Kirkland & Ellis advised Digital 9 Infrastructure plc on entering into a definitive agreement to sell its entire stake in the Verne Global group of companies to funds managed or advised by Ardian France SA for an equity purchase price of up to $575 million. The transaction is subject to merger approval and FDI in Finland and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024.

The Kirkland team was led by corporate partners Celyn Evans, Hamesh Khatkar, Dana Abdulkarim and Matthew Elliott, with support from corporate partner Emma Shelston and associates Yoana Georgieva and Oliver Weighill; investment funds partners Aleks Bakic, Catherine Gokah and Paul Sampson; tax partners Mavnick Nerwal and Ed Moberly; debt finance partner James Boswell; and antitrust & competition partner Mark Gardner.