An-Sofie Van Hootegem

Partner, Brussels

“I assist national and international clients across a wide range of sectors with all aspects of their M&A transactions, both in Belgium and abroad. I am the trusted advisor of several private equity houses assisting them throughout the various phases of the buy-out value chain.” 

Overview

Professional experience

Education and qualifications

Overview

An-Sofie advises national and international clients on their M&A transactions and has a strong expertise in private equity. She represents many private equity houses throughout the various aspects of the investment lifecycle (from acquisitions, to add-ons and exit). She also specialises in management equity packages in the context of buy-outs.

An-Sofie has extensive experience advising corporate clients on their M&A, carve-outs, joint ventures and corporate restructurings.

She is highly regarded by clients for her solution-oriented and hands-on approach, excellent project management and strong technical knowledge.

Work highlights
  • Sofina: advising on several transactions including:
    • its investment in EG Software alongside Francisco Partners
    • its US$250m investment in Collibra's Series G funding round
    • its investment in the French based manufacturer and distributor of cosmetic products Nuxe
    • its investment in Drylock Technologies
    • its investment in Biobest Group NV
  • Hg Capital: advising on several transactions, including its investment in Induver and Clover, two leading independent corporate insurers in Belgium, and its investment in Silverfin NV, a European cloud accounting software business.
  • SiegCo (Verlinvest): advising on the sale of Valtech to BC Partners.
  • Gimv: advising on the sale of Incendin NV, a company active in the fire safety solutions, to Straco.
  • Verlinvest: advising on the acquisition of a majority stake in Tom&Co, a leading Belgian pet food retailer.
  • Robur Capital: advising on the sale of Step-Up to Kantar and on the subsequent reinvestment by the selling managers.
  • Proximus: advising on the acquisition of 100% of the share capital in BICS following the buy-out of its joint venture partners MTN and Swisscom.
  • Mediahuis: advising on its acquisition of 100% of the shares in Saint-Paul Luxembourg S.A., the leading media group in Luxembourg, holding a diversified, multichannel media portfolio.
  • Strada Partners: advising on the acquisition of Elsyca, a global engineering software provider.
  • Cobepa/Verlinvest: advising on the divestment of Carrières du Hainaut to SigmaRoc, a listed UK-based construction group.
  • Gen II (Cobepa): advising on its acquisition of the Luxembourg-based provider of private equity and real estate administration services, Quilvest Services Luxembourg.

Professional experience

2021 –  to date: Partner, Linklaters LLP, Brussels
2019 – 2021: Counsel, Linklaters LLP, Brussels
2015 – 2018: Senior Associate, Allen & Overy LLP, Brussels
2008 – 2015: Associate, Allen & Overy LLP, Brussels 

Education and qualifications

An-Sofie holds a master’s degree in Law from the University of Ghent, an LL.M in Corporate and Financial Law from the London School of Economics and a master’s degree in Notary Studies from the University of Brussels.

She speaks Dutch, English and French.