About Sebastian L. Fain

Sebastian focuses on M&A, activism defense and corporate governance. His experience is centered on domestic and cross-border M&A, including public company mergers and de-SPAC transactions, private equity acquisitions, joint ventures, complex business carve-outs and divestitures, hostile takeovers and defense, carve-out IPOs, spin-offs and split-offs. He also has experience representing clients in complex commercial agreements and in capital markets transactions, such as IPOs, secondary offerings, block trades, high-yield bond offerings and exchange offers.

In addition, Sebastian extensively counsels management and boards of directors on governance, activism and disclosure matters.

Recent work

• Committee of independent directors of the board of Qualtrics on the $12.5bn all-cash sale of the company to a private equity consortium (the largest private equity transaction of the year).
• Verlinvest S.A. in connection with a comprehensive financing by Oatly Group AB.
• London Stock Exchange Group on its acquisition of AcadiaSoft. 
• Japan Tobacco on its joint venture with Altria Group to market and commercialize heated tobacco stick products in the US.
• Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease on its acquisition of LogicBio® Therapeutics, Inc.
• CarLotz on its sale to Shift Technologies.
• London Stock Exchange Group on its acquisition of MayStreet.
• Euronav NV on its successful defense against a proxy contest launched by minority shareholder Compagnie Maritime Belge (CMB) in opposition of Euronav’s $4.2bn merger with Frontline.
• GXO Logistics on its recommended $1.2 billion cash and share offer for Clipper Logistics.
• Universal Music Group on the $4 billion acquisition by SPAC Pershing Square Tontine Holdings of 10% of UMG from Vivendi (amended and reassigned to an affiliate of the SPAC) and separation of UMG from Vivendi; previously advised UMG on the $3.36 billion sale of 10% of its equity by parent Vivendi to Tencent and related option for Tencent Music to acquire a piece of UMG’s China business.
• Cazoo on its $7 billion business combination with US SPAC AJAX I, including a concurrent $800 million PIPE.
• A major shareholder in ReNew Power on its $8 billion business combination with SPAC RMG Acquisition Corp. II.
• AstraZeneca on its $39 billion acquisition of Alexion Pharmaceuticals.
• The founder and CEO of Babylon on its $4.2 billion business combination with SPAC Alkuri Global.
• Clever Leaves on its business combination with SPAC Schultze Special Purpose Acquisition Corp.
• Global Brands on its $1.38 billion sale of a significant part its North American business to Differential Brands.
• Starbucks on its $7.15 billion global coffee alliance with Nestlé.
• Sears on the $900 million sale of its Craftsman brand to Stanley Black & Decker.
• Spectra Energy on its $28 billion merger of equals with Enbridge.
• Nasdaq on its $1.1 billion acquisition of International Securities Exchange from Deutsche Börse.
• Airgas on its $13.4 billion sale to Air Liquide.
• XPO Logistics on its €3.24 billion acquisition of Norbert Dentressangle.
• BGC Partners and GFI Group on the $650 million sale of GFI's Trayport business to Intercontinental Exchange.