Cross-border team advises Computer Modelling Group on acquisition of Sharp Reflections group

Global law firm Norton Rose Fulbright advised Canadian publicly-listed Computer Modelling Group Ltd. (CMG) on its acquisition of all shares in Sharp Reflections GmbH (Sharp) and its US, Norwegian and UK subsidiaries (Sharp Reflections group), a leading seismic processing and interpretation platform. The acquisition was carried out by a wholly-owned subsidiary of CMG.

The total purchase price paid by CMG for Sharp Reflections group was €25 million, cash consideration, subject to post-closing adjustments, plus an amount equivalent to Sharp’s cash on hand immediately prior to closing. CMG funded the consideration from its existing cash-on-hand resources.

Sharp Reflections GmbH, headquartered in Germany with wholly-owned subsidiaries in the United States, Norway and the United Kingdom, is a pioneer in the use of high-performance computing in the cloud. Sharp's platform is redefining how massive prestack seismic datasets are handled through advanced visualisation, interactivity and scientific analysis. These technologies enable geophysicists and quantitative seismic interpreters to work more efficiently and improve the quality of decision-making in subsurface interpretation, reservoir characterisation and exploration.

CMG is a global software and consulting company that combines science and technology with deep industry knowledge to solve complex subsurface and surface challenges for the new energy economy around the world. CMG is headquartered in Calgary, Canada with offices in Houston, Oxford, Dubai, Bogota, Rio de Janeiro, Bengaluru, Kuala Lumpur, Oslo, Stavanger and Kaiserslautern.

German partner Dr Heiko Bertelmann (Corporate/M&A) led and advised CMG on this international transaction, together with a multi-jurisdictional Norton Rose Fulbright and Thommessen team.

The German core deal team comprised Dr Heiko Bertelmann, Dr Ariane Theissen (Senior Associate), Marcel Gießler (Associate, all Corporate/M&A), Dr Christoph Ritzer (partner), Markus Müller (Counsel, both IT/Data protection) and Tino Duttiné (partner, Tax).

The transaction is covered by a W&I insurance, which was advised on by the German Norton Rose Fulbright core deal and W&I team, consisting of Dr Heiko Bertelmann, Dr Ariane Theissen and Marcel Gießler (Legal) as well as Tino Duttiné (Tax).