Conventus Law

Conventus Law

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John Adebiyi is the Hong Kong office leader and focuses on corporate matters, in particular public and private mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions.

Representative matters in which Mr. Adebiyi has been involved include advising:

 

  • Digital Garage, Inc., an online media company, in the privatization of its Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed subsidiary, econtext Asia Limited, a provider of online payment processing services;
  • Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, a subsidiary of Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc., in its proposed acquisition of a 9.5 percent stake in The Bank of East Asia, Limited;
  • Hillhouse Capital Management on its US$100 million investment in a company carrying on an e-commerce business in the People’s Republic of China;
  • an investment vehicle managed by GIC Special Investments Pte Ltd., the private equity investment arm of GIC Pte Ltd., a global asset management company established to manage Singapore’s foreign reserves, on its subscription of US$100 million convertible bonds due 2019 issued by MicroPort Scientific Corporation, a leading PRC-based medical device company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange;
  • Chengwei Capital, a China-based private equity fund, on its co-investment with a U.S.-based investor in Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed Hengdeli Holdings Limited;
  • CITIC Private Equity Advisors (Hong Kong) Limited in its US$312 million acquisition of a 21.7 percent stake in Biosensors International Group, Ltd. (Singapore), a developer of medical devices, from Wellford Capital Limited, an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer Company Limited (China);
  • Dragonite International Limited, a Hong Kong-listed company, on the disposal of assets related to its electronic cigarette business to the Imperial Tobacco group;
  • Citigroup, Inc. in the sale of Citibank Savings, Inc. to the Philippines-based BDO Unibank, Inc.;
  • The WhiteWave Foods Company in its joint venture in China with China Mengniu Dairy Co. Ltd.;
  • Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. on the US$850 million acquisition of Infastech, a Hong Kong-based maker of engineered mechanical fasteners, from CVC Capital Partners and Standard Chartered Private Equity;
  • Nomura Holdings, Inc. on the acquisition of both the Asia Pacific franchise and the European and Middle East equities and investment banking units of Lehman Brothers — selected as “Deal of the Year” by Asian-Counsel magazine for 2008 and as “Restructuring Deal of the Year” 2008 by International Financial Law Review;
  • The Middleby Corporation in the acquisition by its subsidiary, Middleby Holding UK Ltd., of Lincat Group plc (U.K.);
  • Oberthur Technologies in its £896 million unsolicited bid for De La Rue plc;
  • News Corporation in its proposed, but terminated, US$11.5 billion acquisition of the remaining stake it did not already own in British Sky Broadcasting Group plc;
  • Easynet Group PLC, a provider of broadband Internet services, in its US$374 million acquisition by British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC;
  • News Corporation, in partnership with Permira Funds, in their US$3.7 billion going-private acquisition of NDS Group plc, a provider of digital technology and services to pay-television operators in the United Kingdom;
  • Fortress Investment Group LLC on the proposed, but terminated, US$650 million acquisition via a leveraged buyout of Telent plc (U.K.);
  • SkyTerra Communications on the proposed business combination with U.K. telecommunications provider Inmarsat plc (U.K.);
  • SwissRe in the proposed, but terminated, £2.35 billion acquisition of certain assets of Resolution plc as part of Standard Life plc’s £4.9 billion bid for Resolution plc. Fortress Investment Group LLC in its US$320 million going-private acquisition of Alea Group Holdings (Bermuda) Ltd., a provider of insurance and reinsurance services;
  • funds advised by Castle Harlan, Inc. on the acquisition and subsequent disposal of the Polypipe Group;
  • CIT, Inc. in its acquisition of Barclays’ vendor financing businesses in the U.K. and Germany;
  • Danka Business Systems PLC (United Kingdom) in the US$210 million sale of its European businesses to Ricoh Europe B.V. (the Netherlands), a manufacturer of office equipment;
  • Cendant Corporation in its US$404 million acquisition of ebookers plc and in its US$1.2 billion auction sale of the National Car Parks Group; and
  • Skype Technologies S.A. in its US$3.1 billion acquisition by eBay Inc.

 

Mr. Adebiyi was selected for inclusion in Chambers Global: The World’s Leading Lawyers for Business and Chambers UK.