Zhonghua (Stephen) Shi

Mr. Shi’s experience includes advising:

Private Equity Buyouts, Joint Ventures, and Exits

• Warburg Pincus on its:
  • Strategic merger of two portfolio companies, D&J China and New Ease China, into DNE Group as the leading new economy infrastructure platform in China
  • Establishment of Golden Union Assets with Golden Union Group, a new platform focusing on the urban renewal and redevelopment sector in China with a total AUM of RMB15 billion
  • Various investments and shareholders arrangements in relation to Princeton Digital Group, a leading investor, developer, and operator of digital infrastructure in Asia
  • A series of secondary transactions in relation to ARA Asset Management Holdings Pte. Limited, the leading APAC real assets fund manager, including its US$275 million acquisition of a minority stake in ARA from AVICT Dragon Holdings Limited
  • Exit from CAGR, a natural gas distribution operator in China
• Trustar Capital, formerly CITIC Capital Partners, on its:
  • Acquisition of a stake in Intramco Europe B.V., one of the leading European manufacturers and developers of electric vehicles charging station components and charging wires
  • Acquisition of Amoy Food Limited and other assets related to the AMOY brand sauce and frozen food business from Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
  • US$385.6 million acquisition, together with FountainVest, of a 55% stake in China Merchants Loscam International Holdings Co., Limited from Hong Kong-listed Sinotrans
  • Acquisition of Axilone, a global provider of premium packaging solutions to the beauty care industry, from Oaktree Capital Management. Awarded Private Equity Deal of the Year by Mergermarket 2018
• Carlyle on its:
  • US$2.76 billion disposal of its Korean portfolio company ADT Caps to a consortium led by SK Telecom of Korea and Macquarie’s Korean Opportunities Fund
  • Divestment of its preferred shares in Zhongmei Healthcare Group Limited, a China-based hospital group
  • Sale of its stake in Hong Kong-listed New Century REIT to Huge Harvest International Limited, the transaction triggering a mandatory general offer for all other outstanding units in New Century REIT*
• A large Asia-headquartered real estate fund on its:
  • Formation of a private trust with another sponsor and the S$313.5 million acquisition of five industrial facilities in Singapore from the SGX-listed ESR-Logos REIT, with such trust and the acquired assets being managed by a joint venture set up by the same two sponsors
  • Joint venture with ATLATL Innovation, a China-based biotechnology company, to develop life science related incubators, accelerators, and industrial parks in China
  • Investment to develop and operate renewable energy and digital infrastructure businesses across the APAC emerging markets

Growth Equity

Advising lead investors on their investments in:

• Ant Financial
• Bytedance
• JD Property
• J&T Global Express Limited
• Zeekr
• Zuoyebang Education Limited

Corporate M&A Transactions

• Tencent on its:
  • US$1.38 billion take-private of the HKSE-listed Leyou Technologies, an international game development and distribution company, by way of a scheme of arrangement
  • Subscription of US$100 million convertible notes issued by US-listed NIO Inc., a pioneer in China’s premium electric vehicle market, through a private placement
  • US$1.1 billion privatization of Bitauto Holdings Limited, a US-listed internet content and marketing service provider focusing on the automobile industry, as part of a buyer consortium together with Hammer Capital and Tencent as a joint offeror on the consequential mandatory general offer for Yixin Group Limited, Bitauto’s Hong Kong-listed subsidiary, as triggered by the Bitauto privatization
• DNE Group on its:
  • US$1.5 billion equity raise from Partners Group, StepStone and other investors
  • Control acquisition of a Hong Kong-based real estate asset manager
  • PIPE investment into a US-listed digital infrastructure operator in China
  • Many other significant corporate matters, including restructuring of its US$300 million convertible bond, US$565 million of syndicated loan facility, warrant investment from a strategic investor, and its debut C-REIT listing
• Sinotrans Limited, the largest integrated logistics service provider in China and dual-listed on HKEX and Shanghai Stock Exchange, in its 100% acquisition of KLG Europe, a leading logistics solutions provider in Europe, in a two-step acquisition for a total consideration of no more than €385.7 million
• Loscam (Greater China) Holdings Limited and its affiliates in its US$132.2 million acquisition of CHEP China, an operator of pallet and automotive pooling operations in mainland China and Hong Kong
• Vipshop Holdings on its US$523.5 million acquisition of Shan Shan Commercial Group, a China-based owner and operator of a chain of outlets
• Goertek on a US$263 million joint venture with MACOM Wireless, a subsidiary of MACOM Technology Solutions, to create a company that will supply, market, and distribute GaN-on-Si based RF Power components

*Matter handled prior to joining Latham