Bola Ajayi

About Bola Ajayi

Bola is a Senior Associate in our antitrust, competition and trade group. Her practice covers all aspects of EU and UK competition law issues, including merger control and foreign investment, Articles 101/102 and equivalent UK legislation, State aid, and market/sector investigations. She advises clients in relation to complex merger control filings and behavioural issues, particularly in the energy, industrial and pharmaceutical sectors.

Bola advises clients in relation to complex merger control filings and behavioural issues, particularly in the energy, industrial and pharmaceutical sectors.

Recent work

• Parker-Hannifin on the global merger control and foreign investment clearances for its £6.3bn public offer for Meggitt, a manufacturer of aerospace and defence motion and control technologies, including obtaining EU and UK phase I merger clearances subject to competition remedies, with further national security remedies and economic undertakings given to the UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy;
• Yokohama Rubber Co on obtaining unconditional phase I merger approvals from the European Commission and the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for its €2.1bn acquisition of Trelleborg Wheel Systems, a manufacturer of off-highway tyres for agricultural and industrial machinery;
• EDF and the holding company of Sizewell C on the UK government’s £679m investment in the development of the Sizewell C nuclear power project in Suffolk, China General Nuclear Power Corporation’s exit from the project and extension of the long stop date for Hinkley Point C;
• RWE on its acquisition of the 382 MW King's Lynn CCGT-plant in the UK from Centrica;
• Coty in relation to the strategic transformation of its $4.3 billion Professional and Retail Hair business (Wella) into a standalone business and the joint ownership of the Wella business with KKR;
• Aston Martin Lagonda in connection with the expanded and enhanced technology agreement with Mercedes-Benz AG, with access to advanced technologies being provided in exchange for new shares taking Mercedes-Benz AG’s equity stake in several stages up to a maximum of no more than 20.0%, and acquisition of equity stake by a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll;
• Honeywell on the UK competition and national security aspects of the carve out and merger of Honeywell Quantum Solutions with Cambridge Quantum Computing, forming a new company, named Quantinuum which offers the world's highest-performing quantum computing systems and most comprehensive quantum software;
• Moderna on its antitrust and State aid aspects of its strategic partnership with the UK Secretary of State for Health and Social Care for a collaboration whereby Moderna will establish a state-of-the-art mRNA research, development, and manufacturing facility in the UK, for the purpose of providing access to a domestically manufactured portfolio of future mRNA vaccines against respiratory viruses;
• Universal Music Group in connection with the music and streaming market study conducted by the CMA, and its acquisition of Hyperion and 49% stake in PIAS.
• John Laing on the £2 billion recommended public takeover by KKR;
• Ted Baker on its acquisition by Authentic Brands Group;
• UDG Healthcare on its acquisition by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice;
• Flutter on its all-share cross-border merger with The Stars Group;
• SSE and Equinor on the subsidy control aspects of their proposed Keadby 3 and Peterhead Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) projects; and
• Advising an industrial client in relation to State aid aspects of the power contract renegotiation with a European state-controlled public entity.