Linklaters advised Desjardins Group, the largest financial cooperative in North America, on the US and UK components of its definitive agreement for the $1.21 billion take-private acquisition of Guardian Capital Group Limited (TSX:GCG) (TSX:GCG.A), a publicly traded global investment management company. This strategic acquisition marks a significant milestone for Desjardins in strengthening its position in asset management across Canada and internationally.
The transaction will bring together the strengths of Desjardins Global Asset Management and Guardian to form a leading organization with approximately C$280 billion in assets under management and advisement, positioning Desjardins as a key player in the Canadian market and expanding its presence globally.
Spanning New York, Washington, D.C., and London, the Linklaters team was led by Financial Regulation Partners
Don Waack and
Brad Caswell and M&A Partner
Pierre-Emmanuel Perais.
The team also included Antitrust and Foreign Investment support from Partner
Antonia Sherman, Senior Counsel
Jonathan Gafni, and Associates
Anna Gooding and
Ray Hou; Banking support from Associate
Vivian Meng; M&A support from Associates
Titus Kabega and
Harrie Im; Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits support from Partner
Andrew Gaines, Senior Counsel
Janet Lee, and Associates
Maddy Hayes and
Krystal Dillon; Financial Regulatory support from Counsel
Tim Foley, and Associates
Maria Vaz Ferreira and Patrick Canavan; Litigation, Arbitration and Investigations support from Partner
Patrick Ashby and Associate
Nicolle Sayers; Real Estate support from Counsel
Yelena Nersesyan; Tax support from Partner
Gabriel Grossman, Counsel
Sean McKeever, and Associate
Reuven Rosen; and TMT/IP support from Partner
Ieuan Jolly, Counsel
Shruti Chopra and
Kris Ekdahl, and Associates
Ekta Oza and
Moses Kim.