London, 12 May 2017 – Hogan Lovells has advised Claranet, a European leader in the growing managed IT services market, on the £80 million equity investment by Tikehau Capital (Tikehau). Tikehau is a Euronext Paris listed asset management and investment group, with €10bn of assets under management.

Founded in 1996, Claranet has evolved from a pioneering Internet Service Provider into one of the leading independent Managed Services Provider in Europe. The company has over 6,000 customers, more than 1,300 employees and an international footprint in two continents and eight countries, having recently entered Brazil.

The deal was led by Hogan Lovells corporate partners Peter Watts and Daniel Simons, working with senior associate Fergus Gallagher, and associates Cees Brouwer and Caitlin Weeks supporting. The corporate team worked alongside Hogan Lovells finance practice, which comprised a team of partners Matthew Cottis and Jo Robinson, with support from associates Scott Gibson, Sophie Hawkins and Adam Faulkner.

Commenting on the deal, Daniel Simons said: "This transaction is the first corporate matter we have worked on for Claranet, which continues to grow organically and through an ambitious external growth strategy."

Peter Watts, co-head of Hogan Lovells highly ranked TMT sector, added: "We are delighted to have helped another digital economy business take the next step on its journey."