and lawyers across five offices in four countries. The team advised PATRIZIA on all aspects of the transaction, including conducting due diligence; advising on foreign investment, regulatory approval requirements and competition law; and negotiating and finalising the share sale, purchase agreement and ancillary documentation.

Norton Rose Fulbright partner Adam Edelman commented:

"We are grateful to have worked with PATRIZIA on this acquisition that is transformational for its business.”

“This was a terrific opportunity that really played to our global strengths in financial institutions M&A. The cross-border nature of the deal required an integrated Norton Rose Fulbright team, working in sync across multiple jurisdictions and time zones. This meant that we were able to employ a ‘follow the sun model’ – particularly between Australia, London, Frankfurt and Luxembourg – so our work for PATRIZIA continued around the clock.”

The global team comprised of: Australian-based partners Adam Edelman, Jasmine Sprange, Jon Ireland, Greg Reinhardt and Alexandra Shields, special counsel Simon Meagher, senior associate Michael Phillips, associate Laura Bernhardt and lawyer Ellen Pen; London-based partners Alan Bainbridge, Imogen Garner, Dominic Stuttaford, Catrina Smith, Matthew Foster and Richard Sheen along with special counsel Albert Weatherill and counsel Matt O’Shea; Luxembourg-based partner Manfred Dietrich; and German-based partners Frank Henkel and Oliver Polster. The regions were supported by their respective corporate, employment, real estate, funds, competition, regulatory, intellectual property and tax teams.