A partner in the Executive Compensation Group, Christopher Gonnella advises clients on a wide range of executive compensation matters. His transactional practice involves advising on mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, spin offs, joint ventures and private equity transactions. He also regularly counsels both corporate and individual clients on the design, negotiation and implementation of employment agreements and incentive compensation programs. Additionally, Christopher handles securities law compliance matters relating to executive compensation, including new and evolving regulatory matters, such as clawback rules, pay vs. performance disclosure and related matters.

In 2025, Christopher was recognized as a “500 X – The Next Generation” lawyer by Lawdragon.

Christopher’s notable transactions include representing:

Funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management in:
- their ¥311 billion investment (approximately $2.05 billion) to acquire a majority stake in Panasonic Automotive Systems Co. from Panasonic Holdings Corporation
- its approximately $1.5 billion acquisition of Bridge Investment Group Holdings
Casey’s General Stores in its $1.145 billion acquisition of Fikes Wholesale
Crown Castle in:
- the combined $8.5 billion sale of its small cells business to EQT Active Core Infrastructure fund and the sale of its fiber solutions business to Zayo Group Holdings
- its successful proxy fight against Boots Capital
Dana Incorporated in its approximately $2.7 billion sale of its off-highway business to Allison Transmission Holdings
D-Wave Quantum in its $550 million cash-and-stock acquisition of Quantum Circuits
Eaton Corporation in its:
- $9.5 billion acquisition of the Boyd Thermal business of Boyd Corporation, from Goldman Sachs Asset Management
- planned separation of its Vehicle and eMobility segments into an independent, publicly traded company
- acquisition of Resilient Power Systems
Equitable Holdings in its $22 billion merger of equals with Corebridge Financial
Fernando Chico Pardo and his family in their $2.3 billion acquisition of a 25% equity stake in Grupo Financiero Banamex from Citi
Forge Nano in its $1.6 billion business combination with Archimedes Tech SPAC Partners II Co. to form a publicly-listed entity
General Mills in its $1.45 billion acquisition of Whitebridge Pet Brands’ North American premium Cat feeding and Pet treating business from NXMH
IBM in its $6.4 billion acquisition of HashiCorp
LongRange Capital, alongside Mark Mastrov, in its acquisition of 24 Hour Fitness
Ovintiv in its acquisition of all outstanding shares of NuVista Energy for an enterprise value of $2.7 billion
Polaris:
- as lead member of a consortium of original equipment manufacturers in connection with the acquisition of First Brands Group’s Walbro business pursuant to section 363 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code
- in the separation of Indian Motorcycle and subsequent sale of a majority stake in the new company to Carolwood LP
QXO in its:
- $17 billion acquisition of TopBuild
- $2.25 billion acquisition of Kodiak Building Partners
- $11 billion unsolicited bid to acquire Beacon Roofing Supply
Restaurant Brands International in its $1 billion acquisition of Carrols Restaurant Group
Rodina Capital in its acquisition of Rubicon Technologies’ fleet technology business unit and convertible preferred equity
Sandvine in its in and out-of-court restructurings, including in its chapter 15 proceedings in the United States
Special Committee of Avangrid in the $2.6 billion acquisition of the company’s remaining shares by Iberdrola
Sysco in its acquisition of Jetro Restaurant Depot for an enterprise value of approximately $29.1 billion
TELUS Digital in its $2.9 billion sale to TELUS Corporation
TPG Capital in its investment in G&A Partners
Wellington Management in its acquisition of Hartford Funds, a Connecticut-based provider of investment solutions for the wealth management market, from The Hartford for an estimated value of $1.9 billion

Prior to Paul, Weiss, Christopher’s experience includes advising:

Altra Industrial Motion in its $5 billion sale to Regal Rexnord
Amazon in its $8.45 billion acquisition of MGM
British American Tobacco in its $97 billion merger with Reynolds American
FS Investments in its combination with Portfolio Advisors, creating a $75 billion alternative investment firm
Global Blood Therapeutics in its $5.4 billion sale to Pfizer
IBM in multiple transactions, including the sale of its healthcare and data analytics assets, part of the Watson Health business, to Francisco Partners
Mylan in its $50 billion combination with Upjohn, a division of Pfizer, to form Viatris
Newcrest in its $28.8 billion acquisition by Newmont
Pinnacle Foods in its $10.9 billion acquisition by Conagra Brands
Viatris in its divestitures totaling $6.94 billion in value, including the $3.335 billion combination of its biosimilars portfolio with Biocon Biologics and the pending divestitures of its Over the Counter, Women’s Healthcare and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients businesses