Ian Shawyer

Ian Shawyer

Head of Private Equity & Financial Sponsors

Ian is a partner and Head of the Private Equity & Financial Sponsors Group.

With over 20 years' experience in private equity, Ian specialises in complex cross-border M&A and private equity transactions.

Ian is a longstanding and trusted advisor to pan-European and international corporates, institutional investors, alternative asset managers, senior management teams, founders and investee companies for both transactional and advisory matters.

Ian has in-depth experience advising on a full range of transactions including leveraged buyouts, consortium deals, bolt-on acquisitions, carve-outs, co-investments, minority deals, recapitalisations, divestments, distressed M&A, public-to-privates, joint ventures, reorganisations and restructurings.

Ian also advises the firm's global asset management clients on GP-stake transactions, GP succession planning (including restructuring ownership and governance arrangements) and structured secondary market liquidity solutions (including GP-led and LP-led secondary transactions).

Industry recognition

  • Ian is recommended for private equity in The Legal 500 UK 2018.
  • Ian is ranked as a 'Highly Regarded Lawyer' for M&A and private equity work in the UK by IFLR1000 2019.

Other roles and background

  • Ian is a member of the Travers Smith partnership board and one of the trustees of the Travers Smith Foundation.
  • Ian trained at Travers Smith and became a partner in 2007.

Selected deals

  • Bridgepoint on the sale of Miller Homes to funds advised by Apollo.
  • Bridgepoint Development Capital on its minority investment into Itsu alongside founder and management shareholders.
  • Bridgepoint and other selling shareholders on the sale of WiggleCRC to SIGNA Sports United, a NYSE listed SPAC.
  • Livingbridge on its acquisition of World of Books Group.
  • Exponent and certain other shareholders on sale of Dennis to Future PLC.
  • TA Associates on the sale of ITRS Group to Montagu Private Equity LLP.
  • Bridgepoint Development Capital on its investment in Prescient Healthcare Group.
  • Benson Elliot Capital Management LLP on its sale to PineBridge Investments Holdings Europe Limited.
  • The Carlyle Group and other selling shareholders on the sale of Eggplant, a global digital test automation and monitoring software provider.
  • Bridgepoint Development Capital on its investment in Reassured.
  • Bridgepoint Development Capital on the sale of BigHand.
  • The Carlyle Group and other shareholders on the sale of graze to Unilever.
  • The Azzurri Group on its acquisition of Pod from its administrators.
  • Caledonia Investments on the acquisition of Cooke Optics.
  • Caledonia Investments on the acquisition of a minority interest in Stonehage Fleming.
  • Bridgepoint on the acquisition of the UK master franchise of Burger King® and the acquisition of the UK franchisee Caspian.
  • Bridgepoint on the sale of Pret A Manger to JAB holdings..
  • CBPE Capital on the acquisition of a majority stake in Xceptor.

WHAT OTHERS SAY

Clients describe him as able to mix clear legal advice with common sense and a very effective problem solver.
Chambers and Partners UK
Ian is very knowledgeable of our space and he understands our business, and he marshals a team extremely well.
Chambers and Partners UK
Ian feels like a natural leader of the business and has incorporated diversity in the way he runs it.
Legal 500
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