Gerold Niggemann

Gerold is a partner in Hughes Hubbard’s Corporate department and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. His practice focuses on cross-border M&A, joint ventures and venture capital. He represents corporate clients and private equity sponsors in public and private acquisitions, investments, carve-outs and divestitures, as well as startups in fundraisings in the United States and a multitude of international jurisdictions.

Gerold has advised clients in a wide range of complex cross-border transactions, including:

M&A

• Investindustrial in the acquisition by its portfolio company Nexture of Frulact, a leading global manufacturer of fruit-based specialty ingredients and flavors, from funds managed by Ardian
• The founders and investors in the $955 million sale of Cognigy, a global market leader in conversational and agentic AI, to NiCE (NICE)
• HPS Investment Partners in:
  • the carve-out acquisition by its portfolio company PEAC Solutions of the specialty financing business of ePlus (PLUS)
  • a cross-border carve-out transaction in the aviation industry

• Develey Senf & Feinkost in the sale of its U.S. condiment production facility to Chicago-based global food ingredients manufacturer Newly Weds Foods
• Rheinmetall AG (RHM) in its $950 million acquisition of Loc Performance Products
• London-based Bloomsbury Publishing (BMY) in its acquisitions of:
  •  the academic imprints and associated titles of publisher Rowman & Littlefield, its biggest acquisition to date
  • academic publisher ABC-CLIO

• Knorr‑Bremse AG (KBX) in its €630 million carve-out acquisition of the North American rail signaling business of Alstom
• A Japanese bidder in a carve-out asset deal for a large industrial facility in the U.S.
• Alternative investment firm AURELIUS in the carve-out acquisition by its portfolio company ZIM Aircraft Seating of HAECO Cabin Solutions from HAECO Group
• JOST Werke SE (JST) in the carve-out acquisition of Crenlo do Brasil from Angeles Equity Partners
• Cyclerion Therapeutics, Inc. (CYCN) in the sale of the rights to two drugs to a company newly-formed by certain existing Cyclerion shareholders and venture capital firms in exchange for cash and shares of stock in the new company
• Diversified Aero Services, a leading global aircraft inventory solutions provider based in Miami, FL, in its 50% sale to Marubeni Corporation, including an exit of minority investor Fortress Investment Group, and relating joint venture arrangements
• Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corp. (MSGE) and TAO Group Hospitality, the home of venues such as TAO, LAVO, Hakkasan and others, in the sale of TAO Group Hospitality to global investment company Mohari Hospitality
• VC-backed Julep Media GmbH, Germany's largest independent podcast monetization platform, in its sale to U.S. based Liberated Syndication Inc. (LSYN)
• Daimler Truck (DTG), one of the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturers, in:
  • Its acquisition of a majority stake in U.S. self-driving technology company Torc Robotics (through its subsidiary Daimler Trucks and Buses Holding Inc.) and relating shareholders’ arrangements, which transaction was selected as a finalist for Most Innovative Deal of the Year in The Deal Awards Middle Market 2020
  • Its acquisition of a provider of remanufactured heavy-duty powertrain components (through its subsidiary Detroit Diesel Remanufacturing)

• Grab (GRAB), Southeast Asia’s super app, in:
  • Its merger with SPAC Altimeter Growth Corp., a transaction that took Grab public in the largest de-SPAC merger ever, ascribing to Grab a pro-forma equity value of approximately $39.6 billion
  • Its acquisition of Uber’s business in various Southeast Asian jurisdictions, which transaction was selected Technology, Media & Telecom Deal of the Year in The Deal’s Cross-Border Asia Awards 2019

• Cantor Fitzgerald as sponsor in a de-SPAC merger with View Inc., the Silicon Valley-based smart glass manufacturer
• JD Sports Fashion, one of the world’s leading retailers of sports and fashion brands headquartered in the U.K., in:
  • Its acquisition of athletic footwear and apparel streetwear retailer DTLR Villa from Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co.
  • Its acquisition of Shoe Palace and Nice Kicks for cash consideration of $325 million, the issuance to certain sellers of equity valued at approx. $356 million and relating shareholders’ arrangements
  • Its $558 million public takeover of Finish Line, a retailer of athletic footwear, apparel and accessories

• ANI Pharmaceuticals (ANIP) in its acquisition of generic drugmaker Novitium Pharma and a PIPE raised from Ampersand Capital Partners alongside the acquisition
• Patrick Drahi in his $3.7 billion public takeover of Sotheby’s
• Platinum Equity in its $1.9 billion public takeover of Wesco Aircraft
• The Corporate Governance and Conflicts Committee of the Board of Directors of TerraForm Power, Inc. (TERP) in its $6.6 billion merger and sponsorship transaction with Brookfield Asset Management and the concurrent settlement arrangements with its former sponsor SunEdison
• Greenbriar Equity Group LLC in its sale of transportation management firm Transplace Holdings LLC to TPG Capital
• India-based IT giant Wipro in its $500 million acquisition of Appirio Inc., a VC-backed cloud computing and IT consulting company
• InterVest Capital Partners (formerly Wafra Capital) in several of its acquisitions
• Nexans, a leading global cable manufacturer headquartered in Paris, France, in the divestment of its German rolling stock and wire harnesses business to Sirail, a French specialty manufacturer of rolling stock and wire harnesses

Joint Ventures

• Investors in two lithium exploration and mining joint ventures in Argentina
• Claure Group in its investment in New York City Football Club and relating shareholders’ arrangements
• Daimler Truck (DTG), one of the world’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturers, in the formation of Greenlane, a more than $650 million joint venture with BlackRock Renewable Power and NextEra Energy Resources to design, develop, install and operate a U.S. nationwide, high-performance zero-emission public charging and hydrogen fueling network for medium- and heavy-duty battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles
• Grab (GRAB), Southeast Asia’s super app, in:
  • Its digital banking joint venture with Singapore Telecommunications
  • The formation of a strategic partnership with Microsoft pursuant to which Microsoft invested in Grab, and Grab leveraged Microsoft's expertise in machine learning and other artificial intelligence
• TechOps, a Delta Air Lines (DAL) and Aeromexico joint venture for the operation of an MRO facility in Mexico, in connection with an agreement to grant MRO Holdings, one of America’s largest aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul service providers, access to TechOps’ capacity for a period of ten years
• Edenred, a leading provider of expense management services headquartered in Paris, France, in its acquisition of a minority stake in UTA, a key player in the European fleet management market, and relating joint venture arrangements

Venture Capital

• Mercedes-Benz in its investment in humanoid robotics company Apptronik’s $403 million Series A funding round
• Latin American neobank Ualá in its $300 million Series E preferred equity financing at a post-money valuation of $2.75 billion, its $350 million Series D preferred equity financing as well as all of Ualá’s prior financing rounds, raising funds from Allianz X and affiliates of Tencent, Softbank, Goldman Sachs Investment Partners, Soros Fund Management, Monashees, Ribbit Capital, Jefferies, Stone Ridge Holdings Group and Pershing Square Foundation, among others
• Grab (GRAB), Southeast Asia’s super app, in:
  • A $300 million funding round for its fintech arm Grab Financial, led by Hanwha Asset Management
  • Its multi-billion Series H funding round, raising funds from Softbank Vision Fund, Oppenheimer Funds, Hyundai Motor Group, Booking Holdings, Ping An Capital, Yamaha Motor, and others
  • A $1 billion preferred equity investment by lead investor Toyota
  • A $700 million preferred equity investment by MUFG, Japan’s largest bank
• Coupang (CPNG), the Korean e-commerce giant, in its $2 billion Series J fundraising from Softbank Vision Fund
• Numerous founders and start-ups in various stages of their development in a multitude of jurisdictions