Biography
Gerhard Schmidt is the Co-Managing Partner of the German offices and one of the leading Private Equity and M&A lawyers in Germany. In addition, he has extensive experience in Restructuring work.
He has worked on numerous landmark cross-border transactions, including advising
- ChargePoint Holdings, Inc., a leading electric vehicle (EV) charging network in North America and Europe, on its acquisition of has-to-be GmbH
- Exide Technologies LLC, a leading global provider of stored energy solutions for the automotive and industrial markets, in the legal reorganization of its European/Rest of World operations and subsequent sale to its secured noteholders in a structured credit bid process
- Upfield, a KKR portfolio company, in the acquisition of Arivia, a leading developer of plant-based cheese and other dairy and dairy-free products and owner of the brand VIOLIFE
- KKR in the acquisition of a majority stake in online payment service provider heidelpay group (now Unzer group) from AnaCap Financial Partners
- Novalpina Capital on the successful takeover offer for Olympic Entertainment Group AS and subsequent take-private
- Advent International and Bain Capital in the acquisition of leading payment service provider Concardis GmbH from a group of German private, co-operative and savings banks
- Owners of MKM Mansfelder Kupfer und Messing GmbH, a leading European manufacturer of primary and semi-finished products made of copper and copper alloys, in the takeover of the company by KME Group
- GHO Capital on the acquisition of Linimed Gruppe GmbH, a leading provider of outpatient intensive care services across Germany, from Vitruvian Partners and its founders
- Centerbridge Partners in the sale of A.T.U Group to French Mobivia Groupe
- Founders/shareholders of sports betting group Tipico in the sale of a majority stake in the company to CVC Capital Partners
- General Atlantic in the sale of 30% stake in Axel Springer Digital Classifieds GmbH to Axel Springer SE
- TPG Capital in the sale of its portfolio company MEDIA BROADCAST Group to listed German Freenet AG
- Founder and owner/manager of SCHWIND eye-tech solutions GmbH & Co. KG, Mr. Rolf Schwind, in the sale of a majority stake in SCHWIND eye-tech-solutions GmbH & Co. KG to Ardian
- French IT services provider Atos SE in its €850 million acquisition of the carved-out information technology solutions and services business of Siemens
- C&A Group, a leading European fashion retailer, in negotiations with the insolvency administrator for the sale of insolvent NETRADA Group, a provider of e-commerce solutions for the fashion and lifestyle industry
- (WKO) Wilhelm Karmann GmbH & Co. KG, the (asset) holding company of insolvent German automotive supplier Wilhelm Karmann GmbH, throughout the extensive restructuring process of the Karmann Group, most notably in the restructuring transactions involving the sale of various divisions to Volkswagen AG and Valmet
- German Media Partners (the company via which Saban Capital Group, Bain Capital, Hellman & Friedman, Providence Equity Partners LLC, Quadrangle Group and THL Partners held their investment in ProSieben Sat.1 Media AG) in the €5.9 billion sale of a controlling interest in ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG to a consortium consisting of financial investors KKR and Permira
- Vodafone in its takeover of Mannesmann
Gerhard is a graduate of the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg (law degree 1982, Dr. jur. 1984) and also attended the Universities of Lausanne and Strasbourg. He completed his business administration studies at INSEAD in France (MBA 1984) and was admitted to practice in Germany in 1986. In addition, Gerhard became licensed as a tax advisor in 1988.