Sophisticated investors worldwide turn to Chris Agnoli, a partner based in London, for complex tax advice on private equity and M&A deals, private investment fund structuring, and investment and finance matters. Chris regularly works with private equity funds, institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, REITs and public companies on their most important UK and cross-border transactions. Clients appreciate Chris’s ability to deliver clear, commercially focused tax guidance.

Clients also value Chris’s deep understanding of the UK and international tax landscape. Most recently, Chris has guided clients through highly complex transactions in the pharmaceutical, healthcare and healthcare technology sectors, as well as significant fund investments by institutional and sovereign clients. He has also advised on prime real estate and real estate development matters in the UK and throughout Europe.

Chris is deeply committed to pro bono work and has been recognised with Ropes & Gray’s outstanding pro bono contributor award for London. He currently plays a leading role in the firm’s efforts to help members of Britain’s “Windrush Generation” apply for government compensation, and also volunteers at the London office’s Domestic Violence and Family Law Clinic in the city’s East End.

Experience

Recent experience includes advising:

  • funds affiliated with BPEA EQT on:
    • the acquisition of Tricor Group, Asia’s leading business expansion specialist whose corporate mission is to facilitate globalisation in Asia. The transaction valued Tricor at an enterprise value of $2.76 billion
    • the acquisition of IGT Solutions, formerly InterGlobe Technologies, from an affiliate of Apollo Global Management
    • the sale of the software firm Hexaware Technologies
    • the sale of Lumenis LTD. Surgical Business, a company that develops and commercializes energy-based medical solutions, to Boston Scientific
    • US$1 billion+ acquisition of Lumenis, the Israeli-headquartered global leader in the field of minimally-invasive clinical solutions for the aesthetic, surgical and ophthalmology specialties
    • their and PAI Partners’ acquisition of World Freight Company International, the global leader in the General Sales and Service Agent market
  • Astorg on:
    • the demerger of Fastmarkets from Delinian, formerly known as Euromoney Institutional Investor plc
    • its acquisition of the Fastmarkets business division of Euromoney Institutional Investor, as part of a £1.61 billion acquisition of the financial publisher Euromoney by Astorg and Epiris
  • GHO Capital Partners on its acquisition (alongside the existing Envision management team and employees) of a majority stake in Envision Pharma Group, a leading technology-enabled scientific communications company
  • Bain Capital in connection with:
    • the acquisition of NGA UK, a UK payroll and HR business from NGA Human Resources
    • the acquisition of Benefex, an HR technology business
    • its purchase of a controlling stake in MKM, the UK’s largest independent builders’ merchant, from 3i and Lloyds Development Capital
  • Intermediate Capital Group on:
    • its sale and reinvestment into IRIS Software Group, a leading global provider of mission-critical software and services in accountancy, payroll, HR and education. The investment represented one of Europe’s largest software buyouts for 2023, valuing IRIS at an Enterprise Value of around £3.15 billion
    • its sale and reinvestment into Visma – a leading provider of mission-critical cloud software in Europe and Latin-America - valuing Visma at €19 billion
    • its investment in Travel Chapter, one of the UK’s leading holiday rental platforms, supporting the sale of the company to its management team from private equity firm ECI Partners
    • its US$5.3 billion consortium buyout of Visma, Europe's largest ever software buyout
  • Bridgepoint on
    • its sale and reinvestment in PEI Group, an international provider of information, insights and events for the global alternative private assets market
    • its acquisition of SK AeroSafety Group, a global leader in aviation safety component maintenance, repair and overhaul services
  • ERM, the world’s largest pure-play sustainability consultancy, and the ERM Partner shareholders, on the sale of ERM to KKR, a leading global investment firm
  • Genstar Capital and its portfolio company Bracket on the acquisition of CRF Health, a leading provider of eCOA solutions for the life sciences industry
  • TPG Capital, and its portfolio company Beaver-Visitec, in connection with:
    • the acquisition of Malosa Medical, a UK-based medical devices company
    • the acquisition of PhysIOL Group SA 
  • TSG Consumer Partners on:
    • its acquisition of a minority stake in BrewDog, a Scottish craft beer company
    • its acquisition of a minority stake in Revolution Beauty
  • SC Health Corp., a special purpose acquisitions company, in its proposed merger with Rockley Photonics, Ltd, a leading integrated photonics chipset developer and module supplier for high-volume sensor and communication products
  • various European and Asian sovereign and institutional investors on their primary, co-investment and secondaries programs
  • Liberty Global on the establishment of a notes issuance programme by VM Receivables Financing, to fund the purchase of a consumer handset loan receivables from Virgin Media Mobile Finance
  • Virgin Media Group on the first ever issuance of receivables finance notes and the UK’s first ever handset securitisation 
  • UPC Holding B.V. and its subsidiaries in connection with high yield bond issuances including through special purpose vehicles, with the offering proceeds applied to fund term loans under credit facilities
  • Cable & Wireless Communications and its subsidiaries in connection with Sable International Finance Limited's issuance of US$400 million of senior secured notes due 2027, adding secured bonds to the Cable & Wireless capital structure, and the issuance of US$300 million senior notes due 2027, issued as additional notes to the existing US$700 million senior notes originally issued in August 2017
  • BidFair on its US$3.7 billion acquisition of Sotheby's, including a $600 million high yield bond, a $500 million Term Loan B and a $400 million revolving credit facility
  • Brookfield, alongside its operator and manager, Copley Point Capital, on a £125 million JV recapitalization of three big-box distribution warehouses from Tritax Big Box REIT
  • GIC in connection with its acquisition of a 40% interest in The Oxford Science Park from Magdalen College, Oxford and on a strategic joint venture between GIC and Magdalen College aimed at accelerating major development of the Science Park
  • King Street and Arax Properties on their joint venture acquisition from Blackstone of Alban Gate in the City of London for £295 million and on the associated financing with Apollo
  • Dutch pension fund APG on:
    • its acquisition of a 75 per cent interest in a joint venture with TH Real Estate, with a combined equity commitment of c.£800 million, to develop the £1 billion 1.7 million sq.ft. St James Centre in Edinburgh, one of the UK’s largest private regeneration projects
    • a €400 million joint venture with Hines Ireland to develop four greenfield sites at Cherrywood, Dublin for PRS and associated retail and leisure purposes and on a wider €700 million PRS joint venture in the Dublin area
  • QuadReal on the upsize and extension of the projected €4 billion European logistics development platform, Continental Development Partners I (CDP I), sponsored by global logistics operator, GLP, under which QuadReal increased its equity commitment to CDP I to €800 million
  • A family office on the €500 million acquisition, development and financing of one of the world’s largest data centres and its associated letting to a major international tech company

Areas of Practice

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