David Arnold
Partner, Corporate & Financial Services
David Arnold is a partner in the Corporate & Financial Services Department and the Private Equity Practice Group in London. His practice is focused on representing financial investors and corporate clients across Europe and the US on mergers and acquisitions, divestments, restructurings, capital raisings and general corporate law matters.
David is recognised by The Legal 500 UK (2023) for high value private equity transactions with a client noting that he “demonstrated strong dealmaking skills and got a challenging multi-jurisdictional transaction over the line in circumstances where many buy-side lawyers would have struggled.” He is also recognised in Best Lawyers (2023) for M&A and as a “Notable Practitioner” in IFLR1000 (2023) for Private Equity and M&A.
Experience
Prior to joining Willkie in 2019, David was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis International LLP.
David has advised on the following significant matters*:
- Second Nature Brands, a portfolio company of CapVest Partners, on its acquisition of the Voortman cookie brand from The J.M. Smucker Co.
- Natra, a portfolio company of CapVest Partners, on its acquisition of the Gudrun, a leading Belgian chocolate manufacturer
- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners on its investment in Improve International Group, a leader in veterinary postgraduate training and education
- Recochem, a portfolio company of CapVest Partners, on its acquisition of KIK Consumer Products’ Auto Care business
- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP) in connection with LLCP and ICG’s strategic partnership with Law Business Research
- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners and portfolio company Global Loan Agency Services (GLAS) on GLAS’s acquisition of the Watiga group
- Hanover Investors on its acquisition of New Era Energy, a leading UK distributor of liquid fuels and related consumables
- Datasite, a portfolio company of CapVest Partners LLP, on its acquisition of Sherpany, a board reporting and meeting management software provider
- CapVest Partners in its acquisition of Recochem
- Second Nature Brands, a portfolio company of CapVest Partners LLP, on its acquisition of Sahale Snacks from The J.M. Smucker Co.
- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners on its portfolio company Global Loan Agency Services’ (GLAS) acquisition of Pristine SAS
- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners on the sale of portfolio company SK AeroSafety to Bridgepoint
- CapVest Partners in its acquisition of Kerridge Commercial Systems
- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners on portfolio company Law Business Research’s acquisition of MBL Seminars Limited
- Second Nature Brands, a portfolio company of CapVest Partners, in its acquisition of Brownie Brittle
- CapVest in its acquisition of leading European chocolate maker Natra
- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners on its investment in Global Loan Agency Services (GLAS)
- CapVest Partners in its acquisition of Second Nature Brands
- BigHand Inc., a portfolio company of Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, in its acquisition of Iridium Technology, a legal business intelligence and analytics software provider
- CapVest Partners on the sale of its portfolio company, leading food manufacturer Valeo Foods, to Bain Capital
- CapVest Partners on its agreement to sell portfolio company Eight Fifty Food Group to Sofina Food Inc.
- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners on its acquisition of the Creditinfo Group in partnership with its founder and management team
- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners on its acquisition of BigHand Ltd., a leading provider of workflow software solutions
- NextPharma on its agreement to acquire the Ploermel and Edinburgh production sites of biotechnology company Lonza
- Valeo Foods, a CapVest Partners portfolio company, on its acquisition of German confectionery manufacturer Schluckwerder
- Campaign Monitor, a portfolio company of Insight Partners, in its acquisition of Selligent, Holdings Limited from HGGC
- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners in its acquisition of SiPM, in partnership with management and its founding partners
- CapVest Partners and its portfolio company Valeo Foods in its acquisition of Campbell’s European Chips Business
- CapVest Partners and its portfolio company Karro Food Group in the acquisition of Young’s Seafood
- CapVest Partners and Valeo Food Group on Valeo’s acquisition of the Tangerine Confectionery Group from Blackstone
- Law Business Research, a portfolio company of Levine Leichtman Capital Partners, on its acquisition of Globe Business Media Group
- New Mountain Capital on its sale of talent acquisition and management company Alexander Mann Solutions to OMERS Private Equity for £820 million
- EMR Capital in relation to its consortium arrangements with PT Adaro Energy Tbk and the consortium’s acquisition of Rio Tinto’s 80% interest in the Kestrel coking coal mine for total cash consideration of $2.25 billion
- Actera Group and Esas Holdings on the sale of shipping operator U.N. Ro-Ro to DFDS for approximately €950 million ($1.17 billion)
- Marguerite Adviser S.A. on the sale by The Marguerite Fund of a portfolio of five European infrastructure assets to Pantheon
- Cartesian Group LLC in its investment in Flybondi, Argentina’s first ultra-low cost airline
- CapVest Partners on its acquisition of Karro Food Group, a leading UK-based pork processing firm, from Endless LLP
- Solera Holdings Inc. on its acquisition of Autodata, a leading UK provider of digital technical solutions to the automotive industry
- Modine Manufacturing Company, a diversified global leader in thermal management technology and solutions, in a definitive agreement to acquire Luvata Heat Transfer Solutions for a total consideration of approximately $422 million, to be financed through a combination of cash, debt, and $25 million of Modine common stock
- Maxis Communications Berhad in a transaction with Reliance Communications (RCOM) to combine RCOM’s Indian wireless business with Aircel Limited, a subsidiary of Maxis. The transaction is the largest ever consolidation in the Indian telecommunications sector and one of the largest merger of equals in India
- Levine Leichtman Capital Partners on its acquisition, and later disposition, of GL Education
- Actera Group and others on their sale of Mars Entertainment Group to an investment group led by CJ CGV at an enterprise value of approximately $800 million
- I Squared Capital on its acquisition of Viridian
- Montagu Private Equity on its sale of CliniSys to Roper Technologies
- S C Johnson & Son Inc. on its acquisition of DEB Group
- Goldentree Asset Management LP and the other shareholders of the Peermont Group, in the agreement with Sun International to sell Peermont to Sun International for approximately $775 million
- Searchlight Capital Partners on its acquisition of Ocean Outdoor
- Solera Inc. on its acquisition of CAP Automotive
- CDW Corporation on its acquisition of Kelway Limited
- Summit Partners on its acquisition of Independent Vetcare Holdings
- GTCR in its acquisition of Callcredit Information Group Limited
- Bain Capital and Altor on their agreement to acquire EWOS (a world leading fish feed business) from Cermaq ASA at a value of NOK 6.5 billion (approximately €830 million).
- ABRY Partners on its acquisition of Basefarm AS
- ABRY Partners on its investment in Claranet
- Cinven and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners on their €1.8 billion sale of Ahlsell to CVC Capital Partners
- Apax Partners on its $830 million buyout of leading IT security company Sophos plc
- Cinven Limited on its acquisition of Coor Service Management Group for €536 million
*David advised on some of these matters prior to joining Willkie.
Credentials
Education
University of Sheffield, B.A., 1997