United Kingdom,International
Ben Forgiel-Jenkins
PartnerBen Forgiel-Jenkins stands out for his expertise in M&A deals involving technology and telecoms companies
— Legal 500 2021About
Ben Forgiel-Jenkins is a Corporate lawyer and the Co-Head of DLA Piper’s International Corporate Reorganizations practice with extensive experience of advising a range of multinational clients on some of their most significant and complex international transactions.
Ben has advised clients across a range of sectors, with a particular focus of working with clients who are active in the TMT, Industrials and Real Estate sectors, and has previously spent time on secondment with Vodafone, BP and Rothschild.
Clients regularly turn to Ben to advise them on their most critical transactions, and Ben has significant experience of working with clients to solve complex issues in a pragmatic and commercially orientated manner, often against the backdrop of “live” deal situations. Ben is also regularly recognised by the legal directories, and is ranked as a “Leading Individual” by Legal 500 (2022).
Prior to starting his legal career Ben spent time as an office in the British Army after being awarded a Short Service Limited Commission.
Areas of FocusEnergy and Natural ResourcesMedia Sport and EntertainmentReal EstateCorporateMergers and AcquisitionsTechnology
Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales
EXPERIENCE
- Advising Vodafone on various transactions, including: (i) the €7.2 billion acquisition of Spanish cable operator Grupo Corporativo Ono; (ii) the disposal of its remaining interests in Vodafone Qatar to the Qatar Foundation for €301m; (iii) the proposed merger of Vodafone Malta with Melita (an Apax portfolio company) to create a 51:49 JV (with Vodafone as 49% shareholder); (iv) its US$11.1 billion acquisition of a controlling interest in Hutchison Essar Limited from Hutchison Telecommunications International Limited; (v) the creation of a joint venture with the Essar Group to hold Vodafone Essar Limited’s initial 42% interest in Indus Towers; and (iv) the proposed formation of a €1.6 billion joint venture in Greece between Vodafone Greece and Wind Hellas.
- Advising VEON (formerly VimpleCom) on various transactions, including: (i) its cash tender offer to purchase the 42.31% of GTH not currently held by VEON for a total price of c.USD 607 million (and the resultant acquisition by VEON of substantially all of GTH’s operating assets in Algeria, Bangladesh and Pakistan for US$2.974bn); (ii) its acquisition of the remaining 15% of Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited from the Dhabi Group for US$ 273m; (iii) its acquisition of ad-tech platform OTM; and (iv) its acquisition of cloud services provider IBS Datafort.
- Advising Neqsol Holding on it $848 million acquisition of Vodafone Ukraine from Russian telecoms operator MTS (NYSE: MBT).
- Advising Safaricom in relation to its c.$1bn investment in Ethiopia (to form a new mobile network operator) by way of a joint venture with Vodafone, Vodacom, CDC and Sumitomo
- Advising a consortium of the four main UK mobile operators (Vodafone, O2, EE and 3) on the formation of a joint venture to deliver the £1bn "Single Rural Network" project in the UK
- Advising a joint venture established between Vodacom and Safaricom on its acquisition of the African phone based money transfer service, M-Pesa, from Vodafone.
- Leading a global cross-practice team advising GE on a series of international corporate reorganisations, in total involving 100+ jurisdictions, including reorganisations that preceded: (i) the spin-off of GE Healthcare; (ii) the disposal of part of GE's overseas Lighting business (iii) GE's $11.1bn merger of its Transport business with WABTEC Corporation; (iv) GE’s $21bn disposal of its biopharma division to Danaher and (v) sale of GE’s distributed power business to Advent.
- Advising GE on various transactions, including: (i) its US$1.65 billion purchase of LM Wind Power from funds managed by Doughty Hanson; and (ii) the disposal of its European railcar leasing business to Touax.
- Advising John Menzies plc on various transactions, including: (i) the acquisition of Aircraft Service International Group (ASIG) for US$202 million from BBA Aviation (a Class 1 acquisition for John Menzies plc and part funded by way of a £75 million rights issue); (ii) the Class 1 disposal by John Menzies of its print media distribution business, Menzies Distribution Limited, to Endless LLP and (iii) the proposed merger of Menzies Distribution with DX.
- Advising Prologis on various transaction including the formation of its €2.4 billion pan-European logistics joint venture with Norges Bank Investment Management and on the disposal of various UK property portfolios, including to each of Henderson UK Property and the London Pension Fund.
- Advising Babcock International Group on various transactions, including: (i) the £140 million acquisition of Defence Support Group from the UK Ministry of Defence; (ii) the acquisition of S. MacNeillie & Sons; and (iii) the acquisition of WRN Broadcast.
- Advising Discovery Communications (now Warner Bros Discovery) on the disposal of pan-Nordic radio broadcaster (SBS Discovery Radio) to Bauer Media and on the disposal of its Raw and Betty production businesses to All3 Media.
- Advising clients on various minority investment transactions, including advising Euronext on its investment in fixed income technology provider Algomi and advising Invus on its $47m investment in enterprise software provider Bizagi.
- Advising on various transactions in the hospitality and leisure sector, including advising: (i) Far East Consortium Limited on the sale of the Dorsett City London Hotel to a consortium comprised of Cerberus and Highgate Hotels and (ii) advising Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), part of ADQ and owner of the London ExCel centre, on the acquisition of the DoubleTree By Hilton London ExCel
- Advising BP plc on the US$1.8 billion disposal of its upstream businesses in Venezuela and Vietnam to TNK-BP (BP’s 50:50 joint venture in Russia)*
Education
- UWE Bristol, LPC, 2003
- Exeter University, LLB (Hons), 2002
Prior Experience
- 2014 to date: DLA Piper, London (Corporate Group)
- 2011 to 2014: Senior Associate, London-based Magic Circle firm, London (Corporate Group)
- 2006 to 2011: Associate, London-based Magic Circle firm, London (Corporate Group)
- 2004 to 2006: Trainee Solicitor, London-based Magic Circle firm, London and Hong Kong
