Dr. Philipp Kynast

Associate, Düsseldorf

Biography

Overview

Philipp advises national and international companies on complex domestic and cross-border M&A-transactions, distressed M&A matters and financial restructuring as well as within the context of domestic and cross-border joint ventures. Furthermore, Philipp advises on general corporate law matters including German and European company and group law, transformation and take-over law and in relation to capital markets law. He has broad experience advising German companies on international investments and foreign (strategic) investors on business activities in Germany and Europe in a variety of sectors with a particular focus on corporate venture capital and financial services. 

Prior to joining White & Case, Philipp worked for other renowned international law firms in Düsseldorf and New York and for the German Consulate General in Los Angeles. In 2019, Philipp was seconded to the legal department of Düsseldorf headquartered investment bank IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG.

Bars and Courts
Rechtsanwalt
Education
Dr jur
University of Düsseldorf
Second State Exam
Higher Regional Court Düsseldorf
BSc
Business Administration and Economics
University of Hagen
Master
International Business and Law
La Trobe University

Melbourne

LLM
La Trobe University

Melbourne

First State Exam
University of Münster
Languages
German
English

Experience

Representation of institutional investors advised by the Global Infrastructure group at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, on its acquisition of GETEC, one of Europe's leading sustainable energy service companies for real estate and industrial customers (including related acquisition financing at both senior and junior levels).

Representation of Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures, the strategic technology-focused corporate venturing program of Saudi Aramco in the EUR 10 million Series B and EUR 39 million Series C financing rounds of German photovoltaic manufacturer NexWafe GmbH, in the CHF 10 million Series B financing round of Swiss climate tech start-up Daphne Technology S.A., in the USD 12.4 million Series A+ financing round of 3YOURMIND GmbH, a US-German software company in additive manufacturing and in connection with its investments in and restructuring of FLC Flowcasting GmbH.

Representation of Octopus Renewables Infrastructure Trust plc on the acquisition of two in-construction onshore wind farms in Poland from the PNE Group, a German developer of wind projects across Europe.

Representation of Daimler AG on the acquisition of British electric motor specialist YASA Ltd. for an undisclosed amount.

Representation of independent, privately-held investment company Cobepa on the sale of its majority stake in the German logistics company Hillebrand to Deutsche Post DHL Group for approximately EUR 1.5 billion.

Representation of Aggregate Holdings S.A on the acquisition of a project portfolio from ZAR Real Estate with a gross development value of EUR 4.5 billion and a residual valuation of EUR 1.3 billion spread over ten projects in Berlin, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt.

Representation of Ancala Partners LLP in connection with a bid in relation to the contemplated acquisition of Infrareal GmbH, the owner and operator of German life science industrial parks Behringwerke Marburg and Pharmapark Jena valued at approximately EUR 500 million.

Representation of Palestine-based Sanad Construction Resources Co. on the approximately USD 85 million investment and participation of Palestine Investment Fund and the Jordanian company Etihad Al Khamsa For Investment and Development in Jericho Cement Industry Company.

Advise in connection with the restructuring of German recycling and environmental services provider Alba Group relating to the buy-back / redemption of pledged shares from Chinese investor and majority shareholder Techcent during (preliminary) insolvency proceedings.

Representation of IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG within its balance sheet restructuring including a capital decrease in a nominal amount of EUR 1.5 billion via redemption of shares from Lone Star Funds.

Representation of KfW Capital GmbH & Co KG within the negotiation and conclusion of Co-Investment and Trust Framework Agreements with venture capital funds TVM Capital Life Science, Join Capital and White Star Capital in connection with the Corona Matching Facility secured by the Federal Republic of Germany.

Representation of AIT Worldwide Logistics within the acquisition of FIEGE Group's international freight forwarding division, Fiege Forwarding, consisting of numerous companies in Europe and Asia.

Representation of Mubadala Investment Company, Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth fund, in connection with a consortium bid in relation to the contemplated acquisition of a leading European specialty pharmaceutical company.

Representation of the majority shareholders of FTI Finanzholding GmbH, Europe's third-largest travel operator, in connection with an intended EUR 100 million investment by Abu Dhabi Development Holding Company PJSC by way of acquisition of shares and issuance of a convertible loan.

Representation of Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, a leading global biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Japan, in connection with an agreement to divest a portfolio of select non-core prescription pharmaceutical products sold in China to Hasten Biopharmaceutic Co. Ltd. for approximately USD 322 million.

Advise in connection with the sale and transfer of all assets of German electric car manufacturer e.GO Mobile AG to Next.e.GO Mobile SE under participation of international private equity investor nd Industrial Investments B.V. within insolvency proceedings in self-administration.

Representation of Orascom Development Holding in relation to various legal implications of the Thomas Cook insolvency proceedings.

Representation of a German InsurTech company within the acquisition of a software consulting company.

Representation of x+bricks group within the approximately EUR 500 million acquisition of 120 grocery-anchored properties from TLG Immobilien AG and its subsidiaries. The acquisition is one of the largest portfolio transactions of grocery-anchored properties ever executed in Germany.

Representation of Ralph Winter, founder of Corestate Capital, in connection with the sale of shares in Corestate Capital. The placement with institutional investors was carried out by means of an accelerated bookbuilding process and comprised three million shares corresponding to approx. 14.1% of the share capital of Corestate Capital.

Representation of Hassan Allam Holding, a leading construction and engineering group headquartered in Cairo, Egypt in connection with corporate and finance aspects in relation to its indirect acquisition of a majority interest in Bioworks AG, a global leader in waste water treatment engineering based in Munich, Germany.

Representation of Mubadala Capital, the investment arm of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth-backed Mubadala Investment Company, in connection with the EUR 55 million Series B financing round of Berlin-based e-scooter startup TIER Mobility.

Representation of IT4process GmbH and its shareholders in connection with the strategic investment of the B. Braun Melsungen Group through the acquisition of 25.1% of the shares via Aesculap AG with an option to acquire up to 49% of the shares.

Representation of DK Company A/S in connection with the acquisition and restructuring of meinemarkenmode.de GmbH & Co. KG within the scope of insolvency plan proceedings.

Representation of Saudi Aramco in connection with the EUR 1.5 billion acquisition of the remaining 50% stake in the specialty chemicals joint venture ARLANXEO from LANXESS.*

Representation of SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, in connection with the acquisition of German specialist building technology provider Lück group.*

*Matters prior to working for White & Case.

Publications

Daghles/Kynast: "Keine Gewinnausschüttungsbeschränkung nach Kapitalherabsetzung durch Einziehung von Aktien im vereinfachten Einziehungsverfahren", ZGR 2021, Pages 987-1009

Daghles/Kynast: "Venture Capital meets Distressed M&A: Venture Capital Transaktionen in Krisenzeiten, GWR 22/2020, Pages 429-434

Daghles/Kynast, "Islamic Finance and Fintech – Recent Developments in the Middle East", in: Yearbook of Islamic and Middle Eastern Law, Volume 20, Special Issue: Islamic Finance and Banking, Pages 101-118

Daghles, Murad M.; Haßler, Thyl; Kynast, Philipp: "W&I Insurance in the Light of Venture Capital Transactions – a tool to balance conflicting interests?', M&A REVIEW EUROPE, Volume 1, 2020, Pages 52-54

Daghles, Murad M.; Haßler, Thyl; Kynast, Philipp: "W&I Insurance as Deal Facilitator in Distressed Transactions: A Lawyer’s Perspective", M&A REVIEW EUROPE, Volume 1, 2020, Pages 48-50

Daghles, Murad M.; Kynast, Philipp: "Special Report – Legal framework for Islamic finance products and recent trends in Germany", Islamic Finance News, Volume 16, Issue 19, 2019, Pages 23-24

Kynast, Philipp: Cross-Border Insurance Portfolio Transfers and Restructurings of Insurance Undertakings (Grenzüberschreitende Bestandsübertragungen und Umstrukturierungen von Versicherungsunternehmen im EWR), Ph.D. Thesis, Duncker & Humblot, 2018; reviewed in DVBl 8, 2020, Pages 563-564