Herbert Smith Freehills appoints new global M&A head as Wilkinson takes clients and sectors role
Stephen Wilkinson named managing partner of clients and sectors as long-serving corporate partner Gavin Davies steps up to top M&A role
January 05, 2018 at 09:07 AM
3 minute read
The original version of this story was published on Law.com International
Herbert Smith Freehils (HSF) has appointed corporate partner Gavin Davies as its new global head of M&A.
He is taking over the role from Stephen Wilkinson, who has become managing partner of the firm's clients and sectors group. Wilkinson will continue in a fee-earning role. Recent mandates include advising Sky on its £11.7bn offer from 21st Century Fox.
Davies (pictured) joined legacy Herbert Smith in 1992 and made partner in 2000. Between 2006 and 2013, he headed up the firm's private equity and financial investors practice.
Last year, he advised the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the £2.3bn sale of the Green Investment Bank to Australia's Macquarie.
Other mandates he has acted on include advising on US technology company Arris Group's $2.1bn (£1.4bn) acquisition of UK TV set-top box maker Pace in 2015, and AOL's $850m (£421m) acquisition of social networking website Bebo in 2008.
The global head of M&A role is separate to the firm's global head of corporate post, which is held by City partner Scott Cochrane.
Cochrane said: "We are delighted that Gavin has agreed to take this on. He is a recognised heavyweight in the M&A market with a global client base. As someone with boundless passion and energy for client engagement, pursuing opportunities and executing deals, he is a natural choice."
Davies added: "I am looking forward to the role and to working with the outstanding group of talented partners and associates in our M&A network. We enjoyed a fantastic end to 2017 and I am positive on the outlook for 2018 and our continued success."
Former global M&A head Wilkinson, meanwhile, is succeeding Australia partner Geoff McClellan as managing partner of clients and sectors, a post that was also previously held by current CEO Mark Rigotti.
Rigotti has been HSF's sole CEO since May last year, when the firm phased out its joint leadership structure. He works in tandem with senior partner James Palmer, whose current leadership term is up for renewal this year.
HSF recently voted through changes to its remuneration system, which will extend the top of its lockstep in an effort to attract and retain top talent. The firm's star performers will now be able to move above the previous 100-point top of lockstep into an 'extension zone' reaching up to 130 points.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
These Law Firm Leaders Are Optimistic About 2025, Citing Deal Pipeline, International Business
6 minute read
How the Deal Got Done: Sidley Austin and NWSL Angel City Football Club/Iger
Working Across the 'Entire Ecosystem' Propels Ropes & Gray's Life Sciences Practice
O'Melveny Secures Global Clearances for Korean Air-Asiana Merger
Trending Stories
- 1Call for Nominations: Elite Trial Lawyers 2025
- 2Senate Judiciary Dems Release Report on Supreme Court Ethics
- 3Senate Confirms Last 2 of Biden's California Judicial Nominees
- 4Morrison & Foerster Doles Out Year-End and Special Bonuses, Raises Base Compensation for Associates
- 5Tom Girardi to Surrender to Federal Authorities on Jan. 7
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
