Paul
Foote

As Head of European Infrastructure M&A, Paul Foote advises leading private equity and infrastructure funds on a wide range of complex domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions, disposals, joint venture and consortium agreements, restructurings, leveraged buyouts and take-private transactions. Paul has led deals for a number of the world’s leading financial sponsors, including Stonepeak, Blackstone, EQT and KKR. Paul previously spent time on secondment to Blackstone and Antin Infrastructure Partners.

Paul’s representative experience has included advising:

• Blackstone and EQT on their joint acquisition of Urbaser, a Spain-based leader in waste management infrastructure and environmental services
• Stonepeak on various matters, including:
  • its acquisition of a majority controlling interest in a global leader in automotive, commercial and industrial lubricants, from BP p.l.c., valuing the business at approximately $10.1 billion
  • its acquisition of TeleTower, the Lithuania- and Latvia-based cellphone tower business of Bitė Group, a portfolio company of Providence Equity Partners
  • its joint venture with Energy Equation Partners to acquire a majority interest in JET Tankstellen Deutschland GmbH, a leading fuel retailer in Germany and Austria, from a subsidiary of Phillips 66, valuing JET at approximately €2.5 billion
  • its acquisition of Forgital Group, a manufacturer of advanced forged and machine-finished components for aerospace and industrial end markets, from Carlyle Group
  • its acquisition of a €1 billion stake in Inspired Education Group
  • the €2.1 billion equity recapitalization of euNetworks, a Western European bandwidth infrastructure company
• Blackstone, across multiple funds, including Blackstone Infrastructure Partners, Blackstone Energy Transition Partners, Blackstone Capital Partners, Blackstone Real Estate Partners and Blackstone Tactical Opportunities, on:
  • a partnership with the Benetton family regarding its acquisition of Atlantia SpA, valuing the company at approximately $59 billion
  • the acquisition, alongside CDP Equity and Macquarie, of a controlling stake in Autostrade per l’Italia, one of Europe’s leading toll road operators
  • the acquisition of Civica, a global leader in public sector software solutions
  • the acquisition of SEVES Group, a global leader in high-voltage electrical insulators
  • an investment in Esdec Solar Group, the global market leader in rooftop solar mounting systems
  • the acquisition of Desotec, a European environmental services company
  • an investment in Array Technologies, a leading solar tracker manufacturer
  • the acquisition of Huws Gray, a UK builders’ merchant, and Huws Gray in connection with its acquisition of the generalist builders’ merchanting business of Grafton Group plc
  • an investment in Lazeo, the leading provider of aesthetic medicine services in France
  • the acquisition of Bourne Leisure, and Bourne Leisure, on its agreement to sell Butlin’s, a UK chain of seaside resorts
  • the £1.1 billion sale of Armacell, a Luxembourg- and Germany-based global manufacturer and distributor of insulation and fiber products
  • the €1 billion public takeover of NIBC Bank N.V.
  • the £600 million acquisition of Clarion Events
  • the $640 million acquisition of a majority stake in The Office Group
  • the €3 billion public takeover of Hispania Activos Inmobiliarios, SOCIMI S.A.
• EQT on various matters, including:
  • its joint venture with GIC to acquire Calisen, a leading independent provider of smart meters and energy transition infrastructure in the UK
  • its acquisition of Statera Energy Limited, a UK-based battery storage and flexible generation infrastructure developer and operator
  • its acquisition of InstaVolt, a UK rapid electric vehicle charge point operator
  • its portfolio company evidia, a UK and European tele-diagnostic company, on its acquisition of the 4ways Group
• KKR on various matters, including its:
  • acquisition of Dawsongroup plc
  • acquisition of Refresco
• Antin Infrastructure Partners on its acquisition, with the Borletti Group and ICAMAP, of Grandi Stazioni Retail
• Cinven on its acquisition of Envirotainer, a leading global provider of temperature-controlled air cargo containers
• CVC Capital Partners on the acquisition of a 30% stake in Cosan Lubes Investments Limited, a leading Latin American manufacturer and distributor of specialty lubricants
• H.I.G. Capital, LLC on its acquisition of KPMG’s UK restructuring business
• Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan on the acquisition and the sale of its 40% interest in Koole Terminals
• CPPIB and Hermes in its £1.6 billion acquisition of a minority stake in Associated British Ports
• THG PLC in its £4.5 billion IPO on the London Stock Exchange