Sponsor Solutions
Advising private capital managers on strategic transactions
Our Sponsor Solutions team brings together market-leading funds and M&A expertise to support sponsors and their founders on the transactions that define their business. From house establishment and governance to strategic transactions including GP stake sales and secondary deals, we provide integrated advice that aligns enterprise value with carry, co-investment and succession strategies.
We draw on specialists in Tax, Employment, Finance and Regulatory alongside Private Client and Family Office expertise where personal and business interests converge. The result: seamless solutions that enable sponsors to scale and attract investment.
Our sponsor solutions work for clients covers the following areas:
- Unlocking liquidity through secondaries: We help sponsors, buyers and sellers navigate the secondary market – from straightforward LP trades to complex GP-led continuation vehicles. Our integrated approach combines M&A, Private Funds, Tax and Finance expertise, allowing us to address intricate issues quickly and keep momentum in time-sensitive processes.
- Strategic transactions for the house: We have extensive experience advising on GP stake sales and manager reorganisations across a broad range of sizes and asset classes, acting for both GPs and stake investors. This breadth of experience enables us to anticipate and address the key issues that arise in these complex transactions.
- House establishment and advisory: We work with founders from establishment through to the day-to-day operations of running the house covering all aspects of governance and management. Our breadth of expertise is unique in the market, enabling clients to rely on a single firm with deep, house-level insight. Many clients use us as an outsourced General Counsel function, while others select specific services tailored to their needs.
- Innovative financing solutions: We advise sponsors, portfolio companies and investors on the admission of preferred equity into the structure. Our focus is on aligning financing terms with fund documentation and investor expectations, preserving flexibility and enhancing long-term strategy.
Work highlights include advising:
- Hayfin on the acquisition of a majority stake in the business by Arctos Partners, and the syndication of portions of that stake to Mubadala, AXA IM Prime and Samsung Life Insurance;
- Wendel Group on its acquisition of a controlling interest in IK Partners, a leading European mid-market private equity firm;
- Arcmont on the strategic partnership between Nuveen Private Capital, Hunter Point Capital and Temasek;
- Partners Capital Investment Group, a global outsourced investment office, on a minority investment from General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity investor;
- a leading European headquartered secondary private equity firm on the acquisition of a secondary stake in Liberty, the iconic London department store, from BlueGem;
- two leading secondaries investors on their investment in the IQ-EQ continuation fund managed by Astorg, in a c.€1.3bn transaction;
- the tax and structuring aspects of the continuation fund sponsored by Aermont Capital for the acquisition of Pinewood Studios; and
- Alcuin Capital Partners on a GP-led secondary involving a tender offer process for all third-party investor interests in the Third Alcuin Fund.
