National law firm Shoosmiths has advised LDC, the UK's leading mid-market private equity investor, on its latest investment into Lucid Group Communications, a global specialist provider of strategic medical communications to pharmaceutical companies.

LDC completed an £11million minority investment into the group which has offices in London, Beaconsfield and New York City. Founded in 2007, the group provides medical education, medical communication, strategic consultancy and digital services to drive better disease and patient management.

Ashurst advised Astaldi S.p.A. on the sale of 36.7 per cent stake in M5, the operator of Milan's metro line 5, to Ferrovie dello Stato, the Italian state-controlled railway company. Metro line 5 is the most recent and advanced, and fully automated metro line in Italy.

The Ashurst team was led by Milan-based partner Franco Vigliano, assisted by counsels Annamaria Pinzuti, Elena Giuffrè and Fabio Balza, together with senior associate Federica Periale and associate Rosario Morasca.

Infranode enters the Norwegian market through an acquisition of a 33% ownership stake in Akershus Energi Varme.

Roschier represented Sandvik in the carve-out and divestment of Sandvik Process Systems division to FAM AB, owned by the three largest Wallenberg foundations. The closing of the transaction is expected no later than early 2018 and is subject to the approval of relevant authorities.

Addleshaw Goddard's Northern Banking team has advised Frontier Development Capital (FDC) on its investment into 120-strong Yorkshire based agency, Ingenuity Digital Holdings Group (IDHL).

The funding package sees a £4m investment from FDC's newly launched National Mezzanine Fund, which is open to businesses that require flexible finance packages to achieve their growth aspirations regionally.

Slaughter and May advised Aviva Ventures on its Series A equity investment in Neos, a company which combines smart home technology with home insurance in the UK. Aviva Ventures led the £5m investment together with Munich Re.
Contacts

Corporate - Richard Smith (partner), Matthew Calvert (associate); IP – Cathy Connolly (partner), Richard McDonnell (associate); Pensions and Employment – Jonathan Fenn (partner), Lidia Danyi (associate)

Clifford Chance has advised the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, on the sale of a 4.75% stake in the BCP Group to La Mutuelle agricole marocaine d'assurances (Mamda) and La Mutuelle centrale marocaine d'assurances (MCMA) for an amount of MAD 2.4 billion ($ 245.5 million).

Clifford Chance advised IFC with the team of Clifford Chance Casablanca composed by Mustapha Mourahib, partner, Ouns Lemseffer and Gauthier Verdon, senior associates.

Brightfolk A/S, a company controlled by Anders Holch Povlsen, has agreed to invest in Klarna through the acquisition of existing shares from the current shareholders General Atlantic, DST Global and Niklas Adalberth, all three of which remain as shareholders in Klarna following the acquisition. The acquisition is conditional on the approval from the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority.

Klarna was advised by Mannheimer Swartling in the transaction.

Herbert Smith Freehills has advised GDF International S.A.S., a member of the ENGIE Group, on the disposal of its entire 10% equity stake in Petronet LNG, an Indian LNG energy company listed on the BSE and NSE, by way of an on-market block trade which valued the stake at approximately US$490 million. 

Roddy Martin and Siddhartha Sivaramakrishnan led the firm's team on the transaction supported by senior associates Brian O'Malley, Jin Kong and Yuji Huang.

Frankfurt am Main, 13 June 2017 – The international law firm BEITEN BURKHARDT has also advised the Frankfurt-based FinTech awamo GmbH on its second seed financing round. After a first financing round in 2015 the company's financing volume could now be increased to EUR 2 million.