Finland
Jari Vikiö
Borenius &
Kemppinen
Vikiö's areas of specialization are venture capital, M&A
arrangements and restructuring, capital markets as well as various
financing instruments. Vikiö has acted as an adviser in numerous
Finnish and international M&A and financing arrangements and
has represented both companies and providers of finance. He has
wide experience in dealing in various M&A and MBO/MBI
arrangements and the construction and implementation of mergers. In
the venture capital field, he has acted as a representative of
investors in a number of extensive operations involving the
establishment of venture capital funds and in transactions
connected with investments in portfolio
companies.
Paulus Hidén
Borenius &
Kemppinen
Paulus Hidén is specialized in venture capital, capital markets
and general corporate law. He has participated in structuring of
several venture capital funds, both domestic and offshore, and he
has advised clients on their venture capital investments. Hidén has
also represented investors in connection with making investments in
domestic and foreign venture capital and private equity
funds.
Germany
Geza
Toth-Feher
Dewey Ballantine
Geza Toth-Feher is the head of Dewey Ballantine's German
practice groups in London and Frankfurt. Geza practices in the
areas of M&A, public M&A, private equity and acquisition
finance. His practice has involved advising corporations and
financial institutions such as CSFB, GE Capital, Chase Manhattan
Bank, France Telecom, Texas Instruments, Lehman Brothers and
Nomura.
Geza's recent representations include: advising CSFB on its
attempt to acquire, in a two-stage transaction, Scandinavian and
German pharmaceutical assets from Degussa Group; advising Invensys
on planning and realizing its divestment of various European and US
businesses; advising Texas Instruments in its public tender offer
for Condat; advising the US private equity group Lone Star in its
bid for a controlling interest in Germany's tenth largest banking
group, Bankgesellschaft Berlin; and advising PKN ORLEN in its
acquisition of a German network of filling stations from BP.
Based in our London office, Geza is German qualified. He
undertook his legal studies at the Universities of Bonn, Cologne
and Munich and received a doctorate (doctor iuris) at the
University of Passau. Geza began his legal career in Germany and
was made a partner in the Hamburg office of a US firm in 1998.
Prior to joining Dewey Ballantine he was the head of the London
German desk of a US law firm. In addition to his native German,
Geza speaks fluent English, Italian and
Hungarian.
Alexander
Ballmann
Dewey Ballantine
Alexander Ballmann is a German qualified associate resident in
our London office. Alexander's practice involves cross-border
M&A and private equity transactions as well as fund structuring
work for leading investment banks, private equity houses and
corporates. His experience includes advising large corporates on
various international acquisitions and advising private equity
houses on start-up investments and buyouts. Alexander has a Law
Degree and an MA in Political Science from Ludwig Maximilians
University, Munich, Germany, and a Master of Public Administration
(MPA) from Harvard University, Cambridge, US. Alexander was an
Emile-Noel Fellow in EU Law at Harvard Law School. He also taught
political economy at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich. In
addition to his native German, Alexander speaks fluent English and
French.
Italy
Paolo
Montironi
NCTM - Negri-Clementi
Toffoletto Montironi & Soci
Specialization
Paolo Montironi is managing partner
of Negri-Clementi Toffoletto Montironi & Soci. His main areas
of work are commercial and corporate law, M&A, private equity
and acquisition finance. He is involved in major acquisitions and
privatizations, both domestic and international. Paolo Montironi
advised Credito Italiano in the merger with Cassa di Risparmio di
Verona, Cassa di Risparmio di Torino and Cassamarca, one of the
biggest transactions in the banking industry in Italy. He has also
been involved in the acquisition of Cassa di Risparmio di Trento e
Rovereto. Paolo also advised the buyer in the privatization of ILVA
(Italy's main and one of the world's biggest steel producers) and
the buyer in the privatization of AST (Italy's major stainless
steel producer). He was involved in the acquisition of Société des
Acier d'Armature pour le Béton. He Represented TMW Group, one of
the leading international real estate investors, in a number of
property acquisition deals. Paolo Montironi handled a large number
of Leveraged Buyouts on behalf of Bridgepoint Capital SpA and other
investment banks such as JP Morgan, Sofipa, IMI, ABN AMRO,
Barclay's Private Equity, and Rhöne Capital LLC. He advised the
sponsors in the establishment of Opera, the private equity fund
specialized in the Italian luxury products sector, set up by
Bulgari and other managers and advised Opera in the acquisition of
Sector Group, one of the leading Italian sport watch producers, and
in the acquisition of Magli Group, one of Italy's most renowned
luxury brand.
Career
Admitted. Joined Negri-Clementi & Soci in
1988, and became a partner in 1990. Managing partner of NCTM since
2000.
Personal
Born on February 15 1962 in Senigallia,
Italy.
He lives in Milan, Italy.
JD Catholic University of Milan, Italy, 1996.
Email:
p.montironi@nctm.it
Alberto
Toffoletto
NCTM - Negri-Clementi
Toffoletto Montironi & Soci
Specialization
Alberto Toffoletto is managing
partner of NCTM. His main areas of work are M&A, corporate
finance and antitrust law. He has been involved in many
acquisitions and joint venture contracts, both domestic and
international. He acted in 1999 for Telecom Italia in the
negotiation for the merger with Deutsche Telekom. He acted as
adviser concerning new Italian legislation governing international
investment funds on takeover bids and financial services; to
Italian listed companies concerning corporate governance and
financial regulation; to companies listed abroad concerning
financial regulation for private placements and public offers.
Regarding Antitrust law, he has acted for major clients (oil and
gas industry, entertainment, telecommunication, computer, data
bank, financial and auditor services) in some of the most relevant
antitrust procedures before the Italian Antitrust Authority and,
concerning damage action, before the Civil and Administrative
Courts.
Career
Admitted 1988. Jaeger Associate 1987 to 1991,
Partner 1992 to 1994. Toffoletto e Associati: Partner 1995 to 1999,
when the firm merged with Negri-Clementi Montironi & Soci.
Lecturer of commercial and company law at LIUC (Castellanza) 1992
to 1998, at Politecnico of Milan 1995 to 1998. Professor of
international commercial law at University of Milan-Bicocca since
1998 and company law in the Faculty of Law at LIUC since 1999.
Professor of company law and promoter of the master in business and
company law at University Carlo Cattaneo of Castellanza since 2001.
Managing partner of NCTM since 2000.
Personal
Born May 6 1960 and lives in Milan. JD
University of Milan (magna cum laude) 1983. LLM University of
London 1988. Managing partner in NCTM.
Email:
a.toffoletto@nctm.it
Lukas Plattner
NCTM - Negri-Clementi
Toffoletto Montironi & Soci
Specialization
Lukas Plattner is a senior associate
of Negri-Clementi Toffoletto Montironi & Soci (NCTM). He
specializes in corporate finance, public and private M&A,
corporate and securities law, corporate governance and contract
law.
He has worked on many acquisitions and joint venture contracts.
He has also acted as an adviser concerning new Italian legislation
governing international investment funds, and as an adviser to
Italian listed companies concerning corporate governance and
financial regulation.
Career
Admitted, Junior Associate Carnelutti (1994
to 1996); Associate Toffoletto e Associati (1996 to 1999); since
January 1 2000 senior associate NCTM. Visiting foreign lawyer at
Casanova & Associé, (Paris, 1994) and Holtzman, Krinzman,
Equels & Furia (Miami, 1996).
Personal
Born in Aosta, Italy, on November 5 1968.
JD University Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy (1994). LLM
University of Castellanza (2001). Author of a wide range of journal
articles on financial market regulation, takeovers, listed public
companies regulation and the regulation of intermediaries.
Languages: Italian: mother tongue; English and French fluent,
written and spoken.
Email:
l.plattner@nctm.it
Poland
Tomasz
Dabrowski
Salans (Warsaw)
Tomasz Dabrowski is one of the leaders of the Warsaw Mergers
& Acquisitions practice and Financial Institutions practice
groups. Since joining the firm in 1992, Mr Dabrowski has been
advising clients on investments, privatizations, green field
projects, mergers and acquisitions, leasing and asset finance,
venture capital funds, debt security arrangements and commercial
law issues in Poland. In addition to his general corporate and
commercial practice, Mr Dabrowski has been involved in particular
in: (i) representing financial and strategic investors in
privatization, acquisition and equity investment projects, (ii)
advising and representing various banks and multinational financial
institutions in lending and debt security arrangements, (iii)
representing large industrial companies in their acquisition of
companies and green field projects (real estate acquisition and the
development and structuring of operations), (iv) representing
several leading leasing companies in Poland in structured finance
lease transactions.
He has authored and co-authored numerous articles regarding
financial and security law in Poland, including "Taking security in
Poland", International Financial Law Review, 1997, and
"Position of a security trustee under Polish Law", Monitor
Prawniczy, 1998.
Todd J
Peterson
Salans (New York and
Warsaw)
Todd J Peterson specializes in private equity funds and venture
capital work. He has represented several funds as well as their
portfolio companies throughout central and eastern Europe, where he
has lived and worked for eight years. Mr Peterson also has
considerable financing experience, involving both financial
institutions as well as corporations in a wide range of
transactions.
Mr Peterson received a BA from Brigham Young University in 1983,
a graduate research certificate in Japanese Economics at Kyushu
University in 1986, an MPhil. from Oxford University in 1987, and a
JD from Columbia University School of Law in 1990. He has been a
member of the New York State bar since 1991.
His writings have been published in the book New York Limited
Liability Companies
and Partnerships and other
publications such as The Review of Banking and Financial
Services. He co-authored "Overview of Investment Vehicles in
Poland Available to Foreign Investors" in Poland Business Guide
2001/2002.
Sweden
Fredrik von
Baumgarten
Advokatfirman Vinge
KB
Fredrik von Baumgarten is a partner at Advokatfirman Vinge.
Specialist areas where he has considerable experience include
private and public M&A and venture capital. Fredrik von
Baumgarten holds an MA in international relations from John
Hopkins, Paul Nietsche School of Advanced International Studies. He
has also worked for the Swedish Ministry of Justice as a political
adviser.
Sara Bohman
Advokatfirman Vinge
KB
Sara Bohman, an associate at Advokatfirman Vinge, specializes,
among other areas, in venture capital work. Sara represents Swedish
and foreign investors in structuring investments in Sweden and
advises portfolio companies in all matters relating to their
financing rounds.
United
Kingdom
John Mackie
BVCA
John Mackie was appointed chief executive of the BVCA in April
2000. Mackie has full executive responsibility for the Association
and all its activities, advises and supports the BVCA chairman and
its committees and co-ordinates the BVCA's active public policy
programme.
Following an early career in retail management, Mackie qualified
as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen in Glasgow. From
there he went on to spend nearly five years with 3i Group before
joining Morgan Greenwell Private Equity in 1990 as a founder
director. During his time there he was a non-executive director of
a number of companies, including the British School of Motoring and
a group of Dutch life insurance and reinsurance companies.
Mackie is also a member of the investment committee of Techno
mark Medical Ventures.