William Fry is pleased to have advised on six award winning transactions in Finance Dublin’s Deals of the Year 2021. We had the pleasure of working with some fantastic clients on so many of the most significant and innovative Irish financial services transactions of the last 12 months.
Detail of the ‘Deals of the Year’ below.
Uniphar
This was an extremely important refinancing for Uniphar as it was completed on the back of a successful IPO in 2019 and is designed to financially support the growth of the group through its ambitious plan to double earnings within five years of IPO. The inclusion within the facility pricing structure of the potential for a margin variation based on the sustainability rating of the group also demonstrates the commitment of Irish banks and PLCs to long term sustainability in all aspects of their business and growth. William Fry are delighted to have acted for the Uniphar group as their lead legal counsel on this refinancing.
William Fry Team: Padraic Kinsella (Partner); Jacqueline Taafe (Snr Associate)
FINEOS – Project Shasta
This transaction followed on from Fineos’s successful IPO on the Australian Securities Exchange in 2019. The transaction involved three different jurisdictions (Ireland, Australia and the US) and demonstrates the capacity of William Fry to navigate the intricate challenges of multi-jurisdictional transactions.
William Fry Team: Barry Conway (Partner); Joe McCormack
Flutter
William Fry advised the lenders, including syndicates in the UK and the US, on the refinancing of the Flutter Entertainment plc (“Flutter”) group in connection with the merger of Flutter and The Stars Group Inc. The refinancing was effected through a number of different steps which had to be carefully structured and orchestrated to ensure they took place within the relevant timeframes in the context of the merger. We were delighted to advise the lenders on this key transaction for the Irish headquartered Flutter group.
William Fry Team: Siobhan Carlin (Partner), Lyn Brennan (Partner)
Green Finance (SME): LD Power Limited
William Fry advised Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. on all aspects of its financing to LD Power Limited in connection with a multi-unit combined heat and power (CHP) plant. Combined heat and power is a highly efficient energy generation process that captures and utilises the heat that is a by-product of the electricity generation process and which would otherwise be wasted. LD Power Limited are a market leader in this field and William Fry were delighted to advise Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. in connection with its support of this successful Irish company.
William Fry Team: Siobhan Carlin (Partner), Fergus Devine (Partner)
Chill Insurance & Ivernia Insurance by Livingbridge
William Fry was delighted to support and advise the management team of Chill Insurance (the largest independent personal lines insurance broker in Ireland) on the Livingbridge transaction. The deal is designed to establish a robust digital marketing engine for Chill Insurance to enhance organic customer acquisition and drive growth through M&A. Completion of the deal in a very short time-frame during the height of the COVID-19 crisis was challenging but the collaborative approach taken by all parties demonstrated a mutual commitment to position the business to benefit from future opportunities.
William Fry Team: Stephen Keogh (Partner), Máire O’Neill (Partner)
Ardagh Packaging Finance Plc’s 2021 Notes programmes
William Fry advised The Ardagh Group on the Irish legal and tax aspects of its 2021 notes programme. Ardagh was of one of the first corporates to successfully tap the bond markets at the start of COVID-19.
William Fry Team: Elaine Hanly (Consultant)
