Biography
Jean-Guillaume Meunier is a partner in the EMEA Mergers & Acquisitions team of our Global Mergers & Acquisitions practice at White & Case.
Jean-Guillaume's practice covers a wide range of both domestic and international corporate and M&A transactions. Jean-Guillaume advises listed and non-listed companies, entrepreneurs, as well as private equity funds, with a focus on complex transactions.
He has a strong expertise in both public and private M&A related matters and a significant experience of corporate governance issues. He represents French and foreign issuers as well as investors with respect to complex M&A transactions including sales, joint ventures, tender offers, stake acquisitions and cross-border mergers.
Prior to joining White & Case in May 2022, he was an associate in the M&A department of a high profile French law firm in Paris and has been a visiting attorney in 2017 in the M&A department of top tier law firm in New York.
Experience
Jean-Guillaume has worked on a number of complex M&A transactions including:
Representation of Bpifrance, the French public investment bank, on its strategic investment in Opella, in the context of Sanofi's divestiture of its control.
Representation of Shiftmove and its controlling shareholder US controlling shareholder Battery Ventures, in the contemplated acquisition of the Ocean perimeter from Orange.
Representation of Groupe Rocca in connection with the sale to Auchan of its subsidiary Codim 2.
Representation of Astorg on its acquisition of a majority stake in Lebronze Alloys, a global leader in the manufacturing of semi-finished and finished products in technical high-performance copper and nickel alloys.
Representation of independent European leader in outsourced business services Atalian on the conclusion of a commercial agreement for the refinancing and rescheduling of its entire bond debt with a group of noteholders representing 98.46 percent of the existing notes.
Representation of German-Swiss mobility management software leader Shiftmove and its US controlling shareholder Battery Ventures on the acquisition of the entire capital and voting rights in French fleet management platform Optimum Automotive Group.
\Representation of Luxembourg group Hameur on a partnership agreement with Ardian through which Ardian will take a majority stake in Robot Coupe and Magimix, the food processor and cooking accessories brands.
Representation of the ORPEA Group on the appeals lodged before the Paris Court of Appeal by certain minority shareholders and creditors against the decision of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF) on May 25, 2023 granting an exemption to the group comprising Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC), CNP Assurances, MAIF and MACSF from the obligation to file a takeover bid for the Company's securities.
Representation of the ORPEA Group on its accelerated safeguard plan, which was approved by the Nanterre Specialized Commercial Court on July 24, 2023.
Representation of Regnology Group GmbH (Regnology), a portfolio company of Nordic Capital, on the acquisition of Invoke from private equity investors ISAI Expansion and Sagard NewGen as well as Invoke's CEO Raphael de Talhouet.
Representation of Mazarine Group and its chairman, founder and main shareholder on the investment by LBO France, FG Bros and another lifestyle private equity fund in the capital of the company.
Representation of VINCI in connection with the negotiation and conclusion of a joint venture agreement with ACS in the context of the sale of ACS' renewable energy business to the VINCI Group for a consideration of €4.9 billion*.
Representation of Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR) in connection with the proposed sale of its stake in Hivory to the Spanish operator Cellnex based on a total enterprise value of €5.2 billion*.
Representation of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield in the implementation of its €9 billion RESET deleveraging plan in the context of the acquisition of an activist consortium and the appointment of members of the consortium to the Supervisory Board of Unibail-Rodamco -Westfield SE*.
Representation of Wendel-Participations, Wendel's controlling parent company, in connection with the proposal of liquidity or reinvestment transaction made to its c. 1,200 family shareholders*.
Representation of Airbus Defense & Space in the sale to MBDA of its entire stake in GDI Simulation, one of the French leaders in the field of shooting simulation and supplier to the French armed forces*.
Representation of the French State in connection with the reorganization of Areva SA including (i) the €3.5 billion investment in Orano SA, (ii) the delisting offer for Areva SA for c. €3.8bn total value and (iii) the acquisition of Areva TA by the French State*.
*Transactions worked on previous to joining White & Case