Overview
Fatema is an award-winning private equity partner whose practice focuses on providing strategic counsel to European and US private equity sponsors. She has pan-European cross sector experience on the full range of corporate matters, including leveraged buyouts, strategic mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, structured and minority equity investments, equity and debt restructurings, and management equity plans, as well as related advisory work.
Fatema has received acknowledgement from numerous industry ranking guides:
- Chambers UK 2024 – Ranked for Private Equity: Buyouts: £500 million and above. Sources note, “Fatema is deeply knowledgeable and infinitely approachable.” “Fatema has very high capability and the ability to be creative and think outside of the box.” “Fatema’s ability is wide-ranging and she prioritises client relationships.”
- The Legal 500 UK 2024 – Fatema has been ranked as a “Leading Individual” for Private Equity: Transactions – Mid-Market Deals. Sources note, “Fatema is an outstanding PE lawyer. We particularly value Fatema’s ability to find creative solutions in complex situations, working with clients to find viable paths forward where one is not obvious —– this really sets her apart from others in the industry. We also appreciate how dedicated she is to her clients. Fatema is always on top of both the details and the bigger picture, even at short notice. Fatema is our go-to PE lawyer.”
Fatema is distinguished by her work in promoting diversity in the legal profession. She has been included in the Class of 2021 at Law.com’s Women, Influence & Power in Law UK Awards as “Mentor of the Year” for which Fatema was the top “Outstanding Winner”.
Fatema has also been actively involved in initiatives across the City, including her roles as co-founder of “Women in Law, London” (WILL) a network with over 2,000 members across London aiming to promote and engage the next generation of women leaders in law, an Events Committee member of the “City Women’s Network” (CWN), and advisory panel member of “Oxford Women in Law” (OWL).
Results
Further examples of Fatema’s work include acting for Private Equity, Corporate M&A, Sovereign Wealth, and Distressed investors as follows:
Private Equity (large, mid, small cap):
- Achieve Partners on its acquisition of a majority stake in Boclips, whose library of video and audio content is used by publishers, schools, universities, and Ministries of Education around the world, and which is headquartered in the UK*
- Altamont Capital on its acquisition of Accelerant, a vertically integrated insurance company focused on UK and EU SMEs, and the establishment of Accelerant’s bolt-on buy-out platform*
- Apollo Global Management, LLC (through certain investment funds affiliated therewith) and its portfolio, CareerBuilder, on the disposal of Textkernel, a global leading AI-powered HR technology provider, to Main Capital Partners*
- Advised Apollo (through certain investment funds affiliated therewith) and its portfolio, Catalina, on the disposal of Catalina Insurance Ireland, an Irish insurance company regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland, to Riverstone, the largest provider of legacy solutions in the Lloyd’s market (and backed by CVC Capital)*
- Apollo Global Management, LLC on its acquisition of a majority stake in Catalina Holdings (Bermuda) Ltd from, among others, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan*
- Apollo Global Management, LLC on its acquisition of Haydock, one of the largest independent finance companies in the UK*
- Arsenal Capital Partners on its acquisition of the global UV photoinitiator division from Lamberti*
- Arsenal Capital Partners on its acquisition of a majority stake in IGM Resins, a global specialty chemical company and leading supplier of photoinitiators and acrylates to the worldwide UV curable coatings and inks markets*
- Arsenal Capital Partners and Cello Health Limited on the disposal of Digital Technology Advisory Group, a group providing marketing strategy consulting, data-driven market research insights, and tech-enabled communications solutions, to Vespa Capital*
- Cinven and GS Capital Partners on their €1.8 billion disposal of the Nordic manufacturing supplier Ahlsell to CVC Capital Partners*
- Crayhill Capital Management on the US$300 million financing and investment for unybrands, an integrated platform for e-commerce businesses*
- EQT Private Equity and PRO Unlimited in PRO Unlimited’s acquisition of outsourced workforce management provider Geometric Results, Inc*
- EQT Partners in connection with its US$1 billion sale of Innovyze Inc., a leading provider of water infrastructure software, to Autodesk Inc*
- FTV Capital on its acquisition of a 40% stake in World First, a leading provider of foreign exchange, international payment and hedging solutions to corporate and private clients*
- GIC on its investment in Convex Group Limited, the specialty insurer and reinsurer focused on complex risks, which launched with US$1.7 billion of committed capital in April of 2019. The investment was part of a GIC and Onex Corporation led consortium of existing and new co-investors committing to invest an additional US$1 billion in Convex*
- Goldman Sachs, GoldenTree Asset Management and Avenue Capital Group in their €520 million acquisition of a large portfolio of over 140 Travelodge hotels from Prestbury*
- Great Hill Partners on its acquisition of Ikon Science, the global provider of geo-prediction software for oil and gas exploration and production companies*
- H.I.G. Capital on the acquisition of Rainham Industrial Services Limited, a leading UK provider of industrial installation, maintenance, and refurbishment services to the power generation, energy from waste, nuclear and manufacturing sectors
- H.I.G. Capital on the equity aspects of their disposal of Acqua & Sapone, the leading Italian non-food discount retailer selling a wide range of household and cosmetic products, to TDR Capital LLP, with H.I.G. rolling over and retaining a significant equity stake
- H.I.G. Europe and its portfolio Vernacare on the acquisition of the industry leading Infection Prevention business providing an extensive range of sharps and clinical waste disposal solutions (including brands Sharpsafe®, Clinisafe®, and eXchange™) from the Frontier Medical Group (backed by Kester Capital) *
- H.I.G. Europe on its disposal of the Zmarta Group, the leading fintech marketplace in Northern Europe, to Bauer Media Group*
- H.I.G. Europe on its disposal of the International School of Europe group, a leading group of schools in Italy, to Inspired*
- H.I.G. Europe on its disposal of the global-market leading metalized paper manufacturer AR Metallizing to Nissha Printing Co., Ltd (a publicly traded company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange) *
- H.I.G. Europe on its acquisition of Freedom Finance, the largest prime consumer loan broker operating in Sweden, Norway, and Finland*
- H.I.G. Europe on its acquisition of St. Gilgen International School GmbH, the owner of St. Gilgen International School, a prestigious international day and boarding school located in Austria*
- H.I.G. Europe on its acquisition of International School of Europe, a group of leading K-12 schools in Italy*
- H.I.G. Europe on its acquisition of the Belgian metalized paper manufacturer AR Metallizing from Ackermans & van Haaren, as well as the simultaneous acquisition of the assets of Vacumet Paper in the United States from Scholle Corporation*
- H.I.G. Infrastructure on the acquisition of PolarDC Group Limited, which develops, owns, and operates data center infrastructure targeting high-performance computing applications, from the Lian Group
- Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) on the acquisition, with GIC, of Blackstone’s 36% shareholding in Rothesay Life, the largest specialist annuity provider in the UK. Under the terms of the transaction, MassMutual and GIC each became equal 49% shareholders and the transaction valued the group at £5.75 billion*
- Oaktree Capital Management on its acquisition of Ainscough Crane Hire, the United Kingdom’s largest lifting services company, from Goldman Sachs and TPG*
- Oaktree Capital Management on its disposal of Knightsbridge Student Housing’s Westbourne portfolio of student accommodation to Goldman Sachs*
- OpCapita on its acquisition of the NKD Group, one of the largest discount clothing retailers in its market, from Daun & Cie*
- Origami Capital on its establishment and structuring of a joint venture real estate development investment platform in Germany*
- Roundshield Partners on its establishment and structuring of three separate joint venture real estate development investment platforms in Spain*
- Siris Capital on its acquisition of Xura, Inc. (formerly Comverse) *
- Thompson Street Capital Partners in the Sale of Palisade, a provider of risk modeling and decision analysis software, to Lumivero*
- TowerBrook on its acquisition of Van Dijk Educatie, a leading distributor of learning materials to students in the Dutch secondary education market, from its Founder*
- TowerBrook on its investment in Groupe La Maison Bleue, a leading player in the French child care market with 180 child care nurseries throughout France, alongside BPI France Investissement*
- TowerBrook on the disposal of their stake in Hayfin Capital Management to the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (bcIMC)*
- TowerBrook on its disposal of Hayfin Capital Management LLP’s portfolio of managed assets totaling €705 million to The Future Fund (Australia’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, an existing shareholder in Hayfin), return of capital, and the ongoing arrangements between Hayfin’s institutional and management investors*
- TowerBrook on its acquisition of Independent Clinical Services, a leading healthcare staffing, services, and outsourcing provider, from Blackstone*
- Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS) and Managed Market Insights & Technology (MMIT) in connection with MMIT’s US$1.6 billion merger with Evaluate, a London-based provider of commercial intelligence and predictive analytics to the pharmaceutical industry. Upon completion of the merger, WCAS, and Evaluate’s equity partner, Hg Capital, will share joint control of the combined business*
- Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS) (alongside Hg Capital) and Norstella, a global leader with end-to-end solutions that smooth access to life-saving therapies for patients, in connection with Norstella’s US5 billion merger with Citeline, a leader in the clinical trial intelligence space, owned by Warburg Pincus*
- WestCap Management, LLC, as lead investor, in the Series B financing for Sharegain, a leading capital markets infrastructure fintech. At the time, this round was the largest series B to date in the securities lending industry*
- A global private equity firm’s co-investment into GEMS Education, a UAE-based education and ancillary services provider (which is owned by a Brookfield led consortium)
Private Equity Distressed/Restructuring:
- Centerbridge Partners, as the largest lender to the Apcoa Group, in relation to its restructuring (including the debt for equity swap by scheme of arrangement and leading the negotiations on the new equity consortium arrangements) *
- H.I.G. Capital in respect the restructuring of its portfolio, Cabonline Group Holding AB, the largest taxi network in the Nordics, which operates in Sweden, Norway and Finland, with respect to its financial indebtedness owed to a consortium of Nordic and international institutional investors*
- H.I.G. Whitehorse on its investment in Getronics, the leading player in the ICT services sector in Europe*
- KKR Credit on its acquisition of the Selecta Group, Europe’s largest independent pan-European vending machine operator, from Allianz Capital Partners*
- KKR Credit on its €241 million debt investment and acquisition of a 24% stake in the Spanish pizza chain TelePizza*
- KKR Credit on its €100 million debt and equity investment in the Italian coffee vending machine operator, Gruppo Argenta*
- Merced Capital on the restructuring and acquisition of the Telford Offshore Group*
- Sankaty (now Bain Capital Credit) on its disposal of the Lambert Smith Hampton Group, one of the largest commercial property consultancies in the UK and Ireland, to Countrywide plc*
- Sankaty (now Bain Capital Credit) on its acquisition (out of administration) of the Lambert Smith Hampton Group, one of the largest commercial property consultancies in the UK and Ireland*
Corporate M&A:
- Affinion International Group on its merger with the Webloyalty Group*
- Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., a global insurance brokerage, risk management, and consulting services firm, in its acquisition of the treaty reinsurance brokerage operations of Willis Towers Watson for US$3.25 billion*
- BearTooth Advisors, a London- and New York-based placement agent and advisor, on its disposal to Houlihan Lokey from Riverstone*
- Blackbaud, Inc. on its acquisition of JustGiving, a leading UK-based online charity crowdfunding platform*
- The Boeing Company on its acquisition of AerData Group BV, a Netherlands based provider of integrated software solutions for lease management, engine fleet planning and records management and also technical services for aircraft and engine operators, lessors, and maintenance, repair and overhaul companies*
- The Boeing Company on its acquisition of the assets and business of ETS Aviation Limited, a leading provider of fuel-efficiency management and analytics software*
- Gala Coral Group on the implementation of its management incentive scheme*
- IDEX Corporation in its definitive agreement to acquire micro-precision technology manufacturing company Muon B.V. and its subsidiaries from Rivean Capital for a cash consideration of €700 million*
- Independent Clinical Services Group, a portfolio company of TowerBrook Capital Partners, on its acquisition of Liquid Personnel Limited*
- Inspired Entertainment, Inc., a leading supplier of gaming terminals in the UK, on the proposed transformational acquisition of the Gaming Technology Group of Novomatic UK Ltd*
- Merck & Co. Inc on its disposal of its BioManufacturing Network (comprising MSD Biologics (UK) Limited (formerly Avecia Biologics Limited) and Diosynth RTP, Inc) to the FUJIFILM Corporation*
- Stephen and Peter Bond and the Management Team on their €300 million disposal of the leading British helicopter service provider Bond Aviation Group to the Inaer Group (backed by KKR and Investindustrial) *
- Syncreon on its acquisition across 15 jurisdictions of the Spanish supply chain services group Compuspar*
Sovereign Wealth (Direct Co-Investments):
- A leading sovereign wealth fund (X) on:
- its co-investment with a sponsor as part of Viagogo’s acquisition of Stubhub*
- its co-investment with Bain Capital Credit on its acquisition of Habitat, the Spanish real estate developer*
- its sale of its joint venture interest with KauriCAB Management GmbH of a residential portfolio to Blackstone*
- its co-investment with ArcLight (alongside BP) to acquire Thorntons LLC, the convenience store retailer group*
- its equity investment in the Limetree Bay terminal infrastructure and refinery platform*
- its co-investment with Ellington for their investment in Thea Artemis Greek Non-Performing Loans (NPL) servicing platform*
- its co-investment with CVC Capital Partners for the purpose of the take-private of Paysafe plc*
- its co-investment with Sycamore Partners for the purpose of the take-private of Staples Inc*
- its joint venture with JC Flowers, relating to the management of a leading Puerto-Rican based private investment firm dedicated to investing globally in the financial services industry*
- A leading sovereign wealth fund (Y) on:
- its co-investment with Nordic Capital on its further investment in Board International, the leading software vendor in the fields of Business Intelligence, Corporate Performance Management, and Advanced Analytics*
- its co-investment with Nordic Capital on its investment in Norwegian Finans Holding ASA, the fully digital bank, as listed on Oslo Børs*
- its co-investment with KKR on its acquisition, alongside Cinven and Providence, of MASMOVIL, the fourth largest telecommunications operator in Spain, which valued the MASMOVIL at €5.3 billion*
- its parallel co-investments with Nordic Capital and Astorg on their respective investments in eResearch Technology, Inc*
- its co-investment with Goldman Sachs on its acquisition of the B&B Hotel group*
- its co-investment with KKR on its acquisition of Elsan, the second-largest private healthcare operator in France*
- its co-investment with KKR on its US$3.3 billion public takeover (alongside Cinven and Providence Equity Partners) of Spanish telecoms company Masmovil Ibercom SA*
- its equity investment in Gratis, the leading personal care products retailer in Turkey*
- its equity investment in Korozo, the leading flexible packaging and carrier bag producer in Turkey*
*Matter handled prior to joining McDermott
Recognitions
- Chambers UK, Private Equity: Buyouts: £500 million and above, 2024-2025
- Legal 500 UK, Leading Partner, Private Equity: Transactions – Mid-Market Deals, 2024-2025
- Women in Business Law EMEA Awards, Private Equity Lawyer of the Year, 2023. Shortlisted in 2021-2022
- Law360, “Rising Stars” named to a list of lawyers under 40 “whose legal accomplishments transcend their age”, 2022
- The Law Society of England and Wales Excellence Awards 2021, Woman Solicitor of the Year.
- Law.com, named to the “Rising Stars: The UK’s Best 25 Under 40 Up and Coming Female Lawyers” list, 2022
- Private Funds Management (pfm) “30 under 40”, named as one of the world’s top 30 private equity lawyers under 40
Community
- Women in Law, London, co-founder
- Oxford Women in Law, advisory panel member
Credentials
Education
Oxford Institute of Legal Practice, Legal Practice Course, 2006
Brasenose College, Oxford University, BA Jurisprudence, 2005
Admissions
England and Wales