Fabrice Veverka

Willkie advised Saint-Gobain in its acquisition of Adfil NV, a leading manufacturer and supplier of construction fibers for reinforced concrete. Adfil operates two plants in Belgium and has a commercial presence in more than 60 countries worldwide. The acquisition enhances Saint-Gobain’s portfolio of construction chemicals with the addition of concrete admixtures and fibers for sustainable and high-performance concrete. A worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. The Willkie team was led by partner Fabrice Veverka and included partners Jean-Quentin De Cuyper, Claire McDaid, Faustine Viala and Rahul Saha.

Dec 14

1 min

Willkie advised PPF Group, an international investment group, in its acquisition of 100% of the share capital of Privilège Marine, a French luxury catamaran builder. The partnership with PPF Group enables Privilège Marine, an acclaimed shipyard founded in 1985, to further develop its business while achieving a financial restructuring. The acquisition consolidates PPF’s development strategy in the boating sector following its acquisitions over the past three years of Dream Yacht Charter, Navigare, SamBoat and Robertson & Caine. PPF Group is an international investment group founded in the Czech Republic and operating in 25 countries across Europe, North America and Asia. It is focused on investments in the telecommunications, media, financial services, e-commerce, real estate, biotech and leisure sectors. The Willkie team was led by partner Fabrice Veverka and included special European counsel Audrey Nelson and associates Lafia Chaib and Mathilde Faure.

Apr 3

1 min

Willkie is advising Preligens and its shareholders, including Tikehau Capital, the fund managed by Bpifrance on behalf of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, 360 Capital Partners, Wendel and the management, in the company’s proposed sale to Safran, a French multinational aerospace and defense corporation listed on Euronext Paris. On June 24, Safran announced that it entered into exclusive discussions to acquire 100% of Preligens for an enterprise value of 220 million. Based in France, Preligens provides field-proven AI analytics solutions for high-end imagery, full motion video and acoustic signals. Safran is an international high-technology group, operating in the aviation, defense and space markets, with a market capitalization of ca. $40 billion. The potential acquisition would add state-of-the-art AI capabilities to Safran’s product offering and further Preligens’ international expansion, in particular in the U.S. market. The Willkie team is led by partner Fabrice Veverka and includes partner Faustine Viala, counsel Philippe Grudé, and associates Lafia Chaib, Yacine Maamri and Maud Boukhris.

Jun 24

1 min

Willkie represented Vilmorin & Cie, one of the world’s leading seed companies, in connection with French agricultural cooperative Limagrain’s simplified public tender offer for the shares of Vilmorin & Cie, a transaction that values the company at €1.43 billion. Limagrain launched the simplified public tender offer on June 22 to acquire the 28.78% of the Vilmorin & Cie shares that it did not already own at €62.60 per share, representing a premium of 45.4%. Limagrain sought to delist Vilmorin & Cie in order to facilitate long-term investment decisions in a highly competitive seed industry and an uncertain economic environment. Vilmorin & Cie’s board of directors unanimously recommended the offer to shareholders. On July 18, Vilmorin & Cie announced that Limagrain successfully crossed the threshold of 90% of Vilmorin & Cie's capital and voting rights, enabling the implementation of the mandatory withdrawal of Vilmorin & Cie from the stock market. The Willkie team was led by partners Fabrice Veverka and Eduardo J. Fernandez and included associate Victor Cann.

Jul 18

1 min

Willkie advised leading private equity advisory firm Triago and its shareholders in connection with global investment bank Houlihan Lokey, Inc.’s acquisition of Triago. On December 21, Triago announced that it signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by Houlihan Lokey. It will join Houlihan Lokey’s Private Funds Group, establishing it as one of the preeminent global private capital advisory platforms. The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2024, pending regulatory approval. Founded in Paris in 1992, Triago is a global private equity advisory firm providing capital raising services, secondary transaction advisory, and strategic solutions for general partners and limited partners. Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI) is a global investment bank with expertise in mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, financial restructuring, and financial and valuation advisory. The Willkie team was led by partner Fabrice Veverka, and included partner Ryan Giggs, counsel Charles Fillon and associate Axel Rogeon.

Dec 21

1 min