Guy Lewin-Smith

Retired Partner

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London

Tel: +44 20 7786 9007

Overview

Guy Lewin-Smith has over 30 years' experience in a wide range of mergers & acquisitions, equity capital market and corporate finance advisory matters. ... Read Full Biography

Experience

- Interros in an agreement with Millhouse and UC RUSAL on settlement of the shareholders’ conflict, corporate governance and sale of shares in MMC Norilsk Nickel.
- Polyus Gold International in its $9 billion premium listing on the London Stock Exchange.
- Inter RAO in the sale of its 26.43% share in Enel OGK-5 to a consortium of investors consisting of Xenon Capital Partners’ Rusenergo Fund, the Russian Direct Investment Fund, AGC Equity Partners and the Macquarie Renaissance Infrastructure Fund.
- Polyus Gold International in the $635.5 million sale of its shares to Chengdong Investment Corporation and JSC VTB Bank.
- 3W Power S.A. in its proposed €220 million public takeover offer by Andrem Power, a company indirectly wholly owned by Nordic Capital Fund VII.
- KazakhGold Group Limited in a reverse takeover of Polyus Gold valued at $10 billion.
- Polyus Gold in its acquisition of 50.1% of KazakhGold Group.
- Ripplewood in its €532 million sale of AEG Power Solutions to Germany1 Acquisition.
- Ripplewood, Eton Park and RHJ International in the sale of their minority interest in Commercial International Bank to Actis.
- Clayton, Dubilier & Rice in its £417 million acquisition of Bodycote Testing Group (now Exova) from Bodycote.
- United BioSource, a Whitney, Oak Hill and Berkshire Partners portfolio company, in its acquisition of Envision Pharma.
- Hewitt Associates in its acquisition of New Bridge Street Consultants, one of the UK's leading executive compensation consultancies.

Education

University of Virginia School of Law, 1983, LL.M.
University of Oxford, 1982, B.A.

Guy Lewin-Smith has over 30 years' experience in a wide range of mergers & acquisitions, equity capital market and corporate finance advisory matters. Mr. Lewin-Smith has advised clients from a broad range of sectors and industry groups, including financial services, energy, natural resources, mining, food and beverage, infrastructure, private equity funds and sovereign wealth funds. Much of his transactional work has been cross-border and multi-jurisdictional and he has particular experience of emerging markets having spent six years practising in Asia. His advisory experience includes counselling listed companies on a range of compliance and corporate governance issues. He has acted for companies and financial advisers on public and private M&A, IPOs, other equity capital raisings and joint ventures. He has published numerous articles and is a frequent public speaker. Recent publications include “Mapping The Revised UK Takeover Landscape,” Law360 (September, 2013); “United Kingdom - Transactions,” Getting the Deal Through: Private Equity (2012, 2013 and 2015); and “Principal Changes to the UK Takeover Code,” The Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance and Financial Regulation (October, 2011). Recent speaking engagements include, “Metals and Mining,” London Stock Exchange: Annual Russia & CIS Conference (June, 2013); “Mergers and Acquisitions Trends in Due Diligence Practices in Asia, Europe and the Americas: How to Bullet Proof Your Cross Border M&A Deals,” Indian Corporate Counsel Association (February, 2013); and “Private Equity and Arbitration: Positioning for Uncertainties and Challenges,” Wolter Kluwer: Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution Summit 2013 (February, 2013).Mr. Lewin-Smith joined Debevoise as a partner in 2008. Prior to joining Debevoise, he was a corporate finance partner at a leading international law firm. Whilst at that firm, his clients included listed companies, investment banks and brokers. He was also responsible for founding and developing the corporate practice in that firm's Singapore office. He graduated in 1982 with a B.A. (Hons) from Oxford University and was awarded an LL.M. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1983.