Chris Buck

Chris Buck is an associate in Goodwin’s Private Equity group. He provides strategic counsel to private equity sponsors and corporates on a wide range of transactions, including leveraged buyouts, mergers, acquisitions and divestures, joint ventures, growth equity, structured capital investments, equity and debt restructurings and management equity plans, as well as related advisory work.

Chris has a wealth of experience across a broad range of industry sectors, including financial services (and fintech), ICT, manufacturing, life sciences, insurance (and insuretech), real estate, infrastructure, sports and hospitality, and retail.

Chris has a particular interest in legal technology, and is an early stage investor in a number of legal technology businesses.

Highlights of Chris’s recent experience include advising:

Private equity and special situations

• TA Associates:
  • on its investment in Apex Group, a global financial services provider to asset managers, financial institutions, family offices and corporates
  • on its combination of Compusoft with Genstar-backed 2020 Technologies to create a global provider of planning and manufacturing solutions for residential and commercial spaces
• B Capital Group on its $250 million Series D Preferred Stock financing of Flutterwave, a San Francisco headquartered and Lagos based fintech company providing payments infrastructure via a single API
• TowerBrook and KKR on the initial public offering of OVH on Euronext Paris
• Alvarium on its on $1.4 billion deSPAC business combination with Cartesian Growth Corporation, Tiedemann Advisors and TIG Advisors, creating a leading global wealth and asset manager
• All Seas Capital on its structured capital investment in Hakim, the UK’s leading independent chain of opticians*
• Apollo Global Management:
  • on its buy-out of the existing shareholders in Catalina Holdings (Bermuda) Ltd, from Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan*
  • and its portfolio, CareerBuilder, on the disposal of Textkernel, a global leading AI-powered HR technology provider*
  • on its acquisition of Haydock, one the largest independent finance companies in the UK*
  • and its portfolio, Athene, in connection with the formation and the EUR 2.1 billion initial capitalization of Athora Holding Ltd, a Bermuda based insurance and reinsurance group*
• H.I.G. Whitehorse on its investment in Getronics, the leading player in the ICT services sector in Europe*
• Macquarie Capital Principal Finance in a joint venture with Sun Hung Kai & Co and DPK Quay Limited*
• Mid Europa Partners:
  • on the acquisition of a majority stake in MediGroup, a Serbian private healthcare provider*
  • on the sale of Alpha Medical, a leading provider of laboratory testing services in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, to Unilabs, a leading diagnostic services company owned by Apax Partners*
• KKR on the creation of a pan-European logistics development platform alongside Mirastar*
• Siris Capital on its acquisition of Xura, Inc. (formerly Comverse)*
• TowerBrook Capital Partners:
  • on the acquisition of the Azzurri Group, the owner of the ASK Italian, Zizzi and Coco di Mama brands, along with the Pod Food Limited fast food delivery service*
  • on the acquisition of CarTrawler, a leading provider of car rental and mobility solutions to the global travel industry, from BC Partners*
  • in its sale of and re-investment in Independent Clinical Services Group to Onex Corporation*
  • on its acquisition, and subsequent financial restructuring, of Automotive Carrier Protection Systems, the European market leader in to twobars/hitches for cars, SUVs and vans*
  • on the disposal of its stake in Hayfin Capital Management to the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation*
• A leading infrastructure fund on its investment in, and co-investment arrangements in respect of, Italian Energy group Sorgenia*
• A leading international investment firm on the sale of its minority stake in a Premier League football club*
• A leading sovereign wealth fund on:
  • its co-investment with KKR on its acquisition of Elsan, the second-largest private healthcare operator in France*
  • its equity investment in Gratis, the leading personal care products retailer in Turkey*
  • its equity investment in Korozo, the leading flexible packaging and carrier bag producer in Turkey*
• A leading U.S. investment firm on its bid for a Premier League football club and an Italian Serie A football club*

Corporate M&A

• Independent Clinical Services, a portfolio company of TowerBrook Capital Partners, on its acquisition of ProClinical Limited and Liquid Personnel Limited*
• Maitland Financial Services on the sale of its hedge-fund administration business to Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group*
• Punch Taverns PLC’s in connection with its corporate and financial restructuring of its two “whole-business” securitisations*
• Tata Steel Group on its sale of British Steel to Greybull Capital*
• Travelex on its financial and operational restructuring*
• WEX Inc., a leading financial technology service provider, in connection with its acquisition of EG Group Limited's GO Fuel Card business*

SPACs

• Qell Acquisition Corp., a publicly listed special purpose acquisition company, on its business combination with Lilium GmbH, an electric aircraft producer

*Denotes experience prior to joining Goodwin.

Prior to joining Goodwin, Chris was most recently an associate at Sidley in London. Before Sidley, Chris trained and qualified at Slaughter and May.

Chris also has a particular interest in legal technology growth businesses, and is an early stage investor in a number of growth business.