Vanessa Schürmann

Partner, Frankfurt

Biography

Overview

Vanessa Schürmann is a partner in White & Case's Debt Finance practice, specializing in leveraged and bank/bond financings (including high yield), acquisition finance, corporate loans, and syndications. In addition, she has a broad range of experience with margin loans, fund financings (including subscription facilities), real estate finance (including commercial mortgage backed securities transactions), securitizations, loan portfolio sales, restructurings and derivatives in connection with debt financings.

She advises banks and other financial institutions, private equity investors and corporates in respect of complex cross-border finance transactions.

Before joining White & Case in 2014, she practiced for almost ten years at another international law firm both in their Frankfurt and London offices. Furthermore, Vanessa Schürmann worked in the leveraged and acquisition finance team for a leading international bank in London for one year.

Bars and Courts
Solicitor, England and Wales
Ontario Bar
Education
LLB
Osgoode Hall Law School
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
BA
York University
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Languages
English
German
French

Experience

Stabilus Group, 2023
Advised global motion control solutions supplier Stabilus on a €250 million acquisition-related syndicated bridge financing credit facility.

Delivery Hero SE, 2022
Advised Delivery Hero SE, one of the world's largest local delivery platforms, on a Term Loan B comprising of a US$825 million term facility and a €300 million term facility, each with a maturity of 5.25 years, and a €425 million revolving credit facility, which will have an initial maturity of three years and two one-year extension options.

Stabilus Group, 2022
Advised Stabilus S.E. and its subsidiaries (Stabilus Group), one of the world's leading suppliers of motion control solutions for a wide range of industries, on a new long term financing with €450 million credit facilities.

Cheplapharm, 2021/2022
Advised Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and JPMorgan on the new term loan facility of €1,480 million and revolving credit facility of €545 million for Cheplapharm, both of which were to be used to refinance and upsize the existing term loan and revolving credit facilities for general corporate purposes and future acquisitions.

Novo Holdings, 2021/2022
Advised Goldman Sachs, Golub Capital and Berenberg as term and revolving credit lenders, on the acquisition, capex and working capital financing to Baduhenna Holdco (a Novo Holdings portfolio company) to support its acquisition of BBI Group.

Fertiberia Group, 2020/2021
Advised a Spanish banking consortium on the acquisition financing by private equity investor Triton of Fertiberia Group, Spain's largest fertilizer producer. The original acquisition financing included a revolving credit facility and a guarantee facility. Subsequent financing was provided through a bond issue which partially replaced existing debt and included amendments to the existing revolving credit facility.

APCOA Parking Group, 2020
Advised a consortium of banks led by Barclays Bank, Deutsche Bank and The Royal Bank of Scotland (trading as NatWest Markets) on the repricing and increase of APCOA Parking Group's existing institutional Term Loan B. The financing with a new total volume of €677 million comprised an institutional Term Loan B, increased from €514 million to €592 million, a revolving credit facility and a guarantee facility. The financing was secured in Germany, Belgium, Denmark, England, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Austria and Sweden.

All4Labels, 2020
Advised Goldman Sachs, Commerzbank and LBBW in connection with the financing of Triton's acquisition of a stake in the All4Labels global packaging group and represented the banks in connection with the financing of the add-on acquisition of GPS-Rotomet by the All4Labels group.

Stabilus S.A., 2020
Advised the client with regard to an amendment of the existing senior facility agreement, to prepare for potential future challenges from the COVID-19 crisis. The amendment provides for an additional committed credit line of €50 million, a temporary increase of the maximum leverage ratio permitted under the senior facility agreement and opens the ability to issue promissory loan notes (Schuldscheindarlehen) up to an aggregated amount of €150 million.

ADLER Group S.A (formerly ADO Properties S.A.), 2020
Advised Luxembourg real estate company ADLER Group S.A. (ADLER), formerly ADO Properties S.A., on multiple financings, including (i) amendment of the €3.463 billion bridge financing to enable the acquisition of publicly-listed ADLER Real Estate AG, (ii) amendment of existing financing agreements to enable the acquisition of publicly-listed Consus Real Estate AG; (iii) new bilateral revolving credit facilitities with, inter alia, J.P. Morgan AG, Deutsche Bank AG and Barclays Bank PLC; and (iv) multiple financings on the level of ADLER Group S.A.'s subsidiaries in order to finance the acquisition of real estate companies or portfolios.

Boels, 2020
Advised a bank syndicate consisting of Credit Suisse International, ING Bank N.V., ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A. and BNP Paribas Fortis NV/SA as mandated lead arrangers, physical bookrunners and underwriters on an institutional term loan B and a revolving credit facility for Boels Topholding B.V. of over €1 billion.

Befesa, 2020
Advised the bank syndicate on the repricing of Befesa S.A.'s institutional term loan B. Befesa is a leading international provider of regulated environmental services to the steel and aluminium industries with facilities located in Germany, Spain, Sweden, France and the UK, as well as in Türkiye and South Korea. Through its two business units, Steel Dust and Aluminium Salt Slags recycling services, Befesa manages and recycles around 1.5 million tonnes of residues annually, with a production of around 1.2 million tonnes of new materials, which Befesa reintroduces into the market, reducing the consumption of natural resources. The repricing achieved a 50 bps reduction to the interest rate applicable to the €526 million term loan B cov-lite facility.

Cheplapharm Arzneimittel GmbH, 2020
Advised a bank syndicate on the repricing of Cheplapharm's credit facilities in the amount of €1.29 billion. The repricing transaction was accompanied by the first issue by Cheplapharm of €500 million 3.50% senior secured notes (144A/Reg S) due 2027. Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, HSBC Bank plc, J.P. Morgan Securities plc and UniCredit Bank AG acted as joint global coordinators, bookrunners and mandated lead arrangers. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft, DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral-Genossenschaftsbank, Frankfurt am Main and Santander Consumer Bank AG acted as mandated lead arrangers. Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A. was also involved as security agent and facility agent.

ADO Properties / ADLER 2019
Advised ADO Properties S.A. in connection with a public takeover offer of ADLER Real Estate AG. The new company will operate as ADLER Real Estate Group and combine a real estate portfolio value of approx. EUR 8.6 billion.

Jeffries/NSO Group, 2019
Advised a bank syndicate led by Jeffries in connection with the bank financing for the management buyout of NSO Group.

Cheplapharm Arzneimittel GmbH, 2018
Advised a bank syndicate led by Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, HSBC Bank plc and UniCredit Bank AG as mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners and Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft and DZ Bank AG Deutsche Zentral-Genossenschaftsbank, Frankfurt am Main and Santander Consumer Bank AG as mandated lead arrangers in connection with the €780 million refinancing of Cheplapharm Arzneimittel GmbH's loan and Schuldschein facilities. The refinancing consisted of an institutional Term Loan B and a revolving credit facility.

Sunrise Communications AG, 2018
Advised a bank syndicate led by BNP Paribas Fortis S.A./N.V., Deutsche Bank AG, DNB Markets as part of DNB Bank ASA and UniCredit Bank AG in connection with the amendment, increase and extension of CHF 1.61 billion loan facilities for the Sunrise Communications AG Group.

Consolidated Energy Finance S.A., 2018
Advised Consolidated Energy Finance S.A., a financing subsidiary of Switzerland-based leading international methanol and fertilizer manufacturer Consolidated Energy Limited AG in connection with a $600 million US-style institutional Term Loan B and a $225 million revolving credit facility as well as the issuance of $400 million 6.50% Fixed Rate Notes due 2026 and $125 million Floating Rate Notes due 2022.

Leadec (formerly known as Voith), 2018
Advised the lender syndicate on the upsizing of Leadec's term loan facility by an additional €102.5 million. Leadec is one of the leading providers of technical services for the manufacturing industry.

APCOA, 2017-2018
Advised the arrangers in connection with the cross-border refinancing of the APCOA Parking Group in a total amount of €435 million and also advised the arrangers in connection with the subsequent repricing and increase of the institutional term loan B (total new financing volume of €465 million). The cross-border refinancing consisted of an institutional term loan B, a revolving credit facility and a guarantee facility.

Löwen Play, 2017
Advised the lenders on a bank/bond financing involving a €40 million revolving credit facility alongside the issuance of €350 million 5.375% senior secured notes due 2022 for the Löwen Play group. Löwen Play is one of the largest arcade operators in Germany in the gaming, sports and other amusement machines industry.

WernerCo/ZARGES, 2017
Advised private equity investor Triton on the financing of the WernerCo acquisition, a Switzerland-based fully integrated international manufacturer and distributor of ladders, secure storage systems and light duty construction equipment. Shortly after completion of the WernerCo acquisition, advised WernerCo on the financing of an add-on acquisition. The add-on acquisition consisted of ZARGES Group (ZARGES), a German-based leading manufacturer and distributor of aluminium ladders and boxes for three main business sectors: Professional Access – Packaging, Transportation, and Storage – Special Construction.

Befesa S.A., 2017
Advised the bank consortium on the post-IPO financing of Befesa S.A. The financing with a total volume of €636 million consists of an institutional term loan B, a revolving credit facility and a guarantee facility.

Hapag-Lloyd AG, 2017
Advised a group of banks on the refinancing and upsize of German-based shipping company Hapag-Lloyd's revolving credit facility from US$ 125 million to US$ 145 million provided by Credit Suisse AG, London Branch, Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank, Deutsche Bank Luxembourg S.A., Goldman Sachs Bank USA and HSH Nordbank AG.

Pfleiderer, 2017
Advised arrangers Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs on the €450 million refinancing of leading wood panel manufacturer Pfleiderer. The new financing consists of a 7-year covenant-lite institutional term loan B with a volume of €350 million as well as a credit facility with a maximum term of 5 years and a volume of €100 million.

One Equity Partners – SGB-SMIT, 2017
Advised BNP Paribas Fortis SA/NV, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft, Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, The Royal Bank of Scotland plc and UniCredit Bank AG as Mandated Lead Arrangers in a €610 million credit facility to finance the acquisition by private equity investor One Equity Partners Europe GmbH of SGB-SMIT Beteiligungs GmbH, the German-based largest independent, pure-play manufacturer of power transformers.

Proman Holding AG, 2017
Advised Swiss holding company Proman Holding AG, a majority shareholder in one of the world's largest methanol and other petrochemical producers on the issuance of CHF 200 million 3.50% Swiss bonds due 2022 and a €250 million credit facility consisting of a revolving credit facility and a term loan B facility.

Senvion, 2017
Advised a bank syndicate led by Deutsche Bank AG and J. P. Morgan on the €1.35 billion refinancing of the Senvion group, a German-based leading manufacturer of onshore and offshore wind turbines. The refinancing includes € 950 million of credit facilities (a secured multicurrency revolving credit facility valued at €125 million, a €825 million secured multicurrency letter of guarantee facility) and a €400 million green high yield bond. The high yield bond will be due in 2022 and has a 3.875% coupon rate. The bonds are listed on the Irish Stock Exchange.

Triton/Fläkt Woods, 2016
Advised private equity investor Triton on the leveraged buyout of Fläkt Woods Group, a leading provider of air technologies solutions.

Triton/SLV, 2016
Advised a bank syndicate on the attempted leveraged buyout of SLV, a lighting manufacturer, by Triton.

Triton/Voith, 2016
Advised a bank syndicate led by Commerzbank, IKB Deutsche Industriebank, Raiffeisen Bank, Swiss Re International, UniCredit Bank and Zurich Insurance on the leveraged buyout of Voith Industrial Services by Triton.

Centerbridge/Tipico, 2016
Advised a bank syndicate on the attempted leveraged buyout of Tipico, Germany's largest private sports betting group, by Centerbridge.

Consolidated Energy/Natgasoline, 2016
Advised the world's second largest merchant producer of methanol on its 50% acquisition of Natgasoline LLC's sole shareholder and related financing arrangements valued at US$630 million.

Stabilus, 2016
Advised Stabilus, a gas springs manufacturer, on the acquisition financing of ACE, Hahn Gasfedern and Fabreeka/Tech Products, three subsidiaries of the Swedish SKF Group.

Centerbridge/Senvion, 2015/2016
Advised a bank syndicate led by Deutsche Bank and J.P. Morgan on the €1.5 billion leveraged buyout of Senvion SE (now Senvion GmbH) by Centerbridge Capital Partners including a secured €125 million multicurrency revolving credit facility, a secured €825 million multicurrency letter-of-guarantee facility, a secured €180 million super senior cash liquidity facility, as well as a secured €400 million high-yield bond, together with an amendment and restatement agreement required to achieve a successful offering of Senvion GmbH's parent company Senvion S.A.

gategroup Holding AG, 2015/2016
Advised Swiss airline caterer specialist gategroup on: (a) the refinancing and upsizing of its revolving credit facility to €240 million, which was partially used to redeem some of its €350 million 6.75% senior notes due 2019; (b) a new €250 million term loan facility, which was used to redeem the balance of its €350 million 6.75% senior notes due 2019; and (c) the further upsizing of its revolving credit facility to €350 million.

Hapag-Lloyd AG, 2015
Advised IPO global coordinators Berenberg, Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs on a US $125 million revolving credit facility for the German shipping company Hapag-Lloyd made available in conjunction with its IPO.

Tank & Rast Consortium, 2015
Advised Allianz Capital Partners, Borealis Infrastructure Management Inc., Infinity Investments S.A. and MEAG, the asset management arm of Münchener Rück, on their acquisition of Autobahn Tank & Rast, the German autobahn services group and related financing arrangements. The parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price.

Methanol Holdings (Trinidad) Limited, 2015
Advised Methanol Holdings (Trinidad) Limited, the world's second largest Methanol producer, on its US$590 million refinancing consisting of a US$300 revolving credit facility and a US$290 million US-style term loan B.

Triton/GEA HX, 2014*
Advised Triton on a bank / bond deal consisting of a guarantee facility, a revolving facility, senior notes and senior secured notes to finance the acquisition of the GEA heat exchanger business with an enterprise value of circa €1.3 billion.

GAGFAH, 2013*
Advised GAGFAH in relation to circa €2 billion and €700 million agency securitisation deals to refinance large multi-family residential and small commercial real estate portfolios in Germany.

* Matters worked on prior to joining White & Case

Awards and Recognition

Best Lawyer Germany in Banking and Finance Law, Capital Markets Law, Handelsblatt 2020-2023