Leon Daoud
Overview
Leon Daoud is a debt finance partner in the London office of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP. Leon has a broad range of debt finance experience, with a focus on advising sponsors and corporates on syndicated and direct lending transactions, leveraged acquisitions, take privates, corporate lending and general banking matters.
External Recognition
- Leon is recognised as a “Notable Practitioner” by IFLR1000 (2022) for Banking.
Experience
Representative Matters
Advent International:
- on the sale of V.Group to a consortium led by STAR Capital
- on the committed financing to support its acquisition of a majority shareholding in Zimmermann
- and Zentiva Group on the amendment and extension of its €1.825 billion European TLB facility and €145 million revolving credit facility
- on its joint venture with LANXESS and joint acquisition of DSM Engineering Materials
- on its acquisition of artisanal food ingredients company IRCA
- and Cobham on the recommended £2.57 billion cash offer for Ultra Electronics PLC
- on its investment in the Hermes Group businesses in the UK and Germany
Blackstone:
- and Merlin Entertainments on multiple refinancing transactions, including several bond offerings and the amendment and extension of its revolving credit facility and cross-border TLB facilities
- on its acquisition of Civica, a public sector software company
- on its acquisition of the Huws Gray group and the UK merchanting businesses of the Grafton Group
- on its acquisition of Bourne Leisure, a leader in the UK domestic holiday market operating through three brands: Butlin’s, Haven and Warner Leisure Hotels
- on the recommended £4.77 billion cash offer for Merlin Entertainments, a global leader in location-based, family entertainment
- on its acquisition of National Exhibition Centre Group, a leading live events venue operator in the UK
CPP Investments:
- on the minority investments in Visma
- and Motive Partners on the $1.4 billion investment in FNZ, a global wealth management platform
- on the acquisition of an additional minority stake in Visma, a leading provider of business-critical software, in a transaction valuing the business at an enterprise value of $12.2 billion
Consortium of CVC Private Equity Funds, Nordic Capital and ADIA on the £5.4 billion recommended cash acquisition of Hargreaves Lansdown
H.I.G. Capital and portfolio company Aspire Pharma on the acquisitions of Morningside Healthcare and Morningside Pharmaceuticals
Montagu Private Equity on the acquisition of the Education Software Solutions business of Capita plc. and on the agreement to invest in ParentPay
Summit Partners:
- on the acquisition and subsequent sale of Viroclinics-DDL, a virology contract research organisation, to Cerba Healthcare
- on the acquisition of 18 Week Support, a service provider offering high-quality clinical support services to NHS Trusts throughout the UK
- on the acquisition of City & County Healthcare Group, the largest provider of community-based home and social care services in the UK
Triton Partners:
- and Atnahs Pharma on the acquisition of established hypertension medicines from AztraZeneca
- on its acquisition of a majority stake in Atnahs, a specialty pharmaceutical business
- on its acquisition of Sunweb Group, a leading European online travel operator
TPG on the acquisition of Aareon for €3.9 billion
TPG Rise Climate on the financing aspects of its definitive agreement to purchase a majority stake in A-Gas from KKR
Trive Capital Partners on the recommended cash offer for Ten Entertainment Group
Warburg Pincus:
- on the sale of its remaining stake in Reiss to NEXT plc
- on the sale of Once For All to GTCR
- and Inmarsat on the $7.3 billion combination with Viasat, Inc.
- and Allied Universal on the financing for a recommended £3.8 billion cash offer for G4S
- on the co-investment in the combined group of Tilney Smith & Williamson, a leading wealth management and professional services business
- on the investment in Polyplus, a developer of innovative and cost-effective technology used in gene and cell therapy
- and Apax, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan on the $3.4 billion take private of Inmarsat, a British satellite communications group
- on the sale of Accelya, a leading global provider of financial, commercial and analytics solutions to the airline and travel industry, to Vista Private Equity
Prior Experience
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP, London
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Senior Associate, 2016–2018
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Associate, 2011–2016
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Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2011, Admitted to practice as a Solicitor of England and Wales
Education
- BPP Law School, LondonLegal Practice Course2007
- King's College LondonLL.M. (Corporate and Commercial Law)2006
- Queen Mary University of LondonLL.B., Law2005