Sebastian E S FitzGerald

Mr. FitzGerald has acted for various leading private equity sponsors and financial investors and institutions in the U.S. and European financing markets, including Cinven, CVC, Advent, BC Partners, Blackstone, Sixth Street, Montagu, KKR, PAI Partners, Eurazeo, Silver Lake, Insight Partners and Goldman Sachs, among others.

He is widely recognised as a leading practitioner in the European private equity and leveraged finance markets for his commercial and collaborative approach. He also has been named in leading legal directories, including Chambers, IFLR1000 and The Legal 500, in which clients praised him as “fantastic,” “very efficient and flexible,” “extremely professional, bright and commercial” and “a commanding banking partner in charge of the execution process of very complex transactions.”

Mr. FitzGerald’s representations prior to joining Skadden include advising:

• CVC Capital Partners on numerous transactions, including the:
  • €1.4 billion financing for the acquisition of a majority stake in Cooper Consumer Health from Charterhouse Capital Partners and the subsequent financings for Cooper’s acquisition of Lashile Beauty and offer to acquire Viatris Inc.’s over-the-counter business
  • acquisition of Bosch’s packaging technology business unit (now Syntegon), a supplier of process and packaging technology
  • €1.1 billion financing in relation to the acquisition of Sebia from Astorg and Montagu
  • acquisition of The Quality Group, a manufacturer of sports performance nutrition products
  • acquisition, alongside STARK Group, of Saint-Gobain Building Distribution (including Jewson, one of the U.K.’s largest builders’ merchants)
  • €1.7 billion financing, alongside KKR, in relation to the Van Gansewinkel Group
  • $1 billion New York law financing for its acquisition of Linxens from Astorg Partners
  • €2.5 billion facility for its acquisition of a stake in Abertis Infraestructuras
• Insight Partners on various transactions, including financings in relation to its investments in Advanced Manufacturing Control Systems, Bynder, Exclaimer, Fenergo and PSPDFKit
• PAI Partners on various transactions, including the:
  • acquisition of StellaGroup, a producer of doors, gates, shutters and enclosures for industrial and residential buildings in France, from ICG
  • €520 million refinancing of Labeyrie Fine Foods
• Stanley Capital Partners on various transactions, including its acquisitions of global specialty pharmaceutical company Noden Pharma DAC, French pharmaceutical group Laboratoire XO and Clario’s drug safety and pharmacovigilance services solutions business (now Qinecsa)
• Cinven on various matters, including:
  • its €535 million financing for the acquisition of Host Europe Group from Montagu
  • its acquisition of Spire Healthcare hospital group; its €1.2 billion opco/propco refinancing; the subsequent sale of a portfolio of hospitals to Malaysia’s Employees Provident Fund, Och-Ziff Capital Management and Moor Park Capital; the partial refinancing of Spire’s loan facilities; and Spire’s subsequent IPO
  • its acquisition of Gas Natural Fenosa Telecomunicaciones
  • approximately €3.2 billion in loan facilities, alongside BC Partners, in relation to the IPO of Amadeus
  • financing matters in relation to its investment in Phadia
  • its take-private of Spice plc (now EnServe Group)
• Eurazeo on the financing for its acquisition of Iberchem
• Premier Oil’s convertible bondholders on its $2.8 billion restructuring
• Ardian on the €450 million financing for its acquisition of SLV from Cinven
• Advent on various matters, including €740 million in loan facilities supporting the take-private of Mediq and subsequent recapitalization facilities
• Montagu Private Equity on various confidential investment opportunities in Europe and the U.S.
• TPG Special Situations Partners (now Sixth Street Partners) and Blackstone Tactical Opportunities Partners on the financing for their highly complex acquisition of Kensington, a specialty U.K. residential mortgage lender, from Investec plc involving five separate financings, and on various investment opportunities
• Blackstone Real Estate Partners on its acquisition of the €1.8 billion Project Tower loan portfolio from National Asset Management Agency of Ireland