Benjamin de Blegiers advises investment funds on their buyout and infrastructure strategies in connection with both French and cross-border transactions.

Benjamin regularly represents private equity sponsors and institutional investors in a range of high-stakes transactions involving:

  • Leveraged buyouts (LBO)
  • Consortium acquisitions and co-investments
  • Take-private and public-to-private transactions
  • Stake divestitures and carve-outs
  • SPAC business combinations

Before joining Latham, Benjamin served as Global Co-Head of the infrastructure sector and as Head of the Paris private equity practice at another global law firm.

Benjamin’s experience includes advising:

Digital Infrastructure and Technology

  • Vauban Infrastructure Partners on acquiring Borealis Data Center*
  • Antin on its bid for the acquisition of Celeste (optic fiber and data centers)*
  • Arjun Infrastructure Partners on acquiring a minority stake in Altitude’s FTTH business*
  • Orange on disposing of a 50% stake in Orange Concessions to a consortium comprising EDF*
  • Ardian on acquiring a minority stake in Inwit, alongside Crédit Agricole Assurances*
  • Vauban Infrastructure Partners on a €2 billion investments in the acquisition, alongside a telecom operator, of FTTH rights of use in dense and less densely populated areas*
  • Partners Group on its joint venture agreement with Cube Infrastructures on group Covage (telecom)*
  • Vauban Infrastructure Partners on its strategic partnership through a JV set with Bouygues Telecom for the purpose of acquiring IRUs in medium density areas from Orange (and, as the case may be, other operators) and renting those rights to Bouygues Telecom and advising such JV on the corporate and governance aspects of the project*
  • Vauban Infrastructure Partners on the setting up of Vauban Infra Fibre (VIF), the largest independent digital infrastructure platform in France, which consolidates all telecom assets managed by Vauban Infrastructure Partners and the sale of a minority stake in VIF to Predica*
  • Vauban Infrastructure Partners (as runner-up bidder) in the process of acquiring 51% of a JV owning an optical fiber infrastructure network (to be rolled out) and a set of new generation collection sites (data centers) outside the high-density area from Bouygues Telecom*
  • Antin and Omers in connection with the potential acquisition of Altice Telecom Towers*
  • Vauban Infrastructure Partners and EDF Invest on their bid to acquire 50% of SFR FTTH*
  • Mirova FIDEPPP2 and Mirova SP5 infrastructure funds (55%), the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) (30%), and Axione and Bouygues Énergies & Services (15%) on the PIN project consisting on the deployment and operation of a very high-speed network in the Eure department and the implementation of its financing*
  • GIC and Predica in the process of acquiring 50% of Orange Concessions, a JV created on this occasion by Orange and which will be responsible for hosting Orange’s public-initiative network fibre concessions*

Energy and Infrastructure

  • Ardian on acquiring a £3.26 billion stake, alongside PIF, in London Heathrow Airport from Ferrovial S.E.*
  • Ardian on its joint sale with Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations of a 26.24% stake in Lisea to Vinci Concessions and Meridiam*
  • VALOREM, its founders, and shareholder 3i Infrastructure on a €550 million deal to accelerate VALOREM’s growth and development*
  • Brookfield on acquiring a majority stake in Neoen, followed by a mandatory tender offer for the remaining shares*
  • PGGM on its investment in Electra*
  • APG on its €250 million investment in Driveco*
  • A consortium formed by CVC-DIF Capital Partners and PGGM on its 50% acquisition of Saur*
  • SUEZ on acquiring Veolia’s former waste management assets in the UK*
  • DIF Capital Partners on its investment in the Qair Group*
  • The consortium comprising Meridiam, Global Infrastructure Partners, and the CDC Group on acquiring the new Suez*
  • A consortium comprising APG, QIC, and Swiss Life on acquiring a 36% stake in Brussels Airport*
  • EQT Infrastructure III on acquiring the SAUR Group*
  • MEAG on acquiring a minority stake in the Indigo Group*
  • Macquarie Asset Management, lead investor in Verkor’s Series C financing round, a record‑breaking fundraising for a French start‑up*

Other

  • Touton SA shareholders on Touton Group’s sale to Hartree Partners*
  • Dovista (VKR Group) on exclusive discussions to acquire Tryba*EQT on acquiring a majority stake in Waga Energy, followed by a mandatory tender offer for the remaining shares*
  • Stoneweg and its strategic shareholder Icona Capital on acquiring Cromwell’s European asset management business*
  • Younited and its main shareholders on its combination with Iris Financial and Younited Financial S.A.’s IPO on Euronext Paris*

*Matter handled prior to joining Latham

Bar Qualification

  • Avocat (Paris)

Education

  • DESS in Business Law and Taxation, Panthéon-Assas University Paris II, 2004
    with honors
  • Master's Degree in Business Law, Panthéon-Assas University Paris II, 2003