Jack Donelan

Partner Mergers & Acquisitions Private Equity

Kirkland & Ellis International LLP

jack.donelan@kirkland.com

Practices

Overview

Jack is a corporate partner in the London office of Kirkland & Ellis International LLP.

Jack advises private equity houses and other financial sponsor clients on all aspects of their investments across a variety of business sectors, including any initial acquisition, portfolio assistance and ultimate exit.

Jack joined Kirkland in 2016 and became a partner in 2022. In 2018/2019, Jack spent six months on secondment to Blackstone’s London legal team, supporting the Private Equity and Tactical Opportunities deal teams on their European private equity investments.

Jack has advised on transactions for a range of sponsors, affiliated platforms and other financial institutions including Blackstone, HGGC, L Catterton, MRI Software, Partners Group, Strategic Value Partners, Summit Partners and Vista Equity Partners, among others, across many industries.

Experience

CapVest and its portfolio company, Inspired Pet Nutrition, on its acquisition of Butcher’s Pet Car

MRI Software, a portfolio company of TA Associates, GI Partners and Harvest Partners in its pending acquisition of Capita One

Arctos Partners on its partnership with Aston Martin Formula One Racing Team

Bain Capital and Cinven on their €5.3 billion joint public takeover offer for the German pharmaceutical company Stada Arzneimittel

Blackstone, its affiliated platforms and portfolio companies in numerous transactions, including:

on its $1 billion partnership with Hipgnosis Song Management - winner of Private Equity Deal of the Year 2022 at the International Financial Law Review Europe Awards
on the recommended £4.77 billion cash offer for Merlin Entertainments, a global leader in location-based, family entertainment
on its acquisition of the business and assets of Murka, a developer and promoter of social casino gaming applications for mobile devices and social media, based in Cyprus and Ukraine
on the recommended cash acquisition of Taliesin Property Fund Limited by way of a scheme of arrangement, the first acquisition by Blackstone’s pan-European Core+ unit
on its acquisition of NGA Human Resources, a leading provider of digital HR and multi-country payroll services

Cineworld on obtaining $450 million in additional financing

Genstar Capital and its portfolio company 2020 Technologies on the agreement to merge 2020 with Compusoft, creating a leading provider of space planning solutions

HGGC and its portfolio companies in numerous transactions, including:

on its acquisition of Specialist Risk Group, a specialist insurance broker
on its acquisition of Ambant, a specialist insurance and professional services provider
on its sale of Specialist Risk Group, a specialist insurance broker, to Warburg Pincus and Temasek

Knox Lane on its strategic investment in Spectrum Science

L Catterton and its portfolio companies in numerous transactions, including:

on its acquisition of Truck Hero, Inc.
on its agreement to acquire a majority stake in BIRKENSTOCK Group
on its investment in Lily’s Kitchen, a leader in natural and organic pet foods*

MRI Software:

on the recommended cash acquisition of Castleton Technology, a focused provider of software, IT solutions and services to the social housing, commercial and wider public sectors
on its acquisition of eSight Energy Group Limited, a global energy management software company serving 33,000 users across 60 countries
on its acquisition of Housing Partners, a specialist technology provider for the social housing sector in the UK and Ireland
on its acquisition of Orchard Information Systems, a specialist provider of residential agency, block management and build-to-rent solutions
on its acquisition of CML Software, a provider of residential agency, block management and build-to-rent solutions
on its acquisition of Qube Global Software, one of the world’s leading suppliers of property and facilities management software
on its acquisition of Real Asset Management, a leading provider of asset management solutions

Nordic Capital on its acquisition of Ascot Lloyd from funds managed by Oaktree Capital and Ares Management

Partners Group in numerous auction processes and transactions, including:

on its €1 billion acquisition of Forterro, a leading pan-European software services provider

Strategic Value Partners:

on its sale of Pfleiderer Group on its sale to Bogdan and Elżbieta Kaczmarek together with Innova Capital
on its acquisition of Vita Group, a UK-based polyurethane foam manufacturer, from TPG and other shareholders

Summit Partners and its portfolio companies in numerous transactions, including:

on its sale of approximately 52.5 million shares in Avast plc, a global leader in consumer cybersecurity
on its growth equity investment in OnRobot, a Denmark-based provider of end-of-arm tooling used in collaborative robot systems
sale of Viroclinics-DDL, a virology contract research organization, to Cerba Healthcare

Sun European Partners on its acquisition of Vetrerie Riunite, a leading global producer of technical glass and refractory rollers

The Lycra Company on the completion of a comprehensive debt refinancing

Vista Equity Partners and its portfolio companies in numerous transactions, including:

on its acquisition of Canadian financial technology provider, DH Corporation, for C$4.8 billion
on its strategic growth investment in TRG Screen, a leading provider of enterprise subscription management solutions
on its acquisition of Autodata, a leading UK provider of digital technical solutions to the automotive industry, for £340 million

The Carlyle Group on the proposed acquisition of Unilever’s tea division

Thoma Bravo on the strategic investment in Condeco, a global leader in workspace scheduling technology

Triton Partners:

on its acquisition of the tour operating activities of Corendon and the subsequent combination with Sunweb
on its acquisition of Sunweb Group, a leading European online travel operator

Vitruvian Partners on its investment in CFC Underwriting, the UK’s largest independent managing general agent

*Prior to joining Kirkland

Simmons & Simmons LLP, London and Dubai

Trainee Solicitor, 2014–2016

Credentials

Admissions & Qualifications

2016, Admitted to practice as a Solicitor of England and Wales

Education

BPP University, LondonM.B.A., Legal Services2018
BPP Law School, LondonLPCwith Distinction2014
The University of Law, BirminghamGDLwith Distinction2012
University of WarwickB.A.Hons.2011

Practices

Representative Matters

Prior Experience

Credentials

Admissions & Qualifications

Education