Mike Robert-Smith

While at Kirkland, Mike has been involved in the following representations:

• Blackstone and Brown Bidco Limited on the $4.73 billion recommended take private of Signature Aviation, the world’s largest fixed base operation network for business & general aviation travellers (2021)
• An L Catterton-led consortium on its acquisition of Truck Hero, Inc. (2020)
• Olympus Partners on its sale of Ennis-Flint Inc. to PPG Industries (2020)
• GLP on the acquisition of Goodman Group’s Central and Eastern Europe logistics real estate portfolio (2020)
• Blackstone on the £4.66 billion acquisition of iQ Student Accommodation — the largest-ever private real estate transaction in the UK (2020)
• Industrial Growth Partners on the sale of Integrated Global Services, Inc to an investment affiliate of J.F. Lehman & Company (2020)
• The Marshall Retail Group on its $400 million sale to WH Smith (2019)
• Brookfield Business Partners L.P., and certain of its affiliates and institutional partners on its take private of the common units of Teekay Offshore Partners L.P. (2019)
• Huntsman Corporation on its $2.1 billion sale of its chemical intermediates business (2019)
• Blackstone on the recommended £4.77 billion cash offer for Merlin Entertainments, a global leader in location-based, family entertainment (2019)
• Francisco Partners on its pending acquisition of EG, a leading Scandinavian software company, from Axcel for DKK 3.7 billion (2019)
• Triton Partners on its acquisition of Sunweb Group, a leading European online travel operator (2018)
• Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan on the sale of OTPP's majority investment in Helly Hansen to Canadian Tire Corporation for C$985 million (2018)
• Pamplona Capital Management LLP on its acquisition of global biopharmaceutical provider PAREXEL International (NASDAQ: PRXL) for approximately $5 billion (2017)
• Bain Capital and Cinven on their EUR 5.3 billion joint public takeover offer for the German pharmaceutical company Stada Arzneimittel AG; to date the largest private equity transaction ever realized in the German market (2017)

Representative transactions prior to joining Kirkland:

• Royal Bank of Scotland Group plc - worldwide clearances for mandated disposals of its interests in Sempra Energy to JP Morgan, in WorldPay to Advent International and Bain Capital (2010)
• Centrica plc - UK clearance for $3 billion investment in British Energy (2009)
• SUAL - EU and RoW clearances for $12 billion merger with RUSAL and Glencore to create United Company RUSAL (2007)
• Expedia, Inc. - Asia-Pacific merger control in relation to its acquisitions of Orbitz Worldwide, Wotif and HomeAway (2014, 2015)
• Johnson & Johnson - EU and RoW clearances for $20 billion acquisition of Synthes, Inc. (2011)
• Nestlé SA - ACCC clearance (conditional) in relation to $12 billion acquisition of Pfizer Nutrition (2012)
• E.On – regulatory and merger control aspects of the £4 billion disposal of its UK electricity distribution businesses to PPL (2011)
• Arcapita - regulatory and merger control aspects of its sale of South Staffordshire Water (2007)
• National Grid – UK Phase II clearance for its disposal of National Grid Wireless to Macquarie Bank/Arqiva (2007)
• Anglo American – EU conditional clearance for its disposal of Highveld to Evraz (2007)

Selected antitrust/regulatory experience

• Sainsbury’s plc on the OFT’s cartel investigation into dairy pricing
• UK pharmaceutical company in relation to the EC’s pharmaceutical sector inquiry
• Infrastructure access disputes
• Various confidential investigations in relation to distribution arrangements in food and beverage, and online markets
• Advising on global compliance programs for major mining and financial services companies

King & Wood Mallesons

• Senior Associate, 2012–2015

Linklaters

• Managing Associate, 2006–2011