Clare Gaskell

A Corporate Partner in Simpson Thacher’s London office, Clare Gaskell advises on private M&A and public takeovers as well as equity capital markets transactions and other corporate matters, including minority and preferred equity investments, consortium transactions, restructurings and management equity plans, with a focus on private equity and other financial sponsor clients. Clare has particular experience in law and regulation applicable to UK-listed companies and handles complex cross-border transactions with international counterparties. Clare was recently recognized by Chambers UK for her private equity practice. She has also been named “M&A Lawyer of the Year” and “Best in Private Equity” at Euromoney’s Women in Business Law EMEA Awards, “Transatlantic Dealmaker of the Year” by LegalWeek, and a “Hot 100: Dealmaker” by The Lawyer. Clare is Chair of the Legal Committee of the British Private Equity & Venture Capital Association (BVCA).

Clare’s experience includes the representation of:

• Accountor Software, which is majority owned by funds managed by KKR, in its acquisition of certain enterprise resource planning (ERP) subsidiaries and assets of 24SevenOffice for approximately SEK 2.4 billion and its recommended voluntary public cash tender offer for Heeros Oyj
• KKR in its recommended offers for Smart Metering Systems plc for total offer consideration of £1.3 billion; ContourGlobal plc for total offer consideration of £1.75 billion; and John Laing Group plc for total offer consideration of £2 billion, and other European take-privates including Ocean Yield (Oslo Stock Exchange) and Albioma (Euronext Paris)
• Private capital financing sources in secured debt financings supporting the acquisition of Moreld by McIntyre Partners and Velocity Partners and subsequently the acquisition of Ocean Installer by Moreld
• KKR in its acquisition of A-Gas and subsequent sale of a majority stake in A-Gas to TPG Rise Climate
• CBRE in its acquisition of a 60% interest in and entry into a strategic partnership with Turner & Townsend for a cash consideration of approximately £960 million, and in its recommended cash offer for Telford Homes plc
• Lone Star in its €1 billion acquisition of Manuchar
• H.I.G. in its acquisition of KPMG’s UK restructuring business
• KKR in its acquisition of a majority stake in Coty Inc.’s professional beauty and retail hair businesses (now known as Wella), with an enterprise value of $4.3 billon, and Wella in its acquisition of Briogeo
• Global Blue Group AG, a portfolio company of Silver Lake Partners, in its merger with Far Point Acquisition Corporation, a special purpose acquisition company listed on the New York Stock Exchange
• Calisen PLC and KKR in Calisen’s £337.4 million London main market IPO
• KKR in its acquisition and carve-out of Unilever’s baking, cooking and spreads business (now known as Upfield), for a total consideration of €6.825 billion
• Gates Industrial Corporation plc, a portfolio company of Blackstone, in its $841 million IPO on the New York Stock Exchange, and subsequent secondary offerings and share repurchases
• Multiple other engagements for KKR, including its acquisition and subsequent divestment of a stake in a $4 billion infrastructure deal with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), its acquisitions of Healthium Medtech Ltd. and stakes in Cognita and Avincis, the sales of LGC and its stake in BMG, and various investments in and disposals of stakes in listed companies
• Multiple engagements for Blackstone, including its acquisitions of Acetow and Armacell and its recommended offer for AIM-traded Japan Residential Investment Company Limited
• Other financial sponsor-backed London main market IPOs, including Ascential plc (Apax), Auto Trader Group PLC (Apax) and Pets at Home Group Plc (KKR)
• Melrose Industries PLC in its acquisition of NASDAQ-traded Nortek, Inc., its contested public offer for Charter International PLC and the sale of its Elster and Dynacast businesses
• Various private equity portfolio and public companies in capital reorganisations, governance and disclosure requirements, management equity plans and other company law and financing matters

Clare received her B.A. in History from St. John’s College, Cambridge, as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Law and a Diploma in Legal Practice from Nottingham Law School.