Michelle Tong

Michelle Tong is a partner in the firm’s Private Equity group. She advises private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies on a broad range of matters, including leveraged buyouts, structured equity investments, distressed investments, equity and debt restructurings, joint ventures, management incentive plans and fund formations.

Michelle has a wealth of experience in leading cross-border transactions, including matters in industries such as technology and life sciences.

Michelle also serves as a core member of Goodwin’s Women’s Health and Wellness practice, and as a London Local Council Leader for CRED (Goodwin’s Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity).

Michelle’s experience includes advising:

• Qell Acquisition Corp., a publicly listed special purpose acquisition company, on its business combination with Lilium GmbH, an electric aircraft producer
• Raptor Technologies, a portfolio company of our client JMI Equity, on its acquisition of Oaktree Topco Limited, is a leading software solution for monitoring safeguarding, wellbeing and a range of child welfare issues
• Cano Health on the acquisition of Doctor’s Medical Center, a provider of integrated, innovative care to Medicare, Medicaid and ACA (Exchange) members in South Florida 
• A growth equity fund on its multi-million dollar investment in a European cloud-based telephony business as part of a late-stage financing round 
• Equality Asset Management on its acquisition of a majority stake in PCMI Corporation, a Chicago-based provider of administration software 
• TowerBrook Capital Partners
  • on its acquisition of leading provider of premium finance for commercial and retail insurance products, Premium Credit, from Cinven
  • on the formation of real estate lending platform Précis Capital, targeting £1 billion of development financing a year 
  • on its establishment of the real estate lending platform, Précis Capital Partners 
  • on its 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 its acquisition of CarTrawler, a leading provider of car rental and mobility solutions to the global travel industry, from BC Partners*
  • on its sale of Metallo, a metal recycler and refiner, to Aurubis AG*
  • on its investment in the GBA Group, a UK-based vehicle logistics business servicing the global automotive and shipping industries*
  • on its investment in Aernnova, a leading Spanish company specializing in the design and manufacturing of aerostructures and component parts*
  • on its acquisition of Schweighofer Fiber GmbH, an Austrian company that produces high-quality viscose pulp and bio energy, from family-owned Schweighofer Group*
  • on its investment in Van Dijk Educatie, the Netherlands’ largest provider of learning materials*
  • on its investment in Gravity Media, a UK-based provider of broadcasting equipment and solutions*
  • on its sale of a majority stake in Dutch frozen food producer Van Geloven to McCain Foods*
  • on its sale of Autodistribution, a leading distributor of aftermarket automotive parts in France, to Bain Capital*
  • on its sale of Metallum, a European leader in metals trading, recycling and logistics, to Thommen*
  • on its acquisition of Dutch frozen food producer Van Geloven from Lion Capital*
  • on its sale of a minority stake in its fund management business to Wafra*
  • on its acquisition of Independent Clinical Services, a leading healthcare staffing, services and outsourcing provider, from Blackstone*
  • on its acquisition of the Metallum group, a European leader in metals trading, recycling and logistics, from Alpha*
  • on the formation of its $1.1 billion structured asset and equity investment fund, TowerBrook Structured Opportunities II*
  • on the formation of its $800 million structured asset and equity investment fund, TowerBrook Structure Opportunities*
  • on the formation of its $4.3 billion private equity fund, TowerBrook Investors V*
  • on the formation of its $3.7 billion private equity fund, TowerBrook Investors IV*
• GHO Capital Partners on its acquisition of Ardena, a leading contract development and manufacturing organization providing early-stage drug development and manufacturing for small to mid-sized biopharma companies*
• Mid Europa Partners
  • on its acquisition of a majority stake in MediGroup, a Serbian private healthcare provider*
  • on its 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*
• Archer Daniels Midland on its acquisition of Probiotics International Limited, a UK-based provider of probiotic supplements for human, pet and production-animal use*
• Five Arrows Principal Investments on its sale of and co-investment in Datix, a patient safety and risk management software company*
• KKR together with TowerBrook on their investment in OVH, a European leader in cloud infrastructure, telecommunications and web hosting services
• Apollo
  • together with TowerBrook and York on the lender-led restructuring of the obligations of the Braas Monier group, a leading global provider of roofing products*
  • together with TowerBrook and York and their portfolio company Braas Monier on the initial public offering of the company on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange*
• Global Loan Agency Services Limited
  • on the restructuring and refinancing of Royal IHC, a Dutch national champion in the maritime space*
  • on the restructuring of Galapagos Holding S.A.*
  • on the restructuring of BARTEC, a German manufacturer of explosion safety equipment
  • on the sale of Young’s Seafood Limited, one of the UK’s leading producers and distributors of seafood, to Karro Food Group*
• eBay Inc. on its acquisition of Motors.co.uk from Cox Automotive Relation Solutions*
• TransUnion on its acquisition of Callcredit, which was named "Private Equity Deal of the Year (Over $1B)" by The M&A Advisor at the 11th Annual International M&A Awards*
• Kimmeridge Energy on its sale of Kimmeridge GmbH, its German exploration and production business, to the RDG platform, a joint venture of Petroleum Equity and RAG*
• Metric Capital Partners on its investment in Less Mess Storage Inc., a leading operator of self-storage facilities in Central and Eastern Europe*
• CapVest on the formation of its €440 million European buyout fund, CapVest Equity Partners III*
• MezzVest on the formation of its €585 million European mezzanine fund, MezzVest III*
• Lincolnshire Management on its acquisition of Fabbri Vignola, an Italian industrial group producing equipment and film products for food packaging, from IGI and the Chiarva family*
• Sun Capital Partners
  • on Exopack Holdings S.A.’s offering of US$325 million 7 7⁄8% Senior Notes*
  • on its acquisition of the assets and business of Dreams plc, the UK’s largest beds retailer, in a pre-pack administration*
• H.I.G. Europe
  • on its investment in St. Gilgen International School in Austria*
  • on its acquisition of the Belgian metalized paper manufacturer AR Metallizing from Ackermans & van Haaren, as well as the simultaneous acquisition of the assets of Vacumet Paper in the United States from Schoole Corporation*
• Smurfit Kappa Group on its offering of €400 million of senior secured notes*
• Thoma Bravo on its acquisition of the network and IT services business, InfoVista SA*
• Bain Capital on its $1.3 billion acquisition of the business process outsourcing business Atento, from Telefonica*
• Strategic Value Partners on the junior-led debt-for-equity restructuring of German plastics manufacturer Klöckner Pentaplast*
• The First Lien Co-ordinating Committee of lenders to eircom on the restructuring of its €4.1 billion debt facilities*

*Denotes experience prior to joining Goodwin.

Prior to joining Goodwin, Michelle was most recently a partner at Sidley Austin LLP in London.

• Corporate/M&A/Private equity Rising Star in Euromoney’s Rising Stars Expert Guide 2021.
• Rising Star and A UK Best Up and Coming Female Lawyer by Legal Week. This award commemorates International Women’s Day by honoring the next generation of leading female lawyers across the UK.
• 2020 Private Equity Rising Star by Financial News. The annual Financial News list profiles 25 of the most promising dealmakers, fundraisers, advisers and investor relations professionals under 40 in Europe. Ms. Tong was selected from a longlist of nearly 100 candidates and was the only legal adviser to be named to the list in 2020.
• 2020 Future Leader of Private Equity “Future 40” by Private Equity International. The annual Private Equity International list recognizes individuals under the age of 40 who are set to shape private equity over the next decade.
• 2020 Rising Star, Europe by International Financial Law Review (IFLR). The annual awards recognize the continent’s leading up-and-coming lawyers across 25 practice areas and 33 jurisdictions, with winners being selected based on their professional accomplishments, advocacy and influence within their area of experience.

Michelle’s recent speaking engagements include:

• Speaker, “Legal Funding 101: Garnering Support for Women's Health”, Women of Wearables Knowledge Hub, 7 July 2021
• Moderator, “Pushing the Needle: How to Drive Meaningful Change for Diversity & Inclusion”, Women, Influence & Power in Law UK, 11 March 2021