Cross-border team advises Ferd on combination of auticon and Unicus and acquisition of majority stake in auticon

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright has advised Ferd AS (Ferd) on the international business combination of Unicus Holding AS (Unicus) and auticon GmbH (auticon), as well as Ferd’s parallel secondary buyout acquisitions and majority stake building to take on the lead social impact investor role in the new combined group.

Ferd will in future hold close to 50 per cent of the combined group. In the course of the transaction, Ferd and Ferd’s co-investors will contribute all shares in Unicus into auticon to create European multinational providers of IT services and the world’s largest company where the majority of the employees are on the autism spectrum.

Dr Heiko Bertelmann, who led the Norton Rose Fulbright team that advised on this deal, commented: “We are delighted to assist Ferd, Unicus and auticon on this business combination, and their continued, successful social impact journey that enables people with neurodiverse conditions to realise their professional and personal potential. This is a significant and meaningful transaction which will have a real impact for hundreds of neurodiverse employees. It is also one that resonates with me personally. My father had a disability and had responsibilities for supporting people with disabilities. Creating opportunities for individuals who have disabilities or who are neurodiverse is absolutely vital to creating a more inclusive society.”

Heiko and Farmida Bi, Chair Europe, Middle East and Asia, Norton Rose Fulbright further commented: “We are pleased to have advised Ferd on this historic landmark deal, establishing a global model for an autistic-majority social enterprise and ESG company, addressing the inequalities in employment for neurodivergent adults. Following our work on this transaction and reflecting our own focus on inclusion initiatives, we are delighted to make donations to several charities that support people who are neurodiverse.”

Espen Daae, Investment Chief, Social Investments, Ferd, added: “We are really pleased with the support NRF has provided in completing this complex transaction. This has been true teamwork, involving a comprehensive array of transaction documents and services.”

auticon employs more than 300 adults on the autism spectrum for careers in technology across the UK, USA, Canada, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Australia and New Zealand. The company provides IT consulting services to businesses and has also established a diversity and inclusion consultancy offering to assist corporates in becoming an employment destination for neurodiverse adults.

Unicus employs more than 150 employees on the autism spectrum and provides high quality IT services in software development, testing, data science and quality assurance through employees with neurodiverse symptoms such as autism or Asperger’s across Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands. It plans to expand and will enter the Polish market imminently. 

Ferd is a Norwegian family-owned investment company owned by the fifth and sixth generations of the Andresen family. The company is, inter alia, committed to social impact investing and social entrepreneurs.

The Norton Rose Fulbright Team was led by Partner Dr Heiko Bertelmann, co-led by Counsel Dr Malte Ingwersen (both Corporate and M&A, Hamburg), and included Partners Sebastian Frech (Corporate and M&A, Munich), Dr Tim Schaper (Antitrust and Competition, Hamburg), Tino Duttiné (Tax, Frankfurt), Dr Frank Weberndörfer (Employment, Hamburg), the Counsels Dr Ingemar Kartheuser (IT and data protection, Hamburg), Norbert Fischbach (Tax, Frankfurt), Oliver Polster (Corporate and M&A, Hamburg), Senior Associate Dr Tobias Teichner (Antitrust and Competition, Hamburg), and the Associates Marcel Giessler (Corporate and M&A, Hamburg), Max Oscar Zeisler (Corporate and M&A, Munich), Christian de Haan (Corporate and M&A, Hamburg), Jörn Twisselmann (Employment, Hamburg), Henriette Höter (Employment, Hamburg), Natalia Filkina (IT and data protection, Frankfurt) and Transaction Specialist Noby Cyriac (Antitrust and Competition, Hamburg).

auticon was advised by German law firm SKW Schwarz led by Partner Dr Stephan Morsch.