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Sarah Moyles focuses her practice on public and private mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and corporate finance transactions, advising a range of domestic and international clients. Her work spans a range of industries including pharmaceuticals, engineering, telecommunications, real estate, financial services and business services. Sarah has broad experience working on large, complex, cross border and domestic transactions.

Sarah is recognised in Chambers UK 2024 for Corporate M&A. A source describes her as a “a stellar legal partner and insightful business partner,” going on to add that she is “extremely thoughtful, diligent, and astute in her legal commentary, providing practical advice for the real-world business applications." Other commentators note that "Sarah is a very technically strong lawyer” and highlight her “leadership, intelligence, and collegial demeanour” as standout qualities.

Concentrations

  • Mergers and acquisitions 
  • Joint ventures and shareholder arrangements
  • General corporate advice
  • Commercial contracts
  • Venture capital

Capabilities

Experience

 
  • Advised Papaya Global Ltd, an Israeli payroll and payments solutions provider, on its acquisition of the Azimo Group.
  • Advised Rentokil Initial on the CMA mandated divestment of part of the MPCL Limited business to Rentokil Initial and subsequent sale of MPCL Limited to ServiceMaster.
  • Advised Bracco Imaging S.p.A., an Italian manufacturer of agents and tracers used in diagnostic imaging, in the $450 million acquisition of Blue Earth Diagnostics Limited from Syncona Portfolio Limited, subject to a $25 million closing adjustment.
  • Advised Rentokil Initial on its agreement with Franz Haniel & Cie GmbH to divest its 17.8% interest in CWS-boco International GmbH for €430 million.
  • Advised Cromwell European Real Estate Investment Trust on its acquisition of a portfolio of 16 properties in Poland, Finland and the Netherlands, through the purchase of shares in the property holding companies, for €324 million.
  • Advised AstraZeneca AB on its agreement with Grünenthal to divest the European rights to Nexium for an upfront payment of $700 million with further sales-related and milestone payments of up to $90 million.
  • Advised AstraZeneca AB on its agreement with Grünenthal to divest the global rights to Vimovo in all markets excluding the US and Japan for an upfront payment of $115 million and further payments up to another $17 million.
  • Advised IHG on its arrangements with French investor Convivio (formerly Foncière des Régions) to rebrand and operate 12 high-quality open hotels and one pipeline hotel in the UK following the acquisition of the hotels by Convivio from Starwood Capital Group. The transaction is being valued at approximately £858 million.
  • Advised Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corporation, a Japanese-based industrial gas producer, and its subsidiary Matheson Tri-Gas, in connection with its €5 billion acquisition of Praxair's European industrial gas business.
  • Advised AstraZeneca plc on its agreement with Grünenthal to divest rights to the migraine treatment Zomig.
  • Advised Smiths Group plc on the sale of Smiths Interconnect’s Microwave Telecoms business to Infinite Electronics Inc. for $112.5m.
  • Advised Rentokil Initial plc on its joint venture agreement with Haniel & Cie. Holding Company which created a leading provider of workwear and hygiene services in Europe with combined revenues of c. €1.1bn.
  • Advised AstraZeneca plc on the sale of its small molecule antibiotics business to Pfizer for $1.2bn.
  • Advised Smiths Group plc on the divestment of its Wallace product line to CooperSurgical, Inc. for £140 million.
  • Advised Atlas Mara Co-Nvest Limited in connection with its acquisition of BancABC, a leading multi-country, multi-service bank with operations across the Southern African Development Community which is listed on the Botswana stock exchange, with a secondary listing on the Zimbabwe stock exchange, its $300 million private placement and subsequent readmission to the London Stock Exchange.
  • Advised Atlas Mara Co-Nvest Limited in connection with its exercise of an option to acquire approximately 20.9 percent in Union Bank of Nigeria PLC from Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria.
  • Advised Platform Acquisition Holdings Limited on its $905m IPO on the London Stock Exchange, the largest new money raise in London in 2013.
  • Advised Rentokil Initial PLC on the sale of City Link Limited to Better Capital.
  • Advised Quantum Power Operations in relation to its acquisition of 100 percent of the shares of Castleway Properties Limited, giving it an indirect holding in the Evolution One Fund.
  • Advised Justice Holdings Limited, a publicly listed UK investment vehicle, on its $5bn business combination with Burger King Worldwide Holdings Inc. and related entities and subsequent listing of Burger King Worldwide, Inc.’s common stock on the NYSE.
  • Advised Palm Ventures on its acquisition of Nucleus Healthcare, a private hospital based in South Wales.
  • Advised APR Energy Cayman Limited (“APR”) and its management shareholders on the sale of APR to Horizon Acquisition Company plc for $855m.
  • Advised Justice Holdings Limited on its £900m IPO on the London Stock Exchange.
  • Fried, Frank, Haris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, 2007-2009
  • Linklaters LLP, 2003-2007

Recognition & Leadership

  • Listed, The Legal 500 United Kingdom, Corporate and Commercial – M&A: Upper Mid-Market and Premium Deals, 2019-2023, M&A: Lower Mid-Market Deals, 2024
  • Listed, Chambers UK Guide, Corporate/M&A: £100-800 million, 2023-2025
  • Listed, Chambers Europe, Corporate/M&A: Mid-Market, 2023-2024
  • Listed, IFLR1000 United Kingdom, 2016-2024
  • Member, Winning Team, M&A Advisor EMEA Corporate Growth Awards, Corporate Advisory Team of the Year, Transaction of the Year (over £500m - £1bn), Industrials Deal of the Year (over £100m - £1bn) and Utilities Deal of the Year, in each case, for Rentokil Initial plc's joint venture with Haniel & Cie. Holding Company, 2018
  • Member, Winning Team, ACG New York Champion’s Award, Consumer and Retail Products Deal of the Year (over $200mm) for Merger of Burger King and Justice Holdings Ltd., 2013
  • Member, Winning Team, M&A Deal of the Year (Over US$1 Billion), M&A Advisor Awards, 2013
  • Member, Winning Team, Consumer and Retail Products Deal of the Year (Over US$1 Billion), M&A Advisor Awards, 2013

Credentials

Education
  • Legal Practice Course, with distinction, Nottingham Law School
  • M.A., University of Oxford
  • B.A., with honors, The Queen’s College, University of Oxford
Admissions
  • England and Wales