Kem Ihenacho
Partner
London
kem.ihenacho@lw.com
+44.20.7710.4560
PRACTICES
- Africa Practice
- Emerging Companies & Growth
- Investment Funds
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- Private Equity
INDUSTRIES
- Entertainment, Sports & Media
- Financial Institutions
- Fintech
- Retail & Consumer Products
EDUCATION
- Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice, Cardiff Law School, 1996
- LLB (Hons), Cardiff University, 1995
LANGUAGES SPOKEN
- English
PROFILE
Kem Ihenacho, a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, is an M&A lawyer with more than 25 years of experience focusing on private equity, infrastructure, and M&A transactions. He is recognized as a leader in his field by numerous publications. He is the Global Vice Co-Chair of the firm’s Africa Practice and the former Global Vice Chair of the firm's Private Equity & Investment Funds Practice.
EXPERIENCE
Kem’s representative transactions include advising:
- GTCR on its acquisition of Once For All, a leading compliance and supply chain management software provider, from Warburg Pincus
- KoBold Metals, a California-based exploration firm, in its US$150 million Mingomba Deposit investment for a copper mine development
- Rimac Group, a leader in electrified vehicle technology, on its €500 million Series D financing
- Digital Realty on its acquisition of Teraco, Africa's leading carrier-neutral colocation provider
- Brookfield Asset Management in the acquisition of Spanish slate producer Cupa from The Carlyle Group
- PureGym and Leonard Green & Partners (the majority shareholder of the PureGym Group) on the £300 million equity investment in the Group by KKR
- African Capital Alliance on its equity investment into WIOCC (West Indian Ocean Cable Company), Africa’s hyperscale infrastructure provider
- Digital Realty Trust on its strategic investment in AtlasEdge, a European edge data center provider
- Francisco Partners and BluJay Solutions on its sale of BluJay to E2open Parent Holdings, Inc. for a mix of cash and shares at an enterprise value of US$1.7 billion
- Partners Group and International Schools Partnership (ISP), a leading international group of K-12 schools, in relation to the investment by Partners Group and OMERS in ISP, valuing ISP at an enterprise value of €1.9 billion
- The Rise Fund, TPG’s global impact investing platform, on their US$200 million minority investment in the mobile money business of LSE premium listed company, Airtel Africa PLC
- TPG and other selling shareholders in relation to the sale of the Prezzo group, the Italian casual dining restaurants, to a subsidiary of Cain International
- KKR
- On its US$1.1 billion acquisition of Kobalt Capital’s Music Rights Portfolio
- On its acquisition of Prometic Bioseparations, a company engaged in the research of bioseparations and subsidiary of Liminal BioSciences
- On its €50 million investment in Univercells, an innovative bioprocessing provider focused on increasing the availability of affordable biologics to address global health challenges
- GIC
- On its investment in, and the subsequent IPO of, Birkenstock
- In consortium with HgCapital, ICG, and Montagu Private Equity on its acquisition of a 40% stake in Visma
- On its investment in The Access Group
- Bay Grove Capital and its portfolio company Lineage Logistics
- On the acquisition of Kloosterboer Group BV, Europe’s largest independent integrated platform for temperature-controlled storage, logistics, and value-added services
- On the acquisition of Partner Logistics, a leading European automated warehouse business
- On the acquisition of Yearsley Group, a leading UK temperature controlled logistics service provider and frozen food distributor
- William Demant Invest A/S in connection with its acquisition of Vision RT, a UK-based 3D surface imaging technology company developing products and solutions for surface guided radiation therapy
- CVC Capital Partners
- On its acquisition with Haveli of Jagex, a leading developer and publisher of video games, from Carlyle
- On its acquisition of RGI, a leading independent provider of software solutions to the European insurance industry from Corsair
- On its investment, alongside Oakley Capital, in TechInsights Inc., a leading provider of IP services and advanced technology analysis across a broad range of devices and markets
- And Blackstone on the merger of Paysafe with Foley Trasimene Acquisition Corp. II, a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) founded and led by Bill Foley
- On the acquisition of 90.01% of Ethniki Insurance, Greece’s largest insurer, from the National Bank of Greece
- On the sale of a 30% stake in Domestic & General Group, a UK-based provider of warranty and product protection services, to Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
- Growth Fund on its strategic investment in OMADA A/S, a global leader of Identity Governance and Administration software and services
- In connection with the £2.4 billion IPO of Avast, the world’s largest consumer antivirus software supplier, listed on the London Stock Exchange
- Leading a consortium with Blackstone on the £2.96 billion offer for Paysafe Group plc
- And portfolio company ASM on its joint venture with WPP and the Smollan Group
- Leonard Green & Partners on its acquisition of Pure Gym
- The Carlyle Group in relation to its investment in Diamond Bank
- TA Associates
- On its equity investment in Inspired Education, a UK-based provider of educational services
- On the acquisition of a minority stake in Interswitch, headquartered in Nigeria and one of the largest Africa-focused digital payments providers
- Energy Capital Partners on its acquisition of UK thermal generation assets from Engie
- Onex Corporation on its acquisition of Survitec Group
- Onex and Survitec on the acquisition of Wilhelmsen Maritime Solutions
- Aon on the disposal of its insurance business in Southern Africa to Capital Works
- Helios Investment Partners
- On the sale of a 25% interest in Axxela, the largest private sector gas distributor in Nigeria, to Sojitz Corporation
- And TA Associates in relation to the investment in Interswitch by VISA
- On its joint venture with Vitol on the acquisition of Oando’s downstream Business
- In relation to its investment in Vivo Energy
- On the acquisition of Axella (Oando Gas & Power)
- On its investment in renewable energy business Starsight
- Wagamama, Duke Street, Hutton Collins, and the other selling shareholders in connection with the acquisition by The Restaurant Group plc of Wagamama