Charles Russell Speechlys has acted as legal adviser to the management team of Almatis, the world’s leading supplier of premium alumina for the refractory, ceramic and polishing industries, on the sale of Almatis by Dubai International Capital (DIC), the private equity arm of Dubai Holding, to OYAK, Turkey’s largest private pension fund.

Charles Russell Speechlys acted for management on the management warranty deed and assisted with the disclosure process in relation to the transaction, alongside Weil Gotshal, who acted for DIC on the sale.

The Corporate team at Wragge Lawrence Graham & Co (WLG) is acting for FTSE 100 client Aberdeen Asset Management PLC (Aberdeen) in connection with its acquisition of London-based investment manager Advance Emerging Capital Limited (AEC).

Aberdeen is a global investment management group, managing assets worth more than £300 billion for both institutional retail clients from offices around the world.

AEC, which specialises in emerging and frontier markets, has assets of £409 million under management. Its team will join Aberdeen's offices in London.

DLA Piper has advised the private equity fund (“Kildare”) on the acquisition of the German commercial real estate business, GE Capital Real Estate (“GE Capital”). The portfolio it has acquired includes over includes 60 commercial properties and 80 real estate loans. The loans are predominantly collateralised with office properties.

The sale is part of the strategic realignment of the GE Group, which wishes to concentrate on its industrial core business in the future.

Allen & Overy LLP advised Frankfurter Leben Group on the acquisition of the life insurance portfolio of the German branch of Basler Leben AG (Switzerland).

The portfolio comprises more than 100,000 policies with a total amount insured of EUR 2.6 billion. The transaction is still subject to clearance by the regulatory authorities.

Berwin Leighton Paisner (BLP) has advised client Technicolor on its acquisition of London-based The Mill, the world’s largest visual effects (VFX) and content creation studio for the advertising industry, for €259 million on a debt-free basis.

Founded in 1990, the Mill is consistently recognised by peers and clients as a premier visual effects provider for both advertising agencies and brands, and has won more than 1,000 industry awards including for its VFX on the film Gladiator. It has operations in the key markets of London, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

GvW Graf von Westphalen has advised Global Graphics SE on the acquisition of Hamburg based (URW)++ Design & Development GmbH (“URW”).  Global Graphics SE, a UK company listed on Euronext, is a leading developer of software platforms on which its partners create solutions for digital printing, digital document and PDF applications. Customers include HP, Corel, Quark, Kodak and Agfa. In addition to its head office near Cambridge (United Kingdom), Global Graphics also has offices near Boston (Massachusetts/USA) and Tokyo.

Mayer Brown has advised Interoute, owner-operator of one of Europe's largest networks and a global cloud services platform, on the acquisition of European managed services provider, Easynet. The transaction places an enterprise value of £402 million on Easynet.

The combined company will expand its networked cloud and communications services to national and multinational enterprises worldwide, enabling customers to access a fuller suite of products, services and skill sets.

Banco BTG Pactual S.A. (BTG Pactual) and Participatie Maatschappij Graafschap Holland NV, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. (Generali), successfully completed the sale and purchase of all shares of BSI SA, a Swiss private bank with headquarters in Lugano. The acquisition by BTG Pactual creates a group with USD 186 billion in assets under management and 5,400 employees in 29 countries. The successful conclusion of the transaction comes after the obtaining all of the regulatory approvals, including from FINMA and the Brazilian Central Bank.

Clifford Chance advised Cinven, a leading European private equity firm, on the acquisition and on the financing of Tractel group from LBO France. A purchase agreement has been signed on 29 July and the completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

Tractel group is a global player in lifting and handling, suspended access, safety equipment and other products associated with working-at-height: pulleys, hoists, suspended working platforms and safety elements.

Givaudan SA, the global leader in the creation of fragrances and flavours, announced the acquisition of 100% of the shares of Induchem Holding AG. Induchem's portfolio includes active ingredients, carrier systems and other formulation ingredients for cosmetic applications. While the terms of the deal have not been disclosed, Induchem's business would have represented approximately CHF 25 million of incremental sales to Givaudan's results in 2014 on a pro forma basis.