Biography
Yannick Piette is a Corporate partner in the Paris office. His practice involves a wide range of mergers and acquisitions-related matters both for public and private companies. He regularly represents listed companies in high profile domestic and cross-border merger and acquisitions transactions, friendly and hostile takeovers, business reorganizations, spin-offs and carve-outs. He also advises clients on corporate and governance matters, as well as on hostile takeover defense strategies.
Yannick has notably advised:
- Lactalis on its $2.1bn acquisition of the US yoghurt business of General Mills;
- Casino on its €1.35bn sale of hypermarkets, and supermarkets to Intermarché, Auchan and Carrefour;
- Casino on its €1.2bn sale of its stake in Assai;
- Casino on its €1.4bn sale of its stake in Green Yellow to Ardian;
- Casino on its €6bn restructuring;
- Vinci on its €4.9bn acquisition of ACS;
- Orange on its €1.3bn sale of 50% of its stake in Orange Concessions;
- Engie on its $3.4bn sale of its stake in Suez to Veolia;
- Total on its $8.8bn acquisition of Anadarko African assets;
- Terreïs on its €1.7bn sale of real estate assets to Swiss Life;
- Rallye on its €3.8bn restructuring;
- the French State on the €1.9bn privatization and IPO of Française des Jeux;
- Orchestra on its restructuring;
- JC Decaux on its acquisition of 15.4% stake in Eurazeo;
- Eurosic on its €2.3bn offer for Foncière de Paris;
- Orange on the acquisition of Bharti Airtel in Burkina Faso and Sierra Leone;
- CGG on its $2.2bn restructuring;
- Icade on its €2.6bn offer for Silic;
- Gaz Transport and Technigaz on its IPO;
- Solvay on its €3.4bn offer for Rhodia;
- Icade on its €1.2bn offer for Compagnie la Lucette;
- the French State on its €5bn investment in BPCE; and
- the Caisse des dépôts et consignations on the creation of the French sovereign wealth fund (€20bn).
Yannick is ranked by Chambers and Legal 500 as a leading M&A lawyer. Clients describe him as “bright and amazing”, “very practical and precise in his advice and risk analysis”, “really being able to translate legal concepts into operational advice in a business context” (Chambers Europe) and “outstanding in negotiations and very connected” (Legal 500). Yannick has been named by his peers 2023 M&A Lawyer of the Year (Option Droit et Affaires).
Yannick graduated EDHEC Business School in 1999 and received his post-graduate degree in corporate law from University of Lille II in 2000.