Helen Lethaby

Ms. Lethaby’s experience since joining Latham & Watkins includes advising:

Energy

• Founder and management shareholders on the sale of a 50.03% stake in Lightsource bp, a UK-based developer and operator of solar power plants, to BP plc
• RWE on its:
  • Sale of a 49% stake in Dogger Bank South Wind Farm, a UK-based wind farm project, to MASDAR; and
  • Acquisition of a 4.2-Gigawatt UK Norfolk Offshore Wind Zone portfolio from Vattenfall  
• GoGreen Investments, a special purpose acquisition company, on its business combination with Lifezone Metals, a developer of clean battery metals
• Energy Capital Partners on its £1.3 billion acquisition of Biffa PLC, a UK waste management business which includes technologically-driven energy generation services

Manufacturing, Mining, Industrials, and Chemicals

• Norsk Hydro on the sale of a 30% stake in Alunorte, a Brazil-based alumina production company, and a 45% stake in Mineracão Rio do Norte, a Brazil-based Bauxite mining company, to Glencore
• Spectrum Equity Management on the acquisition of a minority stake in Benchmark Mineral Intelligence, a UK-based provider of independent prices, data, and advisory services for the lithium ion battery and electric vehicle (EV) supply chain
• Atotech, a Germany-based provider of specialty chemical processes and equipment, on its sale to MKS Instruments

Infrastructure

• Epiris on its acquisition of Inchcape Shipping Services, a global provider of port agency and marine services
• APG and GIP, alongside existing shareholder AustralianSuper, on the acquisition of a 37.4% holding in Peel Ports Group from DWS
• Agility Public Warehousing on its acquisition of John Menzies, a UK-based company engaged in logistic solutions

Healthcare

• Abcam plc, a biotechnology company, on its US$ 5.7 billion acquisition by Danaher
• Senior secured lenders on the restructuring of the Lifeways Group, a regulated UK healthcare business
• ArchiMed on its acquisition of Instem, a UK-based software medical technology company
• Open Health Communications, a portfolio company of Astorg Partners, on its:
  • Acquisition of The CM Group, a medical communications platform
  • Acquisition of Acsel Health, a management consulting business specializing in the life sciences industry
• Astorg Partners on its acquisition of Open Health Communications, a UK-based provider of healthcare communications and market access services
• BenevolentAI, a leading, clinical-stage AI-enabled drug discovery company, on its US$1.5 billion business combination with Odyssey Acquisition S.A., a Euronext Amsterdam-listed special purpose acquisition company 
• CVC Asia Pacific on its acquisition of a majority stake in Professional Services, Inc., a Philippines-based network of private hospitals and clinics
• Astorg Partners on its sale of Clario's Software Solutions business, an end-to-end solution to support the clinical trial life cycle, to Sitero

Technology

• Canva on its acquisition of Serif Group Limited, a UK-based provider of creative tools for professional designers and photographers and parent company of Affinity 
• Permira and Blackstone on the landmark European private credit loan financing of take-private of Adevinta
• Spectrum Equity on its:
  • Acquisition of a majority stake in Netcraft, a UK-based provider of internet security services
  • Minority investment in OTA Insight, a UK-based data intelligence platform for the hospitality industry
• Viking Global as the lead investor in Series C financing Cognism Limited, a UK-based software company
• Crownpeak Technology, a portfolio company of K1 Investment Management, on its acquisition of Attraqt Group, a provider of artificial intelligence-powered search, merchandising, and recommendation software to online retailers and brand owners

Fintech

• Shift4, a leading provider of integrated payment and technology solutions, on its acquisition of Finaro, a cross-border eCommerce payments provider 
• Körber on its acquisition of omnichannel and global freight audit and payment services from enVista, a global software and consulting services provider
• Accurate Background on its acquisition of Vero Screening, a UK-based provider of employment screening and background verifications
• Leeds Equity Partners on its acquisition of TalentNeuron, a provider of human capital data and insights subscription solutions

Financial Services

• AllianceBernstein, a leading global investment management and research firm, on the formation of its joint venture with Société Générale
• Zimmer Partners on the sale of Carrick Holdings, a Bermuda-based insurance and reinsurance management business, to Northlight Group
• TA Associates on its investment in MRH Trowe, a Germany-based commercial lines insurance broker
• Astorg and Epiris on their £1.6 billion acquisition of Euromoney, a financial news and information business
• Epiris on the completed demerger of Fastmarkets from Delinian, the global B2B information services business formerly known as Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC and a portfolio company of Epiris 
• Warburg Pincus on its acquisition of a majority stake in two Indonesia-based insurance companies from Mapfre
• The Royal London Mutual Insurance Society on its acquisition of Scottish Equitable's UK-based business consisting of life insurance, critical illness, and income protection policies

Entertainment, Sports & Media

• Apollo Global Management in connection with the acquisition by Concord Music Catalog, a subsidiary of Alchemy Copyrights, of Hipgnosis Songs Fund, a Guernsey-based music IP investment and song management company
• Bridgepoint and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) on the sale of Dorna Sports, a Spain-based sports management, media, and marketing company which holds the global commercial rights to the MotoGP and WSBK Championships, to Liberty Media
• CVC on its acquisition of Jagex, a UK-based video game developer
• Netrisk Group on merger with Bauer Media Group of their online comparison businesses across six Central and Eastern European countries
• TWG Global and Billie Jean King Enterprises on a joint venture with the International Tennis Federation to create a new partnership for the Billie Jean King Cup, the women’s World Cup of Tennis
• Bridgepoint Advisers on its:
  • Acquisition of PEI Group, a UK-based provider of market insight, data, and journalism focused primarily on alternative asset class investment activity
  • Acquisition of MiQ Digital, a marketing intelligence company
• Dynasty Equity Partners, a global sports investment firm, on its strategic investment in Liverpool FC
• The consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital on its £4.25 billion acquisition of Chelsea Football Club
• Authentic Brands Group on its strategic partnership with David Beckham to co-own and manage Beckham’s global brand
• KKR on its US$1.1 billion acquisition of Kobalt Capital’s music rights portfolio
• 888 on its: 
  • £2.2 billion acquisition of William Hill International
  • Accelerated bookbuild placing of 19.1% of its issued share capital, for 230 pence each
• PureGym and its majority shareholder Leonard Green & Partners on the £300 million equity investment in the PureGym Group by KKR

Real Estate

• Hilton Worldwide Holdings on its:
  • Acquisition of Graduate Hotels brand
  • Joint venture acquisition of a majority stake in Sydell Group, an owner, developer, and manager of hotels
• ESR Group Limited, APAC’s largest real asset manager, on the US $270 million sale of its ARA Private Funds business to Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Company Limited
• An affiliate of a Southeast Asian investor on its sale of a stake in a Malaysian shopping mall operator
• Warburg Pincus on its strategic partnership with No Va Land Investment Group Corporation
• Sale of an equity stake in Competitive Socialising Group Limited, a portfolio company of Cain International and parent company of experiential leisure and hospitality brand Swingers, to entities controlled by Knighthead Capital Management
• Chelsea FC on a variety of real estate matters, including structuring, management, and franchise matters relating to the Millennium & Copthorne Hotels at Stamford Bridge, London
• A global private equity firm on its investment in a joint venture with a leading logistics real estate developer in Korea
• Sale of Center Parcs Europe resorts in Germany, Netherlands, and Belgium to Aroundtown*
• GIC on the acquisition of a significant minority stake in Nordic Aviation Capital*

Consumer & Retail

• Whirlpool on its joint venture with Arcelik, a Turkey-based company that manufactures household appliances, to combine their European domestic appliance businesses into a newly formed entity
• L’Oreal on its US$ 2.5 billion acquisition of Aesop, an Australia-based luxury beauty brand, from Natura & Co
• Yellow Wood Partners on its acquisition of Elida Beauty, a UK-based provider of personal care products, from Unilever  
• PAI Partners and BCI in connection with the sale of a majority stake in Refresco, one of the world’s largest independent beverage contract manufacturers, to KKR
• Landon Capital on its investment in a consortium of US family offices (Landon, IVEST, and Silverfern) that acquired Paladone, a lifestyle products and wholesale gift supply company
• The lenders on the restructuring of the Steinhoff International Holdings, a global holding company with investments in retail businesses

Automotive

• Lithia Motors on its acquisition of Pendragon’s car dealership business and its joint venture with Pendragon to roll out its Pinewood software in North America 

*Matter handled prior to joining Latham